Pectus excavatum in adults: what to expect
By Javier Santana, founder of Pectus Academy · Updated October 2026
Short answer: in an adult, pectus does not go away on its own and can become more pronounced over the years. Posture and muscle can be trained at any age. Surgery is still possible, with more complications than in teenagers. There is little data on the vacuum bell in adults. If you have symptoms, the first step is a medical assessment.
Does pectus change with age?
It usually becomes more visible with the growth spurt of puberty, and the dip can keep getting deeper into adulthood. It does not correct itself once you stop growing.
What options does an adult have?
| Option | What is known in adults |
|---|---|
| Posture, breathing and exercise | They can be trained at any age. We have not found studies specific to adults with pectus. |
| Vacuum bell | It has been used in people up to 61 years old. For teenagers and adults with a moderate dip, treatments of 24 to 36 months are proposed. There are hardly any results broken down by age. |
| Surgery | It is possible. In a registry of 2,843 patients, adults had more bleeding (3% vs 0.86%) and more acute pain (55% vs 39.1%) than minors. In a series of 16 patients aged 40 or older, complications occurred in 31.3%, and the authors conclude that age alone should not be a contraindication. |
A review of studies in adults who had surgery lists bar displacement, infection, pneumothorax and chronic pain as the most common complications, and even so most patients were satisfied.
What about the psychological side?
It is documented and it is not minor. In a study of 71 people with pectus excavatum, 19 with pectus carinatum and 82 without a deformity, patients' body image was highly disturbed compared with the control group. Distress about one's own image was linked to lower mental quality of life and lower self-esteem. The authors note that this concern may weigh more in the decision to seek treatment than physical limitations.
If you have spent years avoiding the pool or choosing clothes so it does not show, that is not just you.
When to see a doctor
If you notice shortness of breath, chest pain, palpitations, fainting, or you tire more than usual during exercise. The usual tests are an echocardiogram, lung function tests and an exercise test, which can reveal limitations that do not show at rest.
My experience at 33
I was born with pectus excavatum, although I didn't notice it until I was 10, and did nothing about it until I was 33, because I thought surgery was the only way out. Then I started working on posture, breathing and training and, for more than a year, I used a vacuum bell. Today my pectus is corrected. That is my experience, not proof of what will happen to you. I tell the whole story in About Pectus Academy.
What we know and what we don't
What we know
- Pectus can become more pronounced in adulthood.
- Surgery in adults is possible, with more complications than in minors.
- The impact on body image is real and has been measured.
What we don't know
- How well the vacuum bell works in adults.
- How much appearance changes with posture and exercise in adults: no studies measure it.
Keep reading
- Does the vacuum bell work in adults?
- Surgery vs conservative treatment
- Can you fix pectus excavatum without surgery?
To start with the lowest-risk step, get the free guide to the 4 posture mistakes.
This content is educational and does not replace the advice of a healthcare professional. We do not promise a specific result.
Sources
- Mayo Clinic. Pectus excavatum: symptoms and causes. mayoclinic.org
- Sharma G, Carter YM. Pectus Excavatum. StatPearls, updated February 15, 2026. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430918
- Haecker FM, Sesia S. Vacuum bell therapy. Annals of Cardiothoracic Surgery, 2016. annalscts.com
- Rshaidat et al. Annals of Thoracic Surgery Short Reports, 2024. PubMed 39790407
- Çetinkaya et al. Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery, 2026. PubMed 41691289
- Akhtar et al. Cureus, 2023. PubMed 36960268
- Steinmann C, et al. Pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum patients suffer from lower quality of life and impaired body image. European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, 2011;40(5):1138-1145.
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