Over time, we all develop weaker, aged skin because of gravity’s pull on our body. Some people experience this faster than others due to genetics and weight changes. Most of my patients have had their breasts lifted because of weight, hormonal breast tissue, and skin changes with pregnancy. Breast sagging can be an instant confidence killer, no matter how great the rest of your body looks. Luckily, there are breast lift surgeries available to correct this issue and help you get your body back to the way you want it to be. Let’s explore some of the most common factors in breast droop so you can understand your body better.
What Causes Sagging Breasts?
Your breasts droop and sag as changes happen in your breast tissue, supporting ligaments, and your breast skin. Sagging breats typically happen because your breast skin loses its elasticity. The skin is no longer able to help the breasts up in a perky, upright position, so they sag lower than they used to. In addition, and just as much a factor, we undergo changes in the amount and type of breast tissue. The most common culprits behind sagging breast skin include:
- Breast Size: Larger and denser breasts weigh more than smaller breasts, and experience droop faster due to gravity.
- Pregnancy: Many women see significant changes in their breasts after pregnancy, especially those who choose to breastfeed. The breasts swell and fill with milk during pregnancy, causing the breast skin to stretch. During pregnancy the skin stretches (sometimes past the point of no return), leaving poor skin quality that is lax and has stretch marks. After pregnancy and nursing, the breasts will shrink back to their normal size (or smaller), which may cause breast droop.
- Age: Your skin as a whole will lost its elasticity as you age. Stress, weight, health, and activity levels will also contribute to this. With that in mind, a 50 year old woman with small breasts may not experience as much droop as a 30 year old woman with large breasts. Size is more influential than age. With age, your breast tissue may become more fibrous and denser, adding more weight. Typically, your breasts become fatter and less dense with age.
- Weight Fluctuations: If your skin stretches rapidly or to a significant size, it may leave you with stretch marks. This frequently happens to my patients after pregnancy. In addition, some patients have this happen during puberty or weight gain. Stretch marks indicate that you have broken your elastic fibers in your skin and lost significant strength as well. These same patients end up losing weight after pregnancy, weight loss, or gastric bypass surgery. Then they are left with two major issues — less volume/size to fill their breasts and a larger/weaker skin envelope.
- Genetics: Your genetics determine the type of skin you have (thin and weak versus thick and strong with good elasticity). Many of us don’t have much of a choice in what happens.
Give us a call to discuss ways to conquer your breast sagging so you can regain your confidence and achieve the hourglass figure you’re looking for. Dr. Mariam Awada is a highly trained and experienced female plastic surgeon who specializes in breast augmentation in Michigan. Please check out our extensive galleries and let the beautiful results speak for themselves
