How- to prevent-saggy-look and keep that perky look – forever

By Tanith Carey: FIGHTING GRAVITY’S IN YOUR GENES No other part of the body is more affected by the force of gravity than the breasts. From the moment a woman’s chest is fully grown, in her late teens to mid-twenties, she faces an uphill battle to defy the downward pull. The challenge is down to the fact that, while an average pair of breasts weighs around 2lbs to 4lbs, there’s not much of a natural support structure to keep them in place. Breast specialist and surgeon Ian Laidlaw, of Frimley Park Hospital, Surrey, says drooping breasts can have a serious psychological impact on a woman.

He says: ‘A large part of a woman’s femininity is her breasts. Sagging is a predictable change, yet it can have a profound impact. ‘The feelings women get when they can’t control the changes in their breasts can include inferiority, distorted body image, unattractiveness and worthlessness.’ The condition even has its own medical name — ptosis — and droopiness can be graded by doctors on a three-stage scale. In pert, young breasts, the nipple is usually above the line where the base of the breast meets the chest — or the inframammary fold. Asset management: Maintaining a constant weight is one of the best ways to stop your boobs heading south (posed by model) Asset management: Maintaining a constant weight is one of the best ways to stop your boobs heading south (posed by model) By stage two, the nipple is around one to three inches below that point. At stage three, the breast hangs more than 3cm below, with the nipple often pointing down to the floor. Over a lifetime, a woman with heavy breasts may see her nipples drop by as much as ten or 11cms if they descend to her waistline. Breasts are made of a mixture of mammary glands and fat. Through this run hundreds of pieces of tissue which connect the bulk of the breast to the skin — and keep the breast suspended. How pert your breasts stay depends partly on the genes which govern how much fat, glands and connective tissue they contain. Generally, the more connective tissue and glands you have, the firmer and more buoyant your breasts are likely to be. Size will also dictate how firm they stay. The heavier they are, the more strain on the skin and supporting ligaments, which, like eplastic bands, stretch permanently under persistent pressure. TRY TO KEEP YOUR WEIGHT STABLE There are two places where fat is found in the breast. Seventy per cent of breast fat is mixed with the glands to form the main bulk of the bosom. The rest of the fat is found in a layer of padding just under the skin. It’s this that tends to fluctuate in thickness as you gain and lose weight. If this layer thickens dramatically — and then thins out again due to yo-yo dieting — it will permanently stretch the supporting skin, leading to a droopier chest. As women in this country become more buxom — the average cup size is now a C compared to a B in the Fifties — they are more likely to face sagging. That’s because the rise is mainly due to an increase in fat content in the breasts — and fat is heavier and therefore harder to support. Breast consultant Mr Laidlaw says: ‘One of the best things you can do for your breasts is to maintain a constant body weight for your height that’s within the recommended range.’ DON’T WORRY ABOUT BREASTFEEDING Don't fear breastfeeding: Research found it didn't make a difference to sagging (posed by model) Don't fear breastfeeding: Research found it didn't make a difference to sagging (posed by model) Women have long blamed their saggy boobs on breastfeeding. Yet research has found that it’s the expansion and contraction of the milk glands triggered by pregnancy, rather than breastfeeding, that causes droopiness. In one American study, an academic interviewed 132 women seeking breast lifts or enlargements. Just over half had breastfed at least one child for an average of nine months. Researchers found no difference in the degree of sagging between women who had breastfed and those who had not. Consultant Mr Laidlaw says: ‘Women should definitely consider breastfeeding — especially as the health benefits for the baby far outweigh any possible effects on the breasts.’ STUB OUT THOSE CIGARETTES Like anywhere else on the body, the skin on the breast includes a network of collagen fibres, which make it firm, and elastin to make it flexible. Over time, these fibres break down. The rate at which skin cells renew themselves also slows as we get older. Just as on the face, it’s important never to expose the breasts to too much sun because ultraviolet exposure will break down collagen and elastin. And in the same way that smoking leads to wrinkles, it also leads to the deterioration of breast skin. Mr Laidlaw, who is also based at the Nuffield Hospital, Guildford, said: ‘The effect on a woman’s breasts is so marked that it is possible to see if she smokes just by looking at the condition of her breasts. Even giving up smoking after a number of years will lead to a marked improvement.’ He says he is sceptical about skin creams containing oestrogen and vitamin E, which promise to improve breast pertness. ‘You can absorb oestrogen through the skin but it’s not a very efficient way of doing it, compared to HRT,’ he says. ‘If these creams really worked, doctors would be recommending them.’ EXERCISE — BUT BEWARE THE BOUNCE There's both good and bad news when it comes to exercise. The right regime can keep your breasts pert by improving blood supply. While there is no muscle in the breast itself, it is possible to build up the underlying pectorals for a lifting effect. But some activities — particularly running — can take their toll. Reduce bounce: Always wear a sports bar when running (posed by model) Reduce bounce: Always wear a sports bar when running (posed by model) When you run without proper support, the breasts bounce in a figure of eight, causing wear and tear on the supporting ligaments. Jenny White, of the Research Group in Breast Health at the University of Portsmouth, says: ‘We have found that breasts move an average of 10cms — up and down, side-to-side, and forwards and backwards.’ The larger your cup size, the greater the force on the breasts and the more they need to be restrained to avoid damage to connective tissue and ligaments. Yet researchers estimate that, of the 12 million British women who regularly exercise, three-quarters do not wear a proper sports bra —even though they can reduce bounce by up to 74 per cent. YOU CAN’T HELP YOUR HORMONES Oestrogen is the main hormone influencing how your breasts look. It’s this, the female sex hormone, which first makes the breasts grow — and stimulates the development of a tree-like network of milk ducts leading to the nipple. Every month, as part of the menstrual cycle, rising levels of oestrogen prepare a woman’s body for possible pregnancy. One side effect is that it stimulates the breast tissue by making it expand and retain water. After menopause, when oestrogen levels begin to fall permanently, milk ducts and glands ‘go into retirement’ and shrink — making the breasts feel emptier. The tissue which makes breasts firm also shrivels and gets replaced by fat, which is heavier and less able to withstand gravity.