How to Handle Sagging Breasts?

The same breasts that gave you the confidence to wear a bikini when you first had them done in your twenties are no longer your pride and joy.  Your once perky implants have been through a lot with you over the years.  Multiple pregnancies and breastfeeding have left them in need of a boost, and you’re wondering what can be done about it.  You’ve tried chest exercises and every type of gravity defying bra on the market, but at the end of the day when you stand in front of the mirror, you know something more needs to be done.

by The Plastic Surgery Channel
and Michael Beasley, MD
and Paul Watterson, MD

The Evolution of the Breast During Pregnancy and Over Time

During pregnancy, your breasts expanded as they filled with milk. The skin that stretched to accommodate the growing size of your breasts didn’t shrink back all the way after you stopped nursing. That extra loose skin, combined with the effects of gravity pulling down on your implants helped to create your current dilemma. Every woman’s breasts age uniquely. Some women’s nipples sink lower in the breast and require surgery to move them to a more desirable position. Other women may only have a minimal extra skin that could be filled out well with a slightly larger implant.

“There are a lot of different options that are available to you. Now would be a great time for you to come in and see your board certified plastic surgeon,” says Dr. Paul Watterson, who regularly helps moms solve the sagging breast dilemma at his practice in Charlotte, North Carolina. There are many factors he assesses in his patients before he decides on the right surgical path. He considers their current nipple position, their skin quality, the amount of extra skin, and what type of new implant might provide them with the best result. If patients decide to go with a new size or shape of implant he also then determines whether to place the implants above or below the muscle to best fill out the deflated portion of the breast.

Dr. Watterson’s colleague and  breast expert, Dr. Michael Beasley adds, “It’s not uncommon to develop changes in your breast shape following pregnancy.  The first thing you have to decide is whether or not you want to continue to have breast implants. You always have an option that you can remove or exchange your implants to a smaller or larger size. Most likely you may need some type of skin tightening procedure as well.” If nipple and implant position need to be moved and changed, it is accomplished with a surgical skin tightening procedure known as a breast lift. “A breast lift accomplishes three things to improve the shape of the breast: the degree of overhang of your breast will be improved, you will have the nipple areola complex repositioned, and your entire breast tissue will be moved upward to provide more superior (upper) pole fullness,” explains Dr. Beasley.

Now that you know there are plenty of options to safely address your sagging breasts, its time to make an appointment with your board certified plastic surgeon to decide which option is the best one for you, so you can get back that boost in confidence your attractive breasts provided before children.