Sagging Breasts: All you need to know

There are certain things a woman experiences as she ages, one such is sagging breasts. This change is completely natural and it is completely understandable if any woman does not want saggy breasts and wishes to find ways to either prevent or improve them. 

Dr. Rohan Khandelwal, explains why this can happen, its causes, ways to treat saggy breasts, prevention of sagging breasts point out some natural home remedies for sagging breasts.

Saggy Breasts are a totally normal thing

A woman shouldn’t be ashamed of having saggy breasts. Every woman’s breast is different, breasts come in different shapes and sizes and they do and can change over time. Change in a woman’s breast is not a dangerous thing and not something to worry about but it may affect her self-confidence and quality of life.

There are several factors that may have led to saggy breasts, such as age, pregnancy, weight, etc. A person in his or her early 20s or 30s may experience saggy breasts and some may experience it in their 40s or 50s.

Let us understand some causes of saggy breasts and what steps can a person take to change the appearance of saggy breasts id and when they wish to.

Breast sagging is also known as breast ptosis, which occurs when the cooper’s ligaments in your breasts, which lift, shape, and support your breast, stretch and lose their structure, causing the breast to sag. Droopy, deflated breasts might result from a loss of skin elasticity.

Causes of Sagging Breasts

Below are some of the common causes of sagging breasts:-

Age

No one can save themselves from ageing up, it touches every single body that touches this earth. No matter what medicines you eat, what diet you follow, and what exercise plan you take age will some or then other way catch up with you.

Sagging breasts is a normal and natural part of the ageing process, some experience sagging breasts early in their youth some experience them when they reach their 40s or 50s.

But, it is common among women who have reached menopause, as there are several hormonal changes that can affect the structure, size, shape, and volume of the breast tissue.

Weight

 We must have seen that people with higher weight tend to have larger breasts than people with a lower or maintained weight. Being overweight can lead to saggy breasts, not just in females but also in males.

Workout without support

Sometimes women work out without wearing the right bra to support their breasts making them saggy and uncomfortable to deal with.  If your breasts are heavy and you do not wear proper support, it can lead to stretching of the tissues and make your breast saggy.

Size and shape

Women who have small and round-shaped breasts do not have much problem but women who have large breasts succumb to gravity and start to lose elasticity and take a saggy shape. Large and saggy breasts can also cause severe back pain.

Pregnancy

When a woman is pregnant and her hormones start to change, meaning the breast tissues and the glands begin to produce and fill up with breast milk and all of this milk can cause the breasts to become heavy and sag. 

Smoking

Some researchers link that there might be some history of smoking to sagging breasts, while other studies contradict this conclusion. As a result of the loss of elasticity in the skin caused by smoking, smokers are more likely to develop sagging breasts.

Treatment of Sagging Breasts

The following sections will help outline some treatment options.

Breast augmentation

To reduce the size of breasts, some women go through a process called breast augmentation. Depending on the size of the breast the doctor may suggest the type of augmentation required. 

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

Breast lift

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

Prevention

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 can do to prevent themselves from having saggy breasts.

Maintain a healthy body weight

Nobody is asking you to lose weight or gain weight. Instead, maintaining a healthy weight can be beneficial for you as it may help prevent breast sagging and keep your breasts firm and in the right shape for as long as possible.

Find a comfy, well-fitting bra

For athletic women or women who are into cardio exercises like jogging, it is essential for them to reduce too much mobility of their breasts. Working out without wearing a sports bra can cause stretching and sagging of breasts.

Avoid or stop smoking

Smoking is like a slow killer. It starts to affect your body by destroying the lungs and overall functioning of the body. Smoking though has no proven theory regarding its effect on breast sagging but researchers have warned that smoking may cause the breast tissues to lose their firmness and also speeds up the ageing process by destroying elastin, a protein which keeps the skin remain supple.

Natural and home remedies for sagging breasts

Below are remedies that may or may not work for everyone and are not medically proven and are mentioned for awareness purposes.

• Olive oil: Take some warm olive oil and rub it between your palms and then massage your breasts in an upward direction.
• Ice: An ice massage is a simple hassle-free remedy that may help to get firm and right-shaped breasts. Massage your 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 your breasts for 10-12 minutes and wash it off with water.
• Egg yolk and cucumber mask: Make a paste of egg yolk and cucumber, apply to breasts by massaging it in an upward motion and leave it for 30 minutes and wash it off with cold water.
• Aloe Vera: Take some fresh aloe vera, grind it and make a paste. Apply the paste in an upward motion and leave it for 15 minutes and let the gel get absorbed into the skin.

FAQs 

Ques 1. What is the fastest way of tightening saggy breasts?

If sagging breasts is a concern for you, then the fastest way of tightening sagging breasts is getting a surgical treatment as recommended by the doctor.

Ques 2. Any home remedies to firm up sagging breasts?

Wearing a proper fit sports bra, focusing on chest exercises to firm up the breasts and maintain a healthy weight. The last resort is to get a surgical treatment to help firm up sagging breasts.

Ques 3. Can sagging breasts be firm again?

Unfortunately, no because breasts are not made up of any muscles and it is not possible to firm up the breasts tissue with exercise also. It can help improve the strength and tone of muscles but permanent firming up will not be possible unless breast lift surgery is performed.