Breast Sagging!

Breast sagging is a natural

process that happens with age

where the breasts lose their

suppleness and elasticity. A

drooping pair of breasts can

severely undermine how a

woman feels about herself, and

may feel it lessens her

attractiveness in the eyes of the

opposite sex. Learning what

causes breasts to sag and

tackling this issue proactively

can offer a lot of help.

What Causes Saggy Breasts

For starters, breasts do not have

muscle, they are made of fat,

connective tissues and milk-

producing glands, and they need

proper care to keep them in

good shape. Though saggy

breasts usually start happening

after a woman reaches 40, it can

occur earlier. According to

various studies, it is understood

that when a woman reaches her

late thirties, the skin can become

loose and begin to show signs

of aging. According to the

Oregon Institute of Breast Health

Education, this is especially true

in the breasts, particularly if a

woman has gone through a

pregnancy.

Apart from age & pregnancy,

other factors that cause sagging

breasts such as menopause,

rapid weight loss or gain,

strenuous exercise, nutritional

deficiencies, smoking, over-

tanning and wearing a poorly

fitting bra.

Many believe that breastfeeding

can cause sagging, but this

is FALSE according to a 2008

study published in the Aesthetic

Surgery Journal which

concluded that breastfeeding

isn’t a risk factor for ptosis (a

fancy name for drooping). The

real culprit is actually pregnancy

itself, as weight gain during

pregnancy can cause ligaments

to stretch, which can lead to

drooping later. You can

minimize this issue by making

sure you stick to a relatively

healthy weight gain while you’re

pregnant,

Some diseases like breast cancer

or respiratory conditions like

tuberculosis can also cause

breasts to sag. Excessive

consumption of nicotine, alcohol

and carbonated beverages can

also contribute to the problem.

A wide variety of creams and

lotions are available on the

market to tighten and tone up

sagging breasts. However, if you

prefer natural methods, there

are many simple and easy home

remedies that you can try.

How To Firm The Breasts

There are a number of home

remedies for regaining the

firmness of saggy breasts,

including regular pectoral

exercises, massaging, masks,

plant oils and essential oils in

different forms.

Maintain an Optimal Weight

If you are someone who

struggles with weight, and

if gain and lose weight

continuously and fail to stay at a

steady optimal weight, it could

take a toll on your breasts. Your

skin, especially over the breasts,

loses elasticity when stretched.

Also when you lose weight, you

can lose fat from the

breasts very fast as compared to

other parts of the body. This

continuous stretching and

relaxing of the skin makes it

droop and sag over time.

Drink Plenty of Water

According to experts at the

University of Wisconsin

Hospitals, the skin is

comprised of cells that are

predominantly made up of

water. Lack of water takes a toll

on the skin, and can make the

skin over your breast look

shrunken and dull. When there is

less water in your body the skin

doesn’t receive the requisite

amount and might look flaky, dry

and get wrinkled. This could lead

to premature aging of the skin

around the breasts making it

lose firmness and sag.

Nutrition & Exercise

Always combine healthy

eating with exercise, as this is

the only way to reduce weight

while keeping your skin firm.

Improper weights can also

cause your breasts to sag.

Drastic weight loss in a short

span of time would definitely

cause your breasts to lose their

fullness.

Nutritional deficiencies can lead

to saggy breasts, as nutrients

are needed for breast growth

and support. A protein

deficiency can result in the

breast muscles losing their

strength and firmness, thereby

leading to saggy breasts.

It’s essential to eat foods that

are nutritionally rich and contain

proteins, vitamins, calcium,

minerals, carbohydrates and

essential fats etc. Some of the

foods that you need to include

in your meals every day would

include tomatoes, onions,

carrots, cabbages, broccoli,

cauliflower and garlic etc.

Pomegranate

This fruit is considered a

wonderful anti-aging ingredient

and can help prevent sagging

breasts. Pomegranate seed oil is

rich in phyto-nutrients that can

lead to firm breasts.

Aloe Vera

This amazing plant has natural

skin-tightening properties that

can help get rid of sagging

breasts. The antioxidants in aloe

vera prevent damage caused by

free radicals and help firm

sagging breasts. Apply aloe vera

gel to the breasts and massage

gently in a circular motion for 10

minutes. Allow it to sit in the

skin for another 10

minutes, then wash it off with

cold water. Repeat this remedy 4

or 5 times a week to get

effective results.

Home Remedies To Help Firm

The Breasts

Breast Exercise

It is said that the right exercises

can keep your breasts perky,

however,  since breasts are

made up of fat, not muscle—

technically there’s nothing to

tighten or tone. But chest

exercises can help improve the

appearance of your pectoral

area by strengthening

surrounding ligaments, which in

turn may make them

appear more lively, stated Anne

Taylor, MD, a clinical assistant

professor of plastic surgery at

Ohio State University.

The easiest and most popular

exercise to add firmness to

breasts is to do push-ups,

which strengthen the pectoral

muscles beneath the breasts.

Overall, it will help to shape up

the breast and reduce the

excess fat deposits around the

chest. Lifting weights can also

strengthen pectoral muscles,

including curls, chest presses,

dumbbell flyes and many other

variations you can try that make

you feel your chest muscles

working.

Breast Masks

Like facial masks, breast masks

can help firm the skin in and

around the breast region. You

can use these breast masks at

least once in a week for

desirable results.

Vitamin E Oil & Egg Breast Mask

Make a paste consisting of:

1 Tbsp Plain Yogurt

1 Tbsp Vitamin E Oil

1 Egg

Directions:

Apply this paste over your

breast and rub it in nicely.

Leave on for about half an

hour.

Rinse it off with cold water .

Massage

Massage your breasts at least

2-3 times per week with

coconut or olive oil to help add

firmness and increase the

elasticity to the skin as well as

improve the skin tone and

texture. Massage draws blood to

the surface of the skin, increases

blood flow, while stimulating

muscle growth, and cell repair to

help reduce the appearance and

severity of sagging breasts.

Ice Massages

Ice can help tone the skin in and

around the breast region. All you

need to do is rub a few ice

cubes over your breasts in wide

circular motions. You can also

wrap some crushed ice in a

ziplock bag wrapped in a cloth

and use the same way to

massage your breasts. Massage

for around 1 minute, as too

much exposure to ice can cause

numbness. Try this massage at

regular intervals throughout the

day to firm your breast muscles

and skin.

Plant Oils

Massaging your breasts with

vegetable oils like coconut, olive

or grape seed oil is also

beneficial for toning the breast

skin and tissues. Excellent

examples include almond oil and

grape seed oil, all of which help

firm and nourish the breast skin.

For better results, you can mix

two drops of any essential oil

along with the vegetable oils

before rubbing them on your

breasts.

Essential Oils

Essential Oils like fennel seed oil,

spearmint oil, carrot oil,

lemongrass oil and cypress oil

contain skin cell rejuvenation

properties that help restore the

suppleness and elasticity of

saggy skin. Just massage your

breasts with these oils at regular

intervals throughout the day in

order to tone the skin in and

around your breasts. Be

forewarned that these oils could

burn the skin and so need to be

applied in small quantities. Two

drops would be more than

enough for the purpose.

Avoid These Sagging Triggers

In addition to the above home

remedies, there are certain

potential triggers you need to

avoid in order to prevent saggy

breasts. These include:

Smoking & Over-Tanning

Lighting up is a significant risk

factor for breast drooping,

according to the 2008 study.

The same can be said for any

poor lifestyle habit that breaks

down skin’s collagen like

soaking up too many UV rays or

eating a nutrient-poor, high-fat

diet.

Wrong Sized or Poorly Fitting

Bras

A wrong sized bra can make

your breasts sag in no time at all.

Not wearing a bra would not

help as well. Your best option

would be to opt for bras with

special support holders or pads

at the bottom of the cup. These

would keep your breasts in

place and prevent sagging.

Going Braless is Good For Your

Breasts?

Some women who go braless

may actually have the right idea,

and this has been suggested by

new research.  According to the

results of a 15-year study in

France (It should be noted the

study does not mention breast

size), bras provide no benefits to

women and may actually be

harmful to breasts over

time. Jean-Denis Rouillon, a

professor at the University of

Franche-Comté in Besançon

stated, “Medically, physiologically,

anatomically, the breast does not

benefit from being deprived of

gravity.”

Rouillon measured and

examined the breasts of more

than 300 women, aged 18 and

35, taking note of how the

additional support provided by

bras affects the body over

time. Overall, he found that

women who did not use bras

benefited in the long term,

developing more muscle tissue

to provide natural support.

Rouillon also noticed that

nipples gained a higher lift, in

relation to the shoulders, on

women who went braless. The

study concluded that when bras

are worn, the restrictive material

prevents such tissue from

growing, which may actually

accelerate sagging, .

But don’t throw away your bras

just yet, ladies, because despite

the findings, Rouillon said it

would be dangerous to advise

all women to trash their bras

based on the study’s sample,

which may not be representative

of the population. Rouillon

cautioned women who have

worn bras for a long time, like

several decades, that following

these recommendations

may have less chance of seeing

as much benefit.

Source: http://

thescienceofeating.com/