LADIES: How to Avoid Having Sagging Breasts as a Young Woman

How to Avoid Having Sagging Breasts as a Young Woman
While your breasts are bound to lose some of their lift as you age,
there changes you can make now to keep them young-looking as long as
possible. Some experts say that wearing a bra that fits is the best
way to prevent sagging, while others propose that going braless may be
the way to go. Either way, avoid yo-yo dieting and smoking, which have
been connected to premature sagging. If you want to learn more about
the methods you can try to keep your breasts from sagging, see Step 1.

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Method One of Four:
Wearing a Bra that Fits

1
Measure your bra size. The jury is still out on whether wearing a bra
at all is the best way to prevent your breasts from sagging,[1] but if
you're going to wear one, it's important to make sure it fits
correctly. You probably think you already know your bra size, but if
you do you're in the minority. 80 percent of women are wearing the
wrong size bra, because it's so difficult to figure out how to buy one
that fits! Since wearing an ill-fitting bra might cause extra sagging,
go ahead and take your measurements so you can make sure your bras
aren't doing you more harm than good. Here's how to do it:

2
Find your band size. Wrap a soft tape measure around your chest so
that it rests just under your breasts and horizontally around your
back. Be sure it's snug. Round the measurement to the nearest even
number. That is your band size. Do NOT add four, five, eight etc
inches because the band will not support your breasts if it's too
loose. (For example, if you measured 31.5, your band size is 32).

3
Find your cup size. Wrap the measuring tape around your chest so that
it crosses high on your back and over the fullest part of your
breasts. Round to the nearest whole number. Now subtract your band
size from your bust measurement, and the result corresponds with your
cup size: 0 = AA, 1 = A, 2 = B, and so on.

4
Find the perfect fit when you try bras on. Now that you know what size
you are, it's still important to find the right fit. There are so many
different cuts, styles, and levels of support to choose from that you
need more to go on than just your size when you're purchasing a bra.
When you try on a bra, check the following features to see if it
really fits:[2]

5
See if the cups adequately hold your breasts. If they're drowning in
the bottom or spilling out the top, you might want to try a different
cup size in that particular style.

6
Make sure the band isn't too loose. You shouldn't be able to slide
more than one finger under it.

7
Look at your chest sideways in the mirror. If your breasts are resting
lower than halfway between your shoulders and your elbows, you need a
more supportive bra.

8
Make sure you're wearing your bras correctly. Take the proper amount
of time to get dressed and be sure your straps are adjusted to your
back. Straps tend to move around and get twisted during laundering.
Lean forward when putting on your bra to ensure your breasts are fully
supported by the cups, and make sure the middle of the bra is centered
on your body.

9
Save your skimpiest lingerie for around the house. Bandeaus, bracelets
and other wireless lingerie can be adorable and sexy, but if you're
fuller in the chest, they might not give you the support you need as
you go about your day. Consider these styles to be for decorative
purposes only, and save them for special nights or times when you
aren't going to be doing a lot of walking or other physical activity.

10
There are plenty of supportive styles that are just as attractive as
the skimpier bras. Your underwire bra doesn't have to be a boring
white or beige number. Look for a bra that's both supportive and
beautiful.

11
The same goes for swimsuits. If you have a lot of occasions to wear a
bathing suit, make sure your suit gives you the support you need. Use
the same fitting technique you'd use when looking for a bra. Check
sideways in the mirror to make sure your breasts are supported enough
that they're positioned about halfway between your elbows and your
shoulders.

12
Wear a sports bra when you exercise. Running, biking, playing sports
and doing any other exercise causes your breasts to bounce. If you do
it often enough without wearing a good sports bra, they may sag
prematurely. A sports bra should contain your breasts securely against
your chest so that bouncing is kept to a minimum. Invest in a good
sports bra made from high-quality fabric that won't stretch after
washing.[3]

13
If your breasts are on the smaller side, look for a compression sports
bra in a racerback style. These hold your breasts tight against your
chest to minimize movement.

14
If your breasts are large, a sports bra with separate cups will
provide better support. Look for one with wide straps and a back
clasp. It should fit very snugly.


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Method Two of Four:
Going Braless

1
Consider putting your bras away. A 15-year study conducted by a French
professor at a university hospital concluded that women who stopped
wearing bras for a year experienced a seven millimeter lift in their
breasts. Women who continued wearing bras during this time experienced
more sagging than those who didn't. While researchers have not yet
concluded exactly why going braless created this result, they posit
that leaving the bras off allowed women's chest muscles to get
stronger and firmer in order to support the weight of their breasts,
causing them to lift a little.[4] Why not give it a try?
The study was conducted on 330 women between the ages of 18 and 35.
No similar study has been conducted on older women, so it isn't clear
whether going braless would have the same effect on middle-aged women
who've been wearing bras their whole lives.[5]

2
Learn how to dress comfortably without a bra. Going braless can be
freeing, and if you want to start wearing yours less, there are a few
tricks that can help the process go smoothly. Bras are meant to
support the breasts, but they also provide coverage and lend structure
to certain outfits. Keep these pointers in mind if you decide to toss
out your bras:
If you want to wear a sheer shirt and don't want your nipples to be
visible, pasties or adhesives are a good bet. They come in all
different colors and textures. You just stick them over your nipples
and they stay in place, so you can still wear all of your favorite
clothes.
Silicone nipple covers are a good choice for those with larger breasts
or large nipples. They're a bit thicker than pasties, but they still
conform to your body's curves.[6]
Wearing a top with a built-in shelf bra is a good compromise if you
don't like the feeling of your breasts swinging. They don't hold your
breasts up, but they provide a little structure to keep them in place
as you go about your day.

3
Keep wearing a bra when you work out. Doing exercises that cause your
breasts to bounce up and down, like running or kickboxing, can cause
the breast ligaments to stretch.[7] Until a study is conducted showing
that it's better to keep your sports bra in the drawer, you might want
to keep wearing it when you're working out.


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Method Three of Four:
Making Lifestyle Changes

1
Cut out smoking. The skin on your chest is delicate, similar to the
skin on your face. That means it's easily impacted by chemicals in
cigarettes that lead to the breakdown of collagen and elastin, which
give skin its youthful look and texture.[8] When your skin loses
elasticity, it will start to sag. Cut back on smoking cigarettes, or
eliminate the habit altogether, to keep your breasts looking younger
and perkier.
If you do smoke frequently, try to do so only when you're wearing
clothing that will protect your chest from exposure to smoke. Wear a
turtleneck instead of a V-neck, for instance, so that the smoke won't
swirl around the skin on your breasts and have a negative impact
there.

2
Protect your cleavage from the sun. UV rays from the sun can cause
wrinkling and sagging in the breast area. The top of a person's
cleavage often gets extra sun exposure, due to the way many shirts and
dresses are cut (not to mention bikinis). The fragile skin there is
susceptible to getting burned more often than other parts of the body.
Use the same level of care to protect the skin on your breasts from
sun damage as you would to protect the skin on your face.
Be sure to use sunblock with SPF 30 or higher any time you're going
out in strong sun.
Limit your exposure to UV rays on beach days by using a coverup when
you aren't in the ocean (or pool). Even a sheer cover will provide
some protection.
Avoid intentionally laying out in the sun or use a tanning bed.

3
Moisturize your breasts. Another way to keep the skin on your breasts
from losing elasticity too fast and drooping is to use a moisturizing
lotion or cream. When skin dries out, it becomes less supple, but many
people don't pay much attention to this part of the body when it comes
to moisturizing. Use lotion, cream or oil to keep the skin on your
breasts soft and supple.
You may need to exfoliate the skin there to remove dry skin. When you
do, use a gentle exfoliating body scrub or a dry brush meant for use
on the face. Don't scrub too hard or use a stiff-bristled brush, since
you could damage your skin.

4
Try to maintain a steady weight. Yo-yo dieting has been identified as
one cause of premature breast sagging. That's because gaining weight
stretches out the skin, and it doesn't necessarily snap back into
place when the weight comes back off. If you gain and lose weight
enough times, the skin will begin to sag. So to keep your breasts from
drooping, try to keep your weight within a healthy range for your
height and build.
When you do lose weight, do it slowly using a healthy strategy instead
of taking it all off as fast as you can.
Gaining healthy weight in the form of muscle doesn't affect your
breast tissue, which is composed of fat. If you need to gain weight,
do it in a healthy way by working out to build muscle and eating
plenty of protein.[9]

5
Don't avoid breastfeeding for fear of making them sag. Some women
believe that breastfeeding leads to drooping breasts, but that's not
the case.

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