Uplifting Solutions for Sagging Breasts

Happy New Year! Wishing you a happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous 2019.

For my first post of 2019, I wasn’t going to tackle the issue of sagging breasts, but this came over my transom and I figured, why not? Sagging happens to everyone, although at different ages and from various factors. While gravity plays a role, there are other things that contribute to breast sagging. 

Breast feeding, weight fluctuations, and menopause are some of the others. I am of the belief that heredity may also be a factor, although it is not mentioned by either expert. 

Sagging happens, but what can you do about it? Read on to learn some solutions to sagging breasts from two experts in the fields of cosmetic surgery and fitness … 

Dr. Manish Shah, MD a board-certified Denver, Colorado  plastic surgeon, and Vince Sant, a Certified Fitness Trainer and Co-Founder of VShred.com, an online fitness portal, share tips and insights with some uplifting solutions for breast sagging. 

Understanding sagging

“Forget about the old beliefs of poor-quality bras, going bra-less, or breastfeeding being the cause to sagging breasts,” says Dr. Manish Shah. “There are ligaments in the breasts that stretch out over time. Gravity is certainly a culprit but there are others such as multiple pregnancies, menopause, breast motion from exercise, high body mass index, deficiencies in collagen, estrogen, rapid weight fluctuations, and of course smoking,” he explains. 

Beware of the expensive hype

When women are unhappy with breast sagging and want to lift their breasts; they want to do it quickly, painlessly and affordably. Dr. Shah says that while advancements are being made with procedures involving things such as stem cell therapies, radio frequency, and fat transfer; right now, the science just isn’t there when it comes to delivering ideal lift, shape and significant restoration to warrant the investment. 

“The last thing you want to do is get sold on a $4000, procedure done over the course of several visits spread out over several months that does very little. People want visible improvement. It’s important to ask questions about anything seeming too good to be true,” cautions Dr. Shah. 

Clearly, there are a lot of factors that can explain away breast sagging in your 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and beyond. What options do we have in this very tough battle with gravity? 

Quit smoking

“We know that smoking accelerates aging in the face due to oxygen deprivation to your skin. When it comes to the breasts, smoking destroys elastin which is what maintains suppleness,” says Dr. Shah. 

Manage menopause

When perimenopause begins, usually in the mid-40s, you really want to revamp your diet and have a look at organ function and get a hormone test. “Drops in estrogen, a natural occurrence during menopause reduces collagen in skin tissue. Some supplements or phytoestrogens that boost estrogen levels naturally can have a positive effect on breast shape. However, this is certainly something to discuss with a specialist,” explains Dr. Shah. 

Pump Up with weights or resistance training

“A lot of women focus on their lower body when exercising. While this is great to blast cellulite and keep the thighs, legs, and butt shapely and strong, the upper body can’t be neglected. Doing various exercises using 5 -10-pound weights that strengthen and tone pectoral muscles (the muscles under the breasts) shoulders and back are key for preventing breast sagging,” says Vince Sant. 

Many women fear losing their breast size or looking bulky or masculine. When you use less weight and do more repetitions, you get a nice lean, strong upper body. This raises everything up. According to Sant, who created a workout specifically targeting women’s trouble zones, it takes a lot of weight and many hours of training to get that thicker bulky look. “Doing combinations of exercises such as plank rotations, shoulder presses, dumbbell pullovers, chest flys and standing raises are easy and can be done right in your living room,” the expert trainer with over 700,000 Instagram followers suggests. 

Update your sports bra

“While exercise is great, exercising with an old stretched out sports bra can lead to sagging especially for you Cardio Queens,” out there says Vince. 

Quicker solutions …

What if you’re working out, not smoking and despite being tight and toned your actual breasts still sag? “Then you may want to consider a breast lift that factors in your frame, current breast size and desired shape, says Dr. Shah. “Nothing delivers a result as significant and long-lasting as the breast lift. The procedure does require 6 to 8-weeks of full recovery time and, depending on region and doctor, can be anywhere from $6000 to $25,000,” says Dr. Shah. 

Editor’s Note: While a good bra will not eliminate sagging, it can lift your breasts and keep them where you want them to be. Breast size changes throughout our lives due to weight gain and loss, hormone fluctuations, pregnancy and aging. The bra you swore by ten or even two years ago, might not be doing you any favors today. And, did you know it’s estimated that about 85% of women are wearing the wrong size bra? Get yourself to a bra fitter to find your correct size. Nordstrom is known for their fitters, but your local department or lingerie store should also have experienced fitters. Also, don’t be freaked out about the new size. I have a friend who was wearing a 36D and, after a fitting, found out that her correct bra size was a 34 F. She cried to me over a couple of drinks but admitted that her new bra fit her better and was far more flattering than her old bras. It’s just a number, like your age. Forget about it and bash on. (That’s my quasi-expert advice on this subject.) 

About the Real Experts: 

Dr. Manish Shah M.D., F.A.C.S. is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Dr. Shah’s specialties include revision facial aesthetic surgery, rhinoplasty (“nose reshaping”), and aesthetic surgery of the breast (breast augmentation, breast lift, breast reduction). He is, however, well-trained in all areas of aesthetic surgery. Dr. Shah’s aim is to obtain a natural appearing transformation that complements the real you.

Vince Sant

Fitness Expert & Co-Founder V Shred

Vince Sant, 25, is the Co-Founder of V Shred, the fastest growing online fitness and nutrition portal in the world. As an ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer, Former Model Turned Fitness Expert, Instagram Fitness Guru & YouTube Sensation, Vince’s mission is to offer the masses a sustainable and transformative lifestyle-based training program designed to put the fun back into fitness and nutrition.

In 2015, Vince co-founded V Shred along with Nick Daniel, Roger Crandall, Kevin Pearn, who sought out to create a healthy fitness movement specifically designed to deliver profound changes in your body with the minimal amount of workout time. 

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