What Causes Breast Sag — and What Can Help?

Posted on November 15, 2015

Do you notice that your once-buoyant breasts are starting to droop a little — or even a lot? Breast sag, or ptosis, is an unfortunate part of a woman’s life, and there are many factors that contribute to the downward migration of breasts over time. But don’t despair — there are things you can do in your daily lift to keep your breasts healthy and even prevent a certain amount of drooping. Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. David Rankin has performed numerous breast lift surgeries in his practice, Aqua Plastic Surgery. Dr. Rankin has an understanding of the factors that contribute to — and prevent — breast sag, which he shares in this post.

Pregnancy

When a woman is pregnant, her body produces estrogen and progesterone, which act to stimulate the mammary glands in the breasts in order to produce milk. This process enlarges the breasts during pregnancy and lactating, but once milk production stops, a woman’s breasts shrink back to their normal size or smaller than before. This change in breast size, especially if it occurs repeatedly over multiple pregnancies, stretches the breast skin and causes breasts to sag.

Aging and Genetics

Breasts are made of fat, glands, milk ducts and connective tissue. As a woman ages, the connective tissue in the breasts, which acts as a type of support system, gets stretched out and loses elasticity. This breakdown in the breast support system results in breasts losing their size and fullness, causing them to droop. In addition to the aging process, a woman’s genetics also have a bearing on how much her breasts sag as she ages, since her genes partially determine the strength of her connective tissue and the elasticity of her skin.

Significant Weight Fluctuations

Gaining and losing weight — particularly a significant amount — is a common factor that contributes to sagging breasts. With the increase and decrease of breast size that occurs every time a woman’s weight changes, the skin and ligaments of the breasts become stretched out and slack, causing breasts to droop as a result.

How to Prevent Breast Sag

Though women can expect a certain amount of breast sag over the course of their life, certain lifestyle habits can help protect breast skin and tissue and slow, or even prevent, a certain amount from occurring. The following are some tips on how to keep your breasts young-looking for as long as possible.

• Keep your weight stable. A stable weight will prevent breast skin and tissue from stretching out over time.
• Quit smoking. Smoking breaks down elastin, the protein that gives the skin — including breast skin — elasticity.
• Wear the right bra during high-impact workouts. Wear a well-fitting sports bra to prevent breasts from bouncing and stretching out the breast skin.
• Wear sunscreen on your chest. Since the skin on and around the breasts is so delicate and susceptible to sun damage, causing loss of skin elasticity, apply sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 to the exposed areas of your chest.

Ask Dr. Rankin about Breast Lift Surgery

Are you finding yourself more and more unhappy with breasts that were once perky, but are now showing signs of drooping? Why not schedule a breast lift consultation with Dr. Rankin? You can do so by contacting Aqua Plastic Surgery at (561) 776-2830 in Jupiter or (954) 564-3832 in Ft. Lauderdale.