You might call them “my girls” or “the ladies” or “the twins.” Whatever you happen to call your breasts, they are an important part of your womanhood, and when they begin to sag (a condition known as “ptosis”), it can take a toll on your confidence.
Unfortunately, the misinformation circulating in magazines and on the Internet leads some women to believe that it’s possible to do enough pushups or use enough cream to undo the effects that gravity, aging, weight fluctuation, pregnancy and breastfeeding have on breasts. We don’t blame them. What woman wouldn’t want to wave a magic wand and give her breasts back their perk?
But it’s important to know what will and won’t work. Before you take any actions or spend any money to perk up your breasts, make sure you can tell fact from fiction.
Fact vs Fiction on Breasts
Fiction: If I exercise enough, my breasts will perk up again.
Fact: There are no muscles in your breasts. You can do 100 pushups a day and still not lift them. This is because the pushups are strengthening the muscle beneath your breast tissue, not the breast tissue itself. While we highly recommend regular exercise for health maintenance and confidence building, we promise it cannot restore the youth of your breasts.
Fiction: Breast creams/pills/supplements can lift “the ladies” and bring back their shape.
Fact: The loss of breast tissue and skin elasticity, the weakening and stretching of ligaments, the change in shape and position of areola – none of these things can be undone by creams or pills or supplements. In other words, once “the ladies” have fallen, there is no magic, nonsurgical cure.
What you can do about sagging breasts:
Sit up straight. Have you ever noticed that women with particularly perky breasts always seem to have their shoulders back and their backs straight as though they are displaying their “girls”? Well, maybe you have it backward. Maybe their breasts look perky because they have great posture. Give it a try. Notice the difference in the mirror when you sit up straight and pull your shoulders back.
Invest in some great bras. Bra technology has come a long way in recent decades, and many companies make push-up bras that are beautiful and sexy, and hold breasts up to create a stunning silhouette. A great bra can give you the look of perky breasts without having to go the surgery route.
Get a breast lift. If you are unsatisfied with the improvements you see with correcting your posture and wearing push-up bras, you may want to consider breast lift surgery, or mastopexy. Mastopexy is a procedure that lifts the breast by removing excess skin and tightening tissue. It is not the same thing as breast augmentation (which would address the size or fullness of the breast), but the two procedures can be combined.
Types of breast lift procedures:
There are four main incision patterns used in breast lift surgery. Your board certified cosmetic surgeon will help determine which is best for you. The decision will be based on your breast size and shape, the degree of ptosis, the size and position of your areolas, and the skin quality and elasticity.
Crescent technique – This minimally invasive surgery is best for small breasts with minor ptosis. It will provide a small degree of lift.
Circumareolar (or “donut”) technique – This technique is also minimally invasive and best for small breasts with minor ptosis. It will provide a small degree of lift and can also reduce the size of the areola.
Vertical (or “lollipop”) technique – More invasive, this technique is best for large breasts with moderate to severe ptosis. It will provide a large degree of lift as well as areolar reduction.
Anchor technique – This is the most commonly used breast lift surgery. This technique is best for large breasts with severe ptosis. It is the most invasive and results in the greatest degree of lift. It includes areolar reduction.
Breast lift surgery and breast augmentation with implants can be safely performed simultaneously if you’d like to adjust your breast size or shape as well.
Every woman deserves to feel good about herself. And every woman has the right to determine what that means to her. If you think returning your “girls” to their rightful place at front and center will help you feel good, Dr. Charles Sarosy and the San Diego Body Contouring staff are happy to sit down with you for a free consultation and discuss which breast lift procedure is right for you. Call today for more information and be on your way to perkier breasts!
