Your Armpit Fat May Actually Be Something Else

Have you noticed that there's some extra skin and fat under your armpit area, especially when you wear a tank top? According to Healthline, it's a widespread occurrence for many different people, regardless of gender or weight. Perhaps you tend to wear clothing that's too tight or your bra doesn't fit properly, which pushes out the skin around your armpit. Genetics also play a significant role in where fat lives in your body, so that underarm fat may also be a result of your genetic makeup, not your clothing choices (via Science Daily).

Nevertheless, like any other areas you may consider to be problematic when looking in the mirror, extra tissue under the armpits can cause poor body image and self-esteem issues. However, you may be relieved to find out that the puffiness under your armpit may not actually be fat at all. Before you spend countless hours in the gym in an attempt to ditch that arm fat for good, listen up — you need to know what you're dealing with and if there's anything to "fix" at all.

Although they may look the same, armpit fat and breast tissue, or axillary breast tissue, are totally different. While armpit fat is made up of fat (obviously), axillary breast tissue is basically misplaced breast that usually appears in the armpit area but can also be found in unusual places like the thigh or labia majora (per National Library of Medicine). Axillary breast tissue affects between 2% and 6% of women, it may be difficult to pinpoint if that extra meat under your arm is breast tissue or fat.

When you have axillary breast tissue, the area under your armpit may fluctuate during hormonal stages in your monthly cycle. Just like your breasts may change in shape and become sensitive during your period, so does that tissue under the armpit (per Plastic Surgery Group Memphis). In this case, the area can be inflamed, lumpy, or larger than normal armpit fat. With weight gain, axillary breast tissue and armpit fat can become more prominent.

While axillary breast tissue in the armpit area isn't harmful in any way, many people don't like the way it looks, especially during that time of the month when the area is more suspectable to swelling. According to Art Lipo, the best way to successfully remove axillary breast tissue is through medical procedures like liposuction. In fact, it is the most effective way to get rid of any sort of excess tissue under the armpit, even underarm fat.

While you can start strength training to build muscle and wear clothing and bras that don't accentuate the area, there is nothing you can do on your own to completely eliminate axillary breast tissue. If the area under your armpits concerns you to the point of distress or discomfort, the best thing you can do is seek medical advice. Typically, tissue removal is a straightforward procedures that takes little time, per Art Lipo, as you can be in and out in a day. Whether you opt for a medical procedure or choose to embrace your armpits as they are, feeling confident with your body and your decision is truly what's most important.