We’ve been told a number of things throughout our lives that have turned out to be false. But what about the myths regarding breasts and sagging? Like will exercise cause them to droop over time? It’s all too hard to guess. That’s why we reached out to our experts to find out the truth, once and for all.
You don’t need to wear a bra if you have implants.
True. “You technically never need to wear a bra,” says Rancho Mirage, CA, plastic surgeon Suzanne Quardt, MD. But it really just depends on the anatomy of each individual woman’s breasts and what they’re trying to achieve-whether it’s comfort or looks. Most surgeons recommend wearing a surgical bra post-surgery to contain swelling and ensure proper healing. But other than that a bra isn’t necessary.
Wearing a bra helps prevent sagging.
False. When it comes to sagging, every woman is different says Concord, CA, plastic surgeon Eric Mariotti, MD. “Some women find that they do not have to wear a bra and their breasts do not sag at all, while others find that their breasts sag no matter what they do or wear.” Age, hormones, genetics, pregnancies, breast size are a few of the factors that contribute to the degree of sagginess a woman experiences. Wearing a bra can help a little, but not very much to prevent sagginess.
Exercise can cause your breasts to sag.
Depends. “Anything that puts direct pressure on the skin envelope of the breasts can cause it to stretch over time,” says Dr. Quardt. That’s why a supportive bra can be useful to prevent the skin from stretching, but what it really comes down to is that a bra is more for comfort to prevent that up and down motion. Dr. Mariotti agrees adding that avoiding bouncing may help to some degree over time, but “there are no studies to suggest that exercises, such as running or jogging, will cause breasts to sag.”
Breast feeding causes breasts to sag.
Depends. Dr. Quardt says that it’s the combination of pregnancy and breast feeding that causes sagginess. While pregnant, a woman’s breasts engorge, inflate and the skin stretches out. So when you breast feed you’re continuing to stretch the skin out for a longer period of time. And once you stop, the gland dries up and the tissue shrinks, leading to a saggy appearance. The degree of sagginess, however, is different from woman to woman depending on how much they engorge and how much they deflate afterwards.
Related Links:
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