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
They look like giant bullseye. What purpose do you think they serve given the function of the female nipple? Furthermore why do you think bullseyes are a universal concept of a target around the world?
The sacred rings, what are they?
Among other things, they “taste” the baby’s saliva and tweak the breastmilk formula on the fly to give them exactly what they need at that moment
For everyone saying it’s about newborn babies having high contrast to locate a nipple: what about people who aren’t white?
Idk details but my understanding is parts of the intestinal tract have a lot of melanin on some people, and it’s not acquired as it can be for spots that chafe. And it’s got something to do with the immune system somehow. And this is still controversial/being researched
I can imagine mother and baby both benefit from improved immune function. Also would explain why I’ve seen areolae darken during pregnancy/lactation
What I don’t get is why palms of hands and soles of feet aren’t the darkest parts of our body, if this is the case
>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/.
Boobs and angels have areolas. So I guess they exist to remind us of heaven when we see them.
Areolae: The areola is the circular darker-colored area of skin surrounding your nipple. Areolae have glands called Montgomery’s glands that secrete a lubricating oil. This oil protects your nipple and skin from chafing during breastfeeding.Sep 5, 2023
It’s a misconception that everything in the human body serves a useful purpose. Think about the tail bone for example. Or the blind spot in our eyes. Or how about a single pipe to eat drink and breath through. The small appendix etc .
Something are just incidental remnants form the evolutionary branches we took
The real question is: why do men have them?!
Latest Answers