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5 Surprising Habits That Could be Causing Your Breasts to Sag

5 Surprising Habits That Could be Causing Your Breasts to Sag

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Breast feeding, age, genetics – they may all play a role in your breasts sagging a little lower than you’d like. But these uncontrollable life forces aren’t all that can cause your boobs to sag.

While we would all love it if boobs didn’t adhere to the rules of gravity or succumb to the effects of aging, there are some things that you can avoid that could help prevent your boobs from sagging in the future.

These things won’t totally prevent sagging boobs, but these are things that we can control, whereas the other outside forces working against your breasts are out of your control.

One of the biggest complaints we hear from women time-after-time is that they don’t like they way their sagging breasts look. Because of this breast augmentation and breast lifts have become extremely popular over the years among women as they get older or after they have children.

Sagging breasts are just one of those things that most women will have to deal with as they get older, but thankfully there are some things you can do to help limit the effects.

Let’s take a look at five surprising everyday habits that can cause your boobs to sag.

How to Help Prevent Sagging Breasts

1. Stop Smoking

There’s a long list of reasons to stop smoking, and you can add “causes droopy breasts” to the top of it. A small study found that more women who sought breast lifts had sagging breasts from smoking than from breastfeeding. Smoking breaks down the proteins in breast tissue that gives breasts their firmness. It also affects the breast skin the same way it does in any other area – by drying it out and creating wrinkles.

If you’ve been smoking for a long time you can still prevent future damage to your skin, as well as your breasts, and lungs. The best time to quit smoking is right now even if you think the damage has already been done. The continued smoking can only make things worse. It can cause the elasticity in your skin to fail and your breasts to stretch and sag even more as you continue to smoke and age. 

2. Avoid Yo-Yo Dieting or Gaining/Losing Weight

Breast tissue is mainly fat, so when you lose and gain weight repeatedly, the fat cells within the breasts expand and then shrink. The breasts are often the first place you gain or lose fat, and when it happens over and over, it wears down the elastin proteins in the breast and causes them to be permanently stretched.

Obviously this one is easier said than done for a lot of people, but by adhering to a healthy diet and limiting the fatty foods that you eat, you can help reduce how often the skin on your breasts stretches and constricts.

3. Work on Better Posture

Your mom was right when she told you to, “Sit up straight!” If you need another reason to put your cell phone down and take a break from the computer, perky breasts are that reason. If you spend a lot of time hunched forward, it can take a toll on your neck, back, shoulders and, yes, even your breasts.

Regularly sitting or standing with poor posture means gravity is pulling the breasts further downward and stretching the tissue and elastin fibers in the breasts. So stand straight, sit tall, and try to do some releasing, chest opening stretches daily to help keep your breasts up where they should be.

In addition to your posture, a well-fitting bra, with ample support can also help prevent gravity from pulling down on your skin and causing it to lose its elasticity.

4. Sleeping Positions

Some people have indicated that sleep can affect breast aesthetics. It can be tough to control how you sleep – since you’re asleep at the time. But your sleeping position at night might impact how perky your bust looks by day. Bad news if you’re a side sleeper or a stomach sleeper: over time, those positions can affect the shape of your breasts. Sleeping on your stomach compresses your breasts into the mattress and can prevent healthy blood flow to the area, while sleeping on one side can cause the ligaments and tissue to stretch unevenly as gravity pulls the breasts down further on that side.

Sleeping on your back or using a body pillow for support while you sleep on your side are the best ways to prevent the effects of gravity from working their dark magic on your unsuspecting breasts while you sleep. Wearing a bra while you sleep may or may not help. For women with larger breasts, a bra could be more comfortable and provide added support and lift that will fend off the dreaded sag.

Dr. Adams does not think there is any scientific proof for the sleeping position nay-sayers, but getting plenty of sleep in itself may help your body more than any physical harm that sleeping in certain positions may produce.

5. Beware of the Sun – Wear Sunscreen

Another “no-no” we all know but sometimes ignore is skipping sunscreen. Not wearing sunscreen can also have detrimental effects on your breasts. Breast skin is sensitive, and it should be protected from the sun to the same degree as the skin on the face or neck any time it might be exposed.

Experts recommend daily sunscreen use for the face and neck anytime you’re outside, even if you’re not sunbathing or exposed for extended periods of time. The same rule of thumb should apply to exposed skin on your breasts. When you apply your daily moisturizer with SPF, just extend it a little further down. Don’t forget to lather up with SPF from head to toe if you’re heading to the beach or pool. A tan looks good, but vibrant skin and perky breasts look even better.

Habits Causing Sagging Boobs

By making some simple adjustments to your lifestyle you may be able to stave off gravity for a little bit longer than if you continue with some of these bad habits. These adjustments aren’t going to immediately make your breasts less saggy, but over time they can keep your skin as tight as possible, and as healthy as possible, thus helping to keep your boobs perky and help prevent sagging.

Are bad habits causing your breasts to droop a little more than you’d like? We hope these tips help you to keep your breasts in tiptop shape for as long as possible. If your breasts have already succumb to sagging, all is not lost! Breast lifts can restore your youthful breasts by raising and reshaping sagging ones. Just take a look at our patients’ before and after breast lift photos here!

Why Men Love Big Breasts: The Scientific Theories

Why Men Love Big Breasts: The Scientific Theories

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If you are a woman wonderfully endowed with large breasts, you may have experienced conversations with males whose eyes tend to drift south of your face. Why do men find big breasts so attractive? What is it about large boobs that men find irresistible?

We’ll look at some theories that different scientists have come up with to explain this phenomenon.

Glandula Mammalia: What Exactly Are Boobs?

What many people call “boobs” are actually fat-filled mammary glands that produce milk. It is one of the main physical features that sets mammals apart from other animals (mammary is the technical term associated with breasts). Humans are also classified as mammals because both males and females have breasts.

However, the female breasts appear larger than males’ for a few reasons. First, females have more estrogen than males; estrogen is a hormone that promotes breast growth. Second, biological theorists say that female breasts evolved specifically to increase in size. The additional fatty tissue could be an adaptive feature designed to support breastfeeding and sexual purposes.

Men, Boobs, and Babies

Large Boobs and Fertility

Larger breasts may also signal increased fertility. This may or may not correlate with some cultures’ view of female body parts—such as the breasts and hips—as indicators of fertility and the capacity to sustain a healthy pregnancy. Since breasts grow larger during weight gain, in olden times, this may have meant that the woman was well-nourished, which would benefit both the potential father and offspring. It simply meant that she had access to food and resources.

Interestingly, this may still be true in the 21st century. But theories, including evolutionary ones, are still in the realm of speculation. Not all cultures view large breasts as necessarily attractive sexually, and preferences seem to vary.

Ability to Provide for their Babies

Another theory that may explain why men like large breasts has to do with how breastfeeding bonds the mother and her infant.

While large or small breasts have no bearing on the amount of milk a female body will produce after giving birth, larger breasts often are seen as a more ample food supply for the baby. And while this is merely a physical trait for the outside observer looking in, those without knowledge of how the female anatomy works, still believe that larger breasts will provide better.

Hormones

In a similar way, couples also bond more when breast stimulation is involved, thanks to the hormone and neuropeptide oxytocin. Oxytocin is otherwise known as the “love drug,” or “cuddle hormone,” and it plays a role in maternal as well as sexual bonding.

Our brains release oxytocin during sex. Humans are the only mammals who have sex face-to-face, so breasts are in full view during intercourse. So men, don’t be surprised by the fact that you and babies have this one thing in common: you both like breasts. But again, while this theory may have some truth to it, it’s not conclusive to say that hormones are the primary reason why men like big breasts or breasts in general.

Big is Beautiful – Media Portrayal of Women

Culture, exposure, and upbringing are a few factors that might have shaped a lot of men’s preference for big breasts. One of these factors could be the media. As a cultural artifact, the media pegs women with larger breasts as more desirable.

With constant exposure, we learn at a young age that bigger breasts are “sexualized.” For some men, it could be how they were taught to perceive the female figure. Besides learned fondness, different breast sizes – not just large ones – may have varying effects on the male brain as hormones like oxytocin may affect everyone differently. It certainly doesn’t affect men the way it does women.

While breast sizes have differed over time, in the United States the average bra size is 34DD. Men in the US may find this average attractive since it’s larger than the former average two decades ago (size 34B). Apart from size, eye-catching breasts may also be more firm and perky, as saggy breasts may be associated with less vitality.

Overall Physical Appearance

The scientific ideas mentioned above, in regards to why men love large boobs, may explain some of what’s going on in their minds, but the truth of the matter is, men can be very physical beings, for better or worse.

Men, more than women, tend to be attracted to a person through their physical appearance when first starting out a relationship. This is the thing that draws a man to a woman and the thing that catches their eye. If the physical attraction is there it may lead to a deeper level of attraction as the relationship continues.

Men tend to find women with larger breasts more physically attractive for a number of reasons. As stated above, the media portrays larger women as being more beautiful. Larger breasts are more aesthetically pleasing to some men and can make a woman appear more feminine than smaller breasts. Larger breasts can make a woman more confident in herself, which can be more attractive to men as well.

Confidence is very attractive to men, and women, so while the larger breasts may seem like the reason men are more attracted to a women with large breasts, it could also be because that women is more confident in herself because of the way she looks.

Do Men Prefer Bigger Boobs Over Smaller Ones?

Almost everyone loves larger boobs. Studies have shown that around 90% of men prefer breasts that are a size or two larger than the standard size but has also shown that men just love breasts.

Men find all types of breasts attractive whether they are round, teardrop, perky, or other shapes. So regardless of your breast size, there are men out there that love all types of breasts. And if you’re not comfortable with the current size of your breasts, you should not be making changes to your body because of what men think.

Instead, any changes you make to your body should be because you want them. Larger breasts can help boost your self-esteem and make you more confident, which in turn will also make you more attractive to a partner.

Are There Health Benefits to Naturally Large Breasts?

Outside of large breasts being more attractive to men, there are some health benefits that come along with having bigger boobs.

You may actually sleep a little better with larger breasts, but not for the reasons you think. Because women with larger breasts may have a hard time sleeping, they require more support in order to keep things balanced. This extra support may actually help the rest of your body relax and sleep well, thus giving you a better night’s sleep.

Boosted self-confidence can come with larger breasts, as we’ve mentioned before. This self confidence boost can impact your mental health as well as your physical health. However, depending on your body type, large breasts can also cause people to live a more sedentary lifestyle, which can lead to weight gain as well as less physical activity.

Women who have large breasts have been found to be more fertile due to higher levels of the hormone estradiol. This can make it easier to get pregnant, so make sure to practice safe sex if you’re not ready for a baby.

Larger breasts have also been attributed to higher IQ’s in women and they can even keep you warmer during the cold months of the year!

Breasts of All Shapes and Sizes

Whether it’s because of a biological response or a learned preference, guys just like breasts. They really do. And as long as their appreciation doesn’t cause any trouble, this is a good thing.

Unfortunately though, not every woman has breasts she likes. If you’re unhappy with your breasts, you don’t have to be stuck with them forever. Breast augmentation can provide you with the breasts of your dreams, as long as you choose the right surgeon. Dr. Adams is an international authority on breast augmentation and has developed and refined techniques to make breast implant safer and easier, including fast-track 24-hour recovery. Contact us to learn more!

5 Telling Signs That You May Need a Breast Reduction​

5 Telling Signs That You May Need a Breast Reduction​

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While many women dream of having bigger breasts, some are born with ones that are much too big for their body. Heavy breasts can lead to a life of both emotional and physical pain. There’s a reason why over 100,000 breast reduction surgeries were performed in 2014.

If you have very large breasts, a breast reduction surgery, technically known as a reduction mammaplasty, can transform your life. Researchers have noted that breast reduction surgery has completely resolved patients’ complaints of neck strain, headache, aching shoulders, heavy anterior chest and strange sensations in the little fingers.

If you have any of the following five telling signs that you’re breasts are too big, you should consider breast reduction surgery.

1. You Experience Upper Back Pain

After carrying heavy breasts around every day of your life, you can develop pretty bad back pain. Researchers in Turkey found that big breasts affect the curvature of your spine, which causes upper back pain. If you always feel like your breasts are a physical burden, even when you’re doing nothing, breast reduction surgery can definitely help you. In fact, it may be the key to resolving most of your upper back pain.

2. Your Shoulder and Neck Hurt.

Your back isn’t the only part of your body that suffers with the weight of your large breasts. During a study conducted in 2012, researchers found that the weight of a woman’s breast is an important cause of shoulder and neck pain. If you have large breasts, you should speak to your doctor about the relationship between your breasts and your shoulder and neck pain.

3. You Notice Other Physical Problems That Are Related to Large Breasts.

Along with back, neck and shoulder pain, your large breasts may be causing a number of other physical problems. If you experience breathing problems (especially when you are lying down), headaches, a heavy chest, strange sensations in your little fingers or rashes underneath your breasts, breast reduction surgery might be able to help.

4. Your Breasts Cause You Emotional Pain.

Have you ever been embarrassed by your breasts? Many women who have unusually large breasts struggle with finding clothes that fit them or are afraid to wear a swimsuit. They also suffer with feeling uncomfortable everyday because people stare at them. You shouldn’t have to be unhappy with your body for the rest of your life because of something you can’t control. A breast reduction can erase all of that emotional trouble, making you feel more comfortable in your own skin.

5. You Have Problems Exercising.

If you experience pain in your breasts during moderate or vigorous workouts, your breasts may be too big for your body. This pain can prevent you from exercising as much as you’d like, and can even discourage you from working out at all. Breast reduction surgery may help you to live a healthier life.

How Breast Reduction Surgery Works

Now that you may be considering breast reduction surgery, you probably want to know how it works. During a breast reduction, your plastic surgeon removes fat, glandular tissue, and skin from your breasts.

The technique used to do this varies from surgeon to surgeon. Usually, an incision is made around your areola, and continues downward along the natural curve of the crease beneath your breast. Then, the nipples are moved to their new position. Your breast is reshaped by moving the skin, and liposuction may be used to remove fat. Finally, your surgeon will stitch it all back up.

After surgery, you’ll find that your breasts are smaller, lighter and firmer. Depending on the technique used, you may or may not have a scar. But either way, a scar is definitely worth the improvement in quality of life most people get after they’ve been struggling with heavy breasts all of their lives.

If you suffer with any of the signs above, we suggest that you speak to your doctor about breast reduction surgery. After reduction mammaplasty, your life will never be the same again. Many of our patients experience dramatic improvements in their lives, both emotionally and physically.

If you’re interested in learning more about breast reduction surgery and if it’s right for you, feel free to contact us today. Dr. Adams is an international authority on breast contouring, developing innovative techniques that make surgery safer for patients.

​Detecting Breast Cancer When You Have Implants

​Detecting Breast Cancer When You Have Implants

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Many women who undergo breast augmentation surgery often wonder how their implants will affect breast cancer prevention. Are there additional precautions women with breast implants need to take? The truth is, prevention methods for women with implants are slightly different than those without.

Here are some breast cancer prevention tips for women with implants:

Check your breasts regularly. Just as with women who don’t have breast implants, self-examinations are important. In fact, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, 40 percent of diagnosed breast cancers are detected by women finding a lump themselves. If you have breast implants, make sure that you are familiar with the way your breasts feel, so you can notice any abnormalities should they appear.

Many women with implants have actually reported that self-examinations were easier after their breast augmentation surgery.

Get a mammogram. Most women start getting annual mammograms at age 40. A mammogram is a low-dose x-ray that allows doctors to see changes in breast tissue. Mammograms can be used to detect breast cancer in women who don’t show any signs or symptoms of the disease.

The mammogram itself isn’t much different for women who have implants. There are typically four additional images that are taken in order to ensure that the doctor can properly see the breast tissue around the implants. These extra pictures are called implant displacement views. The implant is pushed back against the wall of the chest and the breast is pulled forward over it.

There are cases, however, where a woman’s implants have obscured the mammogram images, making it harder for the doctor to see any abnormalities. For this reason, it’s important to make sure that the radiologist performing the mammogram has experience performing and reading mammograms of women with breast implants.

Some doctors may recommend that you get a mammogram before and within one year of breast augmentation surgery. The mammogram you get after your surgery will serve as a baseline for future tests and make it easier for doctors to notice any abnormalities in the future.

Talk to your doctor. Make sure that your doctor is aware that you have implants, especially prior to getting a mammogram. Although it’s very rare that a mammogram can harm your implants, it’s best to let the doctor know so they can be sure to take those additional images.

Your doctor may also decide to give you additional tests, such as an MRI screening.

Breast cancer detection is not that different in women with breast implants. Although extra precautions should be taken, such as additional mammogram images, breast cancer can still be detected. It is also important to note that studies have shown that there has been no increase in breast cancer risk, no difference in survival rate, and no difference in stage of disease or recurrence rates in women with implants vs women without implants.

If you have any questions about breast augmentation surgery, please contact us today.

​5 Do's and Don'ts of Choosing Your Implant Size

​5 Do’s and Don’ts of Choosing Your Implant Size

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When it comes to implants, size matters – and bigger isn’t always better. Following these tips will help you and your surgeon select the best implant size for your body, ensuring you’ll have the best results from your breast augmentation surgery.

Do: Measure Carefully

To determine implant size, it’s important to know your chest and breast dimensions. Measure the breast width in centimeters starting from the inside (cleavage area) in a straight line out to the outside edge of the breast. Breast width is important because implants that are slightly narrower than your natural breasts typically provide the best fit.

Don’t: Stuff Your Bra to Determine Implant Size

The Internet is full of guides on how to use baggies or pantyhose filled with rice or birdseed to figure out how large you’d like your implants. Since implants are filled with silicone gel or saline, not birdseed, this doesn’t give a very helpful idea of what your implants would actually look like! Many surgeons do have sample implants you can insert into your bra to get a rough idea of how big you’d like to go, but this is often misleading and the look and feel of the implant can be drastically different when it is actually inside the breast, rather than stuffed into a bra.

Do: Use 3D Imaging to See What Your New Breasts Will Look Like

Playing “dress-up” with implant samples can fun to get an idea of what you’ll look like after implants, but for a more accurate picture of your new look, find a surgeon that uses 3D imaging to show you what you’ll look like post-surgery.

Vectra 3D Imaging cameras take multiple photos from different views to build a three-dimensional model of your body. Your surgeon will be able to manipulate the model view to adjust the size and shape of the implants to fit your specifications. You’ll be able to see your future breasts from all angles, ensuring that you and your surgeon are on the same page about your desired results.

Don’t: Leave it to Implant Sizers

Some surgeons use single-use disposable sterile sizers during surgery to help guide implant selection, but to guarantee the results you want, decide on your size with your surgeon before surgery. This is called tissue based dimensional planning. Dr. Adams is internationally known for his many presentations and publications on this topic.

New 3D Imaging software allows surgeons to adjust sizing and show you in advance what your results will look like using different types and shapes of implants. Relying on those advanced tools, along with accurate measurements and markings, is a better way to ensure you’re satisfied with your implant size. Spending a little extra time before surgery to settle on a size and shape, rather than letting the surgeon rely on sizers in the OR, may also cut down on the surgery time and cost.

Don’t: Get What Your Friend Has

Sure, she looks great! But every woman is different, and the size and shape that looks phenomenal on her might not be as flattering on you.

There are many factors that determine implant size: your desired results, breast tissue density, breast size, chest size, height, weight, even exercise habits! Talk to your surgeon about your lifestyle and your ideal post-surgery breasts, measure accurately, and use 3D imaging to select implants that will look amazing on you. Dr. Adams uses all f this information to customize your implant type and size for you.

You might need a different size and shape than your friend, but with proper planning and consultation, you can have breasts that make you look and feel just as confident!

During consultation, Dr. Adams will walk you through the best steps to determine which implant will fit your breasts the best. Our office offers all types of implants including cohesive breast implants, saline and silicone breast implants, 3D imaging and the 24 hour fast track recovery. Learn more about our breast augmentation surgery here or feel free to contact us with any questions.