Breasts can start to sag a little at any age, because they
do not have muscles in them. The breasts are composed of fat (which determines
breast size and shape);
glands (which produces milk),
and ligaments and connective tissues (which provides support for the breasts). A number of factors can affect
each of these breast tissue components, resulting in breasts taking on a
sagging appearance. This may result in nipples that point downward or tissues
that appears loosened.
Smoking: When you smoke, the carcinogen contained in the
smoke enter your body and break down the elastin fibers. Elastin fibers are
responsible for the skin elasticity, meaning the absence of the fibers cause
the skin to droop. These fibers are found in breast tissues, and over time,
smoking can lead to tissue breakdown that result in sagging breasts.
Aging: As you age, your body’s elastin fibers, which keep
the skin from drooping, and collagen fibers, which give tissue strength and
flexibility, decrease. The rate at which they decrease is determined chiefly by
genetics, diet and elasticity of your skin. Women ay notice this effect
especially during menopause, when collagen decreases at their fastest rate.
Gravity: Gravity’s pull affects larger breasts more than
smaller breasts, which can cause them to take on a naturally sagging appearance,
so large breasts will sag easier. When the gravity pulls the breast down, those
ligaments and the skin can stretch, and so the breast then droops. For this
reason, it is important to wear that provides sufficient support to combat
gravity’s effect. Women with heavy breasts may find that regular bra wearing
can delay or diminish sagging, because their breasts are just so heavy.
Exercise: High-impact exercises, such as running, playing
tennis and jogging, can stretch ligaments in the breast and some of them can
even harm the Cooper’s ligaments inside the breasts. These activities place
more stress on the breast tissue if the breast are not properly supported through
the wearing of a good sports bra or other clothing item that add extra support
and keeps breasts from moving.
Yo-yo dieting: Yo-yo dieting causes the breast to lose fat
tissue, which can the breasts to appear less firm. If you gain the weight back,
your body’s ligaments may not be in place to support the tissue, resulting in
sagging breasts. The same principle is also true for women who became pregnant
and gain weight in the breasts due to carrying a baby, then lose the weight
once the baby is born. Maintaining a constant weight is one of the best ways to
stop your breasts from drooping.
Breast involution: This is a process where the milk-making
system inside the breast shrinks because it is not needed anymore. When the
tissue inside the breast shrink, and the skin surrounding it does not, the
breast looks empty and saggy. This happens either after weaning or right after
pregnancy if the woman does not breastfeed at all, or during menopause. After
weaning, a woman’s body usually deposits fat back to the breast (this might
take months), so the breasts will
gain their pre-pregnancy size, but sagging usually remains. Scientists have
found out that breastfeeding per se does not have an effect on breast sagging.
Pregnancy does because of the great physical changes happening in the breasts
during pregnancy but breastfeeding alone do not, don’t think you will escape
droopy breasts just by skipping breastfeeding.
Weight loss: When
you lose weight, some fats disappear from your breasts. Typically, the skin and
ligaments inside the breasts do not retract, resulting in an ‘empty’ looking
breast that then sags. You can prevent this by eating foods that provide extra
good nutrition for your skin.
Obesity:
Overweight women have some additional fat tissue in their breasts, which causes
them to be heavier and therefore sag earlier than otherwise.
Wearing bras:
This might sound strange and contradictory, but it’s the truth! For most women,
bra wearing can actually increase sagging. The idea is that when you wear bras,
those ligaments inside the breasts can atrophy and shrivel away from non-usage.
“Use it, or lose it” seems to be at work. The gentle bouncing of breasts when
you walk or move can help those ligaments stay in top shape. Perhaps breasts
are not meant to be kept totally “jig-less” and motionless! Just remember to
wear sports bras during any active sports when the breast would bounce a lot.
Sagging cannot be
totally prevented, it is an inevitable process and you are no alone. So, take
time to enjoy the good life that you’ve got and stop worrying about things that
does not really matter.
More importantly, you should remember to have a breast
examination done by your doctor, at least once every year, along with monthly
self breast examinations and be sure you have an annual mammography if you are 35
years or older. Firm breasts (perky breasts) won’t matter much if cancer takes its toll on them.
Post a Comment