Thinking about breast lift surgery? Common causes of sagging breasts

While most women focus on how age changes their face (it is the most visible part of your body, after all), aeging affects your entire body.

And that includes your breasts.

Over your lifetime, your breasts will undergo many different changes. In many cases, they may start sagging.

Pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and just plain old ageing… most women experience some sort of sagging in their breasts over their lives.

And in turn, for many women, breast sagging causes major harm to their self-image, wellbeing and mental health.

Luckily, breast lift surgery can help you get your previous shape back.

This type of surgery can help undo the many causes of sagging breasts, and help you feel more confident and comfortable in your own skin.

What causes sagging breasts?

Breast ptosis (the medical term for sagging breasts) refers to changes in women’s breast appearance – specifically, to changes in the position of the breasts, as well as their shape and size. 

While the medical term may make it sound a bit weird, in truth, it’s a completely natural process for most women. Such changes are often tied to hormonal changes and other physical changes that are often unavoidable in a woman’s life.

And that includes…

Weight loss or weight gain

Breasts are made up of ligaments called Cooper’s ligaments. These are what lift and support your breasts, giving them their shape.

Sudden weight gain or weight loss can often cause these ligaments to stretch out, resulting in sagging breasts.

Even after you lose all that weight, the effects on these ligaments can persist.

Now that they’re stretched out, your breasts could be left with a lasting sag, and permanent changes to the shape and position of your breasts.

Ageing  

Weight gain isn’t the only thing that can stretch out these ligaments –  age can also cause them to wear out.

As you age, your skin and ligaments both stretch out and lose much of their natural elasticity. 

In addition to loose skin, this can also often result in sagging and deflated breasts.

Menopause is an especially common period for breasts to start sagging. During this stage, dense glandular tissue tends to be replaced with fat, increasing breast volume, structure and weight, while also reducing their natural “bounce”.

And that results in sagging breasts.

Smoking

Smoking causes the skin to lose its elasticity – and that includes your breasts too.

A smoking habit can cause the skin surrounding the breast area prematurely loosen, causing your breasts to start sagging and drooping earlier than they may have otherwise.

Just another thing to add to the long list of reasons to kick the habit!

Large and heavy breast size

Women who have larger than average breasts may often notice their breasts starting to sag earlier than otherwise.

And the reason is simple: more weight pulls your breasts down, which causes the collagen and skin in your breasts to stretch out faster than normal.

As such. Some women choose breast lift surgery in conjunction with breast reduction, in order to minimise the strain on their neck and back, improve comfort, and enjoy a perkier bustline.

Multiple pregnancies

Pregnancy brings many changes to one’s body, including to your breasts.

In particular, your breasts swell with pregnancy and particularly with breastfeeding.

For most women, these changes revert themselves naturally once you stop breastfeeding and most of the time as your lactocytes (the cells responsible for milk production) stop working and shrink, returning to their pre-pregnancy size (though not always the exact same shape).

Multiple pregnancies, however, pose a bit of a problem, especially if they’re in relatively quick succession:

• Consecutive pregnancies mean that you might not get a break from breastfeeding
• Your breasts will be heavier, and for longer
• Your breasts might frequently increase and decrease in size, wearing out the skin and ligaments

Can you prevent your breasts from sagging?

While there’s no magic formula to stop the body’s natural ageing process (and all the physical changes that occur with it, including changes to your breasts), there are some choices you can make that may be able to delay this.

Observe proper diet and nutrition

A healthy and balanced diet helps keep your skin healthy and preserves its natural elasticity, allowing you – and your breasts – to stay younger-looking for years to come.

On top of keeping your breast tissue firm and strong, staying hydrated by drinking lots of water, as well as maintaining a healthy diet is just a good habit to get into, end of story.

Quit smoking

Another good habit you should get into is quitting smoking.

Not only does it help your lungs, but it also has the neat side-effect of maintaining your skin’s elasticity and youthfulness, which can save you from prematurely sagging breasts. 

Get a hormone test

Sudden changes in your hormone levels can cause estrogen and collagen levels to a dropdown – something that in turn can affect your breast shape.

Don’t wait for the visible symptoms (like sagging breasts) to start showing – schedule a hormone test, especially if you’re already approaching menopause.

Carefully plan pregnancies

In particular, be sure to leave time between pregnancies for your body (including your breasts) to recover from the many physical changes that pregnancy comes with.

Maintain a healthy weight

As mentioned earlier, sudden weight gain and weight loss often causes the breasts to sag and lose their firmness.

Just as with the diet and smoking advice, in addition to the other health benefits, maintaining a healthy weight can also push back and delay breast sagging.

And if all else fails, there’s always breast lift surgery

While each of these tactics can help delay breast sagging, for most women there comes a certain point where it catches up with them.

Luckily, there’s still one more option: breast lift surgery.

Breast lift, also known as “mastopexy” restores your youthful curves and stops drooping bust lines. It’s an extremely safe and effective procedure that corrects the position of your breasts and eliminates visible sagging.

If you are unhappy with the position of your breasts and are experiencing low self-esteem because of your breasts, we suggest getting in touch to find out if a breast lift is right for you.

If you’re interested in plastic surgery in Cairns – and specifically, breast lifts in Cairns – then there’s only one team to call: ours.

Dr Isolde Hertess and the friendly team at Cairns Plastic Surgery help you achieve a younger, perkier and sexier bust line just like before.

Our philosophy is that plastic surgery isn’t just about results – it’s about the experience. We all know plastic surgery can be scary, so that’s why we take such efforts to make sure that your experience is pleasant, seamless, and as stress-free as possible.

Don’t know where to start? Book a complimentary information session with one of our nurses at Cairns today.

During this confidential chat, you’ll learn more about what you want to achieve, as well as if breast lift surgery is the right way of getting there.

Contact Cairns on (07) 4031 5755 or fill in this enquiry form and we will be in touch with you!