Firm and perky breasts are often seen as a symbol of youth for women of all ages. This can mean that seeing even the slightest amount of sagging in breast tissue can lead to a fair bit of emotional distress and frustration.
Understanding some of the causes of sagging breasts can help women to maintain their firm breast tissue and a youthful silhouette.
Fighting nature and the aging process
As women go through each stage of life, it’s quite natural for her to experience changes to her breasts. Breasts can grow larger during pregnancy and breastfeeding, which can lead to the skin and breast tissues stretching and loosening. After pregnancy and breastfeeding, the skin is going to remain stretched and loosened.
The thinning of skin, including the skin on the chest, is a natural part of the aging process. It happens due to a loss of collagen and elastin, which does often happen as women approach menopause.
It’s also important to note that larger breasts are much more likely to be impacted by the effects of gravity.
While you can’t stop the aging process, there are some steps that can be taken to help slow the process down and keep the supporting breast tissue healthy. Top breast surgeons in Brisbane such as Dr. Perron offer a number of breast augmentation procedures that can help to restore a youthful silhouette.
Maintaining a steady weight
While some slight weight gain or loss here and there won’t have much of an impact on your risk of pre-mature sagging, extreme weight fluctuations definitely can. As your metabolism slows down, as a result of aging, it can be more of a challenge to maintain a steady weight.
While weight gain and loss during and after pregnancy are often the more common culprit to blame for sagging, an unhealthy weight can also lead to concerns. Crash dieting or losing large amounts of weight may improve your overall health but won’t do your loose skin and drooping breasts any favors.
Put an end to your smoking habit
We all know that smoking and the use of nicotine can lead to a long list of side effects, most of which extend beyond the increased risks for lunch cancer. The chemicals used in the production of cigarettes, and the nicotine itself, have been shown to lead to a breakdown in your skin’s elastin.
Elastin is one of the essential proteins responsible for keeping your skin taut and looking youthful. A loss of elastin due to smoking will definitely result in looser breast tissue, and lead to premature sagging.
The use of sunscreen
Sunscreen should be a part of your daily routine, as it can protect your skin against the UV rays that can result in skin damage. A part of this damage is often the reduction of collagen in the skin. Collagen production does start to slow down as early as your 20s, but spending excessive amounts of time exposing your body to the sun and even indoor tanning beds can lead to the signs of premature ageing on your face and on your breasts.
The right foundation garments
Ensuring that you are wearing the right bra size, and the right kind of bra, can help to provide support for even the heaviest of breasts. Bras can help to avoid breast pain and the premature sagging that can come from unsupported breasts.
Women who have spent a lifetime wearing the wrong size or type of bra can see an unfortunate drooping in their breasts, because of the lack of support for their breasts.
Breast reduction surgery, combined with a lift, can help to alleviate the concerns and of course restore a youthful look and feel. While many of these factors that can contribute towards sagging can be altered with lifestyle changes, there is nothing that will restore loosened breast skin and muscles naturally. Consult with your plastic surgeon to determine whether a breast lift or other breast augmentation solution is the right option for your needs.
Image credit: Shutterstock.com