Breast Sagging: What Can I do for it?

Drooping of the breast tissue is called "breast ptosis." Various factors increase the danger of breast sagging. The phenomenon of breast sagging is associated with age. Howsoever, there might still be a lot of shame and insecurity around the issue, even in an era of increased body positivity.

Causes of Breast Sagging: 

• Aging. The ligaments that make up the breast tissue stretch and lose elasticity in older women. Hence, the underlying support system of tissue and fat diminishes. A change might be particularly evident during menopause.
• Gravitational pull. Gravitational pull affects more women with larger breasts.

• Lack of proper support. Wearing a supportive bra is important to maintaining breast shape and implant. 
• Smoking. Carcinogens in cigarette breaks elastin which is responsible for skin elasticity throughout the body.
• Sun burn. Ultraviolet rays damage the skin and lead to the loss of elasticity as well.
• Weight gain. Major fluctuations in weight could cause unnecessary stretching of the breasts. Maintaining a healthy weight would help women avoid the progression of unnecessary stretching.

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Home remedies for breast sagging: 

• Olive oil:  Massage the breasts with olive oil.
• Ice: An ice massage is a remedy to get firm and right shaped breasts. Massage the breasts with ice for about a minute or two.
• Fenugreek seed powder: Mix fenugreek powder in water and once it forms a thick paste apply it to the breasts for 10 to 15 minutes and rinse it off with water.
• Egg yolk and cucumber mask: Make a paste of egg yolk and cucumber, massage it on the breasts and wash off with cold water.
• Aloe Vera: Apply the aloe vera paste on the breasts.

Treatment for Breast Sagging: 

• Breast augmentation

Breast augmentation is the process of reducing breast size.  Depending on the size of the breast the doctor might suggest the type of augmentation required. 

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Doctors explain when the size of the nipple is 2 cm or more than that then the breast augmentation might not work and the patient might have to consider a combination of augmentation and implant surgery.

• Breast implant

Breast implant, also called mastopexy, is a treatment in that the doctors remove extra tissue and skin from the breast to reshape and increase the support to the breast. Breast implants do not modify the shape and size of the breast tissue, but in fact, remove the extra skin.

Prevention from breast sagging: 

Stitch in time saves nine. It is always better to prevent something than to try to treat it later on. Sagging breasts is one such problem, there are certain things women could do to prevent themselves from having saggy breasts.

• Maintain a healthy body weight

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Maintaining a healthy weight could be beneficial for one as it might help prevent breast sagging and keep the breasts firm and in the right shape for as long as possible.

• Find a comfy, well fitting bra

It is important to reduce mobility of the breasts for women in athletics or into cardio exercises like jogging. Working out or exercising without wearing a sports bra could lead to stretching and sagging of breasts.

• Avoid or stop smoking

Smoking is like a slow killer. It starts to affect the body by destroying the lungs and overall functioning of the body. Smoking might cause the breast tissues to lose their firmness and  speed up the ageing process by destroying elastin protein that keeps the skin supple.

Myths related to breast sagging: 

• Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding being the reason behind breast sagging is one of the most common myths out there. Misconceptions have made people not to go for breastfeeding so as to not alter the shape of their breasts. Women felt more confident about breastfeeding after gaining knowledge about the actual causes of breast sagging.

The stretching of the Cooper's ligament that occurs during pregnancy is what actually causes sagging and drooping and it is in no way related to whether the person is breastfeeding or not.

• Exercising

Internet tells people how to prevent sagging with different exercises. But those exercises do not affect the connective tissue and ligaments in the breasts and only affect the muscles in the chest.

It is advisable to wear a sports bra while exercising. Workouts might cause the skin of the breasts to strain and do not support the breasts during high intensity.

So, one could still exercise for good health, but wearing a sports bra is good for breast health.

• Wearing a Bra

Whether or not one wears a bra does not cause or prevent the breasts from sagging. Still, many people do not wear the correct size bra. Research has found that ill fitting bras could lead to the following:

1. Increased pressure on the shoulders from tight bra straps
2. Pain in the neck or back from a lack of adequate support
3. Weakness in the arms
4. Limited arm movement

So,  even though the bra would not do much for breast sagging, ensure one wear the right sizeYou might go to a doctor and take help when one feels if you want the right guidance. It’s important to take care of your breast, do monthly self breast examination to keep your breast health in check. Have more questions on self breast examination? Check out Gytree’s expert curated “ breast lump detection” package to get the right guidance.