Physiology Tanner Stages - Girls		Tanner stages are shown in the cartoons on this page, but actual photos with more detailed descriptions are also available. The Tanner stages of breast development in girls start with stage 1 where there is absolutely no breast bud formation. By Tanner stage 3, there is more of an areola. In stage 4, the areola actually stands up on the breast. As the child goes through puberty, you can see that the breasts become fuller and eventually the areola is no longer set apart from the rest of the breast. I think one of the hardest things for people is to know where the onset of puberty is. It's not that fine, downy hair, it's actually coarse hair that you're looking for to set a Tanner stage 1 apart from a Tanner stage 2 female. Then you see progressively more hair growth over the next couple of years. Return to top of page