Time, gravity and cosmetic surgery

There are many reasons as to why parts of our body sag over time. For starters, there’s a marked decline in the skin’s elasticity, robbing it of the ability to snap back into place when we lose weight. When it comes to breasts, however, other factors come into play, such as smoking, post-menopausal conditions which create collagen deficiencies and pregnancies (although breastfeeding has not been proved to be a cause).

Smoking

It’s a firmly-established fact that a long-term smoking habit breaks down a protein in the skin known as elastin, which supports the breasts and supplies the skin with an element of ‘give’.

Pregnancy

In a study conducted over the course of a decade, 55% of women involved reported an adverse change in breast shape after pregnancy. However, and contrary to popular belief, breastfeeding does not appear to have an adverse effect upon the appearance of the breasts.

Vigorous exercise

While exercise – running especially – is a great way to keep the body taut, the three-dimensional movements larger breasts can make during exercise sessions can contribute to sagging over time. Motion studies indicate that when woman runs, 50% of the breasts’ movement is up-and-down, 22% is side-to-side and 27% is in-and-out. What happens during the remaining 1% is beyond us, but it’s clear that a lot of stress is put on the breasts while the rest of the body is being exercised.

Wearing (or not wearing) a bra

It’s been a long-held belief that women who have gone bra-less for long periods of time are more susceptible to breast ptosis, but this is not the case at all. There has not been one scrap of evidence to support the theory that wearing a bra can slow down the onset of breast-sagging. Remember, the breast – unlike other parts of the body – is an external organ and does not contain muscle: the sole point of a bra is to enhance the look of what you’ve got.

The solution? Aesthetic procedures

There are two procedures that can be performed in order to turn you to your natural shape: breast augmentation surgery and breast lift surgery.

Breast augmentation surgery - which increases a woman’s cup size with the insertion of saline or silicone implants – is a procedure which involves making an incision (usually under the breasts, but sometimes to the side of the breasts), followed by the insertion of an implant. Sometimes, the implant is placed between the breast tissue and chest muscle. In other cases, it is placed under the chest muscle. It also gives the surgeon the opportunity to reposition the nipples for a more natural look.

A breast lift - as the name implies – aims to raise and firm the breasts without increasing the cup size, resulting in a new upper-body contour. It also works as a fix for sagging breasts, repositioning the nipples for a more natural look, and reducing the appearance of enlarged areola.

Bottom line: if you’re starting to feel that gravity is getting you and your shape down, maybe it’s time to have a talk with us and begin to do something about it.