Chinese woman with undersized chest muscles wears ‘jewellery breast' to boost self-esteem

South China Morning Post

10-04-2025

A 22-year-old woman in China with a rare congenital condition that left one of her breasts underdeveloped has shared an online post showing a new breast made of jewellery, saying it helped her gain confidence.
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The woman, surnamed Xuan, was born with Poland Syndrome, a condition characterised by underdeveloped chest muscles and limbs on one side of the body.
The syndrome occurs in about one in every 30,000 births, and affects males twice as often as females.
It does not affect life expectancy, but patients are often advised to receive reconstruction or implant surgery to help with breathing problems and appearance based on the severity of their condition.
Xuan said she suffered from low self-esteem when she was a child, knowing that she looked different from her classmates.
Xuan, right, was born with Poland Syndrome, a condition characterised by underdeveloped chest muscles and limbs on one side of the body. Photo: handout
She said she tried to stuff her bra to make her breasts look symmetrical, and habitually slouched to hide her abnormality.