Saggy breasts are a completely normal process of variation in breast shape or appearance. Every woman undergoes these changes as she gets older. Breast sagginess occurs as a result of the natural aging process, but also other factors. While it is not a medical condition, it can trigger physical and emotional discomfort.
Miami Plastic Surgeon Dr. Karan Chopra employs the latest techniques to satisfy patients delivering natural-looking results each time.
In the medical world, the term “breast ptosis” is used to describe saggy breasts. You can experience saggy breasts at any stage of your life. It can be characterized by the lowering of your breast on the chest wall, downward pointing nipples and a noticeable reduction in the breast firmness and/or volume. In other words, your breasts might look deflated and hang too low on the chest wall.
There are no medical symptoms of saggy breasts or breast ptosis, but it can still lead to serious psychological and emotional distress. But with breast lift surgery, that’s not an issue to worry about anymore. Breast lift surgery can help improve your breasts’ appearance and make them perkier once again.
Our body undergoes continuous changes throughout life, and saggy breasts are just one of those changes. Scientifically speaking, saggy breasts or ptosis is the drooping of breast tissue and loss of breast contour. As you grow older, your breast shape and size tend to change. Here are some of the indications that might help to identify that your breasts are sagging and you might need to see a surgeon:
If you are experiencing any of the above-mentioned conditions, it’s the right time to see your surgeon and ask for advice.
In medical context, saggy breasts or ptosis is the result of Cooper’s Ligament stretching with age. These are the naturally occurring suspensory ligaments (basically connective tissues) composed of some elastin and collagen. They serve as a connection between the breast tissues and chest muscles, thus maintaining the overall structure and appearance of the breasts. Over time, these ligaments stretch out leading to saggy breasts. Normally, we blame this on gravity, but there is a number of other causes that could be responsible for saggy breasts:
Age – the aging process is characterized by the loss of collagen and skin elasticity, and the same is true for sagging as well. In fact, the loss of skin elasticity is more obvious in breasts than in any other area of the body;
Gravity – as previously mentioned, breast sagginess is caused by stretching of Cooper’s Ligaments in the breast. It is inevitable that gravity is pulling everything down. The same gravity tends to pull Cooper’s Ligaments, causing them to stretch down over time;
Menopause/Hormonal Changes – as a woman approaches menopause, the levels of estrogen hormone naturally start declining. This reduction in estrogen level causes mammary glands to shrink and breast tissues to lose their elasticity. All these hormonal changes cause your breasts to look smaller and saggier than before;
Breasts volume – breast size and shape vary from person to person, it all depends on the genetics of the woman. The volume of the breast contributes to the early onset of breast ptosis. Women with large breasts are more likely to experience saggy breasts early in life;
Weight Loss/Gain – saggy breasts are a common thing among those women who try to reduce or gain weight quickly. In case of weight gain, the excessive weight in the chest area puts stress on Cooper’s ligaments. Similarly, losing weight suddenly can result in excess skin in the breast area. Therefore, weight loss should be a slow process and proper time should be given to breast tissues and skin to adjust;
Pregnancies – throughout the pregnancy and even after childbirth, a woman’s body undergoes a series of changes. This is one of the major factors contributing to saggy breasts. As the body goes through rapid weight loss and gain, breast skin stretches out and often doesn’t come back to its previous condition. Women with more pregnancies are more likely to have saggy breasts;
Smoking – smoking is one of the major causes of saggy breasts, as it accelerates your normal aging process. If you’re an active smoker, you should know that your skin tends dry out with the passing of time. This will ultimately lead to a loss in breast firmness and thus, saggy breasts.
As seen in the previous section, a number of factors are contributing to saggy breasts. Since it’s a natural process, you can’t completely avoid saggy breasts but several noninvasive strategies can help reduce breast sagginess to some extent. Here are some of the things you can try to delay the occurrence of saggy breasts:
The above-mentioned ideas can help you delay the occurrence of breast sagging, but it’s very difficult to rectify breast ptosis once your breasts have lost most of their perkiness and shape. At this stage, natural remedies or preventive measures won’t be effective and you need to see your surgeon. After examination, your plastic surgeon will recommend a suitable surgical technique.
Here are some of the options, you might consider for your surgical procedure:
There isn’t any specific age when your breasts start to sag. It actually varies from person to person and you can develop breast ptosis at any age. However, there are a number of factors, already discussed in the article, which can speed up the aging process ultimately leading to saggy breasts.
If your breasts have already lost much of their shape and perkiness, you need to have a surgical procedure
You might experience temporary numbness, swelling, bruising, scarring, and discomfort around your breasts. But, these are just immediate and short-term effects. And that’s just a little discomfort before having youthful, perkier breasts.
Breast lift surgery or augmentation with a lift can provide you with such long-lasting results that you will forget that you once had saggy breasts. However, keep in mind that the natural aging process will affect the breasts at some point in the future too.
In most cases, it takes a period of 6-12 weeks for a patient to recover after a surgical procedure. However, the time period may vary from patient to patient, depending upon the severity of breast ptosis and the type of surgical procedure performed to correct the issue.
Are you ready to take the journey towards a more youthful, refreshed look? I invite you to reach out to me and my team. Let’s discuss your goals and how facial fat grafting can help you achieve them. Remember, the first step is just a conversation. Let’s start that conversation today.
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