8 months ago
The shape of a woman's breast are determined by many different factors. Some of these factors you are born with, others you can control.
1. Your Genetics. This is an all-inclusive factor, but ultimately has the greatest influence on how your breasts will change over time.
2. The thickness and elasticity of your breast and chest skin. This is a big factor in determining breast shape and nipple position. However, even women with great skin will succumb to the forces of gravity over time if they have large or heavy breasts.
A good way to think about skin elasticity is comparing filling a rubber balloon and a crinkled up wet paper bag with the same amount of water. When the water is drained, the rubber balloon will shrink back down to its original size, while the wet paper bag will just collapse and flap down.
3. The retaining ligaments of the breast. This is another big factor that doesn't get much press. Our skin everywhere is held on to our bodies by a series of fibers that run from the skin down to the muscle layers. These "Reticuli Cutani" vary in thickness and density in different parts of the body and can determine the shape of cutaneous structures - such as the breasts and facial features. In the breast there are the so called "Cooper's Ligaments" which run from the breast and areola skin through the breast tissue and attach to the pectoralis muscle fascia.
Think of these like suspension cables on a bridge. They are very important in maintaining the breast shape and nipple position. If these "ligaments" get stretched out and have poor elasticity then the breasts will sag.
There are other dense fibrous attachments or "ligaments" that determine the boundaries of the breast - the infra-mammary folds, the lateral folds and the medial cleavage folds. If these attachments lose their integrity then the base of the breast can widen and descend on the chest.
4. The amount, nature and characteristics of the breast tissue itself. Obviously, the more the breast tissue weighs the greater the forces on the skin and retaining ligaments. Over time heavier breasts will stretch these support structures out and cause sagging. In addition, the breast tissue itself can help support the breast. Some breast are mostly fat, while typically lighter than dense breasts, offer less support. Denser breasts tend to maintain their shape over time.
5. Breast implants. Having breast augmentation can affect the shape and support of your breasts. If your surgeon releases the retaining ligaments--especially with a sub-glandular (over the muscle) augmentation--I believe this procedure alters the breast's internal support causing sagging over time. Also, larger breast implants increases the breast weight, thus increasing the stretching forces discussed above.
I also believe that indiscriminate release of the 3 major folds at the base of the breast can have long term adverse affects on breast shape. I believe that, in the ideal situation, these folds create the "underwire effect" on your breast--women know how underwire bras work--by compressing the base of the breast.
6. Environmental exposure and weight gain. Smoking and exposure to free radicals and other environmental toxins break down the supporting fibers in the skin and deeper tissues. Weight gain increases the stretching forces on the skin, retaining ligaments and breast tissue. Exercise and weight loss can help, but sometimes the other factors listed above will be more important. We all have some control over these factors which can have negative effects not only on the breasts, but also facial aging as well.
7. Breast support. If you have heavy breasts or questionable skin elasticity, a good support bra is essential. This prevents stretching out of the skin and Cooper's ligaments, thus delaying the effects of gravity.
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