I understand the actual knob on a breast for a feeding purpose . Wouldn’t just that be enough ? Why the areola around it especially with a different shade of colour to the rest of the breast ?
In: Biology
>The skin of the areola has an exaggerated elasticity compared to the surrounding breast skin and possesses a tremendous ability to stretch when placed under tension. [1]
>Areolae have glands called Montgomery’s glands that secrete a lubricating oil. This oil protects your nipple and skin from chafing during breastfeeding. [2]
>When the infant suckles, sensory nerve fibers in the areola trigger a neuroendocrine reflex that results in milk secretion from lactocytes into the alveoli. [3]
1. Hammond, Dennis. “Mastopexy.” Atlas of Aesthetic Breast Surgery, W.B. Saunders, 6 Nov. 2009, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9781416031840000054.
2. “Breast Anatomy: Milk Ducts, Tissue, Conditions & Physiology.” Cleveland Clinic, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/8330-breast-anatomy. Accessed 8 Feb. 2024.
3. Biga, Lindsay M., et al. “28.6 Lactation.” Anatomy Physiology, OpenStax/Oregon State University, 26 Sept. 2019, open.oregonstate.education/aandp/chapter/28-6-lactation/.
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