Tanith Carey
Try to keep your weight stable
descend to her waistline.
Breasts are made of a mixture of mammary glands and fat.
Through this run hundreds of pieces of tissue which connect the bulk of the breast to the skin – and keep the breast suspended.
How pert your breasts stay depends partly on the genes which govern how much fat, glands and connective tissue they contain.
Generally, the more connective tissue and glands you have, the firmer and more buoyant your breasts are likely to be.
Size will also dictate how firm they stay. The heavier they are, the more strain on the skin, and supporting ligaments will stretch permanently under persistent pressure. than breast-feeding, that causes droopiness.
In one American study, an academic interviewed 132 women seeking breast lifts or enlargements. Just more than half had breast-fed at least one child for an average of nine months.
Researchers found no difference in the degree of sagging between women who had breast-fed and those who had not.
Laidlaw says: “Women should definitely consider breast-feeding – especially as the health benefits for the baby far outweigh any possible effects on the breasts.”
Stub out those cigarettes
Like anywhere else on the body, the skin on the breast includes a network of collagen fibres, which make it firm, and elastin to make it flexible. Over time, these fibres break down.
The rate at which skin cells renew themselves also slows as we get older.
Just as on the face, it’s important never to expose the breasts to too much sun because ultraviolet exposure will break down collagen and elastin.
And in the same way that smoking leads to wrinkles, it also leads to the deterioration of breast skin.
Laidlaw said: “The effect on a woman’s breasts is so marked that it is possible to see if she smokes just by looking at the condition of her breasts. Even giving up smoking after a number of years will lead to a marked improvement.”
He says he is sceptical about skin creams containing oestrogen and vitamin E, which promise to improve breast pertness.
“You can absorb oestrogen through the skin, but it’s not a very efficient way of doing it, compared to HRT,” he says. “If these creams really worked, doctors would be recommending them.”
Exercise – but beware the bounce
comes to exercise.
The right regimen can keep your breasts pert by improving blood supply.
While there is no muscle in the breast itself, it is possible to build up the underlying pectorals for a lifting effect.
But some activities – particularly running – can take their toll.
When you run without proper support, the breasts bounce in a figure of eight, causing wear and tear on the supporting ligaments.
Jenny White, of the Research Group in Breast Health at the University of Portsmouth, says: “We have found that breasts move an average of 10cms – up and down, side-to-side, and forwards and backwards.”
The larger your cup size, the greater the force on the breasts and the more they need to be restrained to avoid damage to connective tissue and ligaments.
Yet researchers estimate that, of the 12 million British women who regularly exercise, three-quarters do not wear a proper sports bra – even though they can reduce bounce by up to 74 percent.
You can’t help your hormones
Oestrogen is the main hormone influencing how your breasts look.
It’s this, the female sex hormone, which first makes the breasts grow – and stimulates the development of a tree-like network of milk ducts leading to the nipple.
Every month, as part of the menstrual cycle, rising levels of oestrogen prepare a woman’s body for possible pregnancy.
One side effect is that it stimulates the breast tissue by making it expand and retain water.
After menopause, when oestrogen levels begin to fall permanently, milk ducts and glands “go into retirement” and shrink – making the breasts feel emptier.
The tissue which makes breasts firm also shrivels and gets replaced by fat, which is heavier and less able to withstand gravity. – Daily Mail