Why every woman needs FIVE bras
There are clever new designs to help you defy gravity (and the years) under every outfit – whatever size you are
WHETHER it’s the matronly ‘shelf’ or the deflated-balloon look you’re trying to avoid, most women of a certain age are secretly wrestling with the same problem: how to disguise a declining decolletage.
You may have sailed through your 20s and 30s blithely buying fashion bras or flinging supermarket designs into a trolley along with the cornflakes. But no doubt many are beginning to notice that style over substance simply doesn’t cut it in your 40s, 50s and beyond.
Like it or not, the composition of breast tissue changes as you get older — particularly if you’ve had children.
Plump, pillowy glandular tissue is replaced by far softer fat deposits, breasts droop as connective tissue slackens, nipples tend to drop and some breasts even spread sideways. Age is never kind.
‘The ligaments in the glandular tissue aren’t very strong,’ says Nick Percival, consultant plastic surgeon at Cosmetic Surgery Partners. ‘They stretch with pregnancy and the natural ageing process, so breasts begin to sag.’
Even the nipple can change: ‘It has a muscle attached which makes it erect. Just like the rest of the breast, as it drops it stretches and the diameter of the areola widens. Pigment changes tend to mean the area becomes paler, rather than darker.’
And breasts get wrinkles, too. But they’re just one of a number of different problems with the skin on the breasts.
‘In the face you have bones, a layer of muscle and all the fat pads which provide more support. You have none of this in the breasts,’ says Harley Street aesthetic expert Dr David Jack.
‘In addition, the skin is very thin and you get sun damage to the decolletage, which becomes quite crepey. It’s the one area where women often forget to use SPF.’
While small breasts might have the advantage where gravity is concerned, the loss of volume that comes with ageing is far more noticeable. This combined with thinner skin may leave the breasts and decolletage looking stretched and crimpled.
But there is good news: ‘Resurfacing treatments such as Fractora, Fraxel and IPL [intense pulsed light] can be used to great effect on texture and appearance of the decolletage,’ says Dr Jack.
And, according to celebrity personal trainer Cornel Chin, you may be able to fight the sag naturally with just a couple of simple exercises.
‘ Many of my clients are concerned about drooping breasts,’ he says. ‘As there isn’t any muscle in breast tissue, you need to target the pectoral muscles, which lie under the breasts and can be strengthened.
‘If the muscles are saggy, they add to any general droop, but if they’re strong and firm, they can give the impression of lift.’
Cornel, who has worked with such A-list bodies as Hollywood actress Naomie Harris, advises swimming the breast stroke, which he says is well named.
‘This works out the entire upper body as well as engaging the pectoral muscles.’ But if you don’t have access to a pool, not to worry. ‘The exercise I recommend to anyone short on time and unable to get to a gym is press-ups.’
These don’t have to be done in the extreme, SAS-training style. ‘Start off doing what I call box press-ups,’ says Cornel.
Get into a press-up position with your knees on the ground and your body supported by outstretched arms. Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart to best engage the pectoral muscles, then lower yourself down and push up 15 times. ‘Ideally, do two to three sets of 15 every other day,’ says Cornel. ‘You might even put a book under each hand, which changes the position of the body and engages more muscle fibres.’
Posture also makes an incredible difference to the look of breasts. ‘Exercises such as Pilates, which engage the core and help with posture, are invaluable.’
He adds: ‘It’s imperative that you wear a decent support bra when exercising or the pectoral muscles will be pulled and weakened over time.’
And it’s not just for sport that a good bra can make all the difference for older women.
‘Middle-aged women were traditionally dismissed with ill-fitting, beige undergarments,’ says Kelly Dunmore, chief lingerie stylist at Rigby & Peller. ‘Now, quite rightly, they feel they deserve decent underwear. A good bra enhances your figure, helps you stand differently and gives confidence.’
According to Kelly, we’re experiencing an ‘underwear revolution’. But it’s no good splashing out on a sole purchase: we need to invest in a minimum of five different bras for different outfits.
If you buy wisely, they’ll not only last the distance but lift your collapsing cleavage and your spirits whatever the occasion.
‘They really aren’t one-size-fitsall,’ says Kelly. ‘What works under a work shirt or dress may not be appropriate under a T-shirt or an evening dress.
‘And remember, a perfectly fitted bra will enhance any outfit and create the silhouette you desire.’
Here, Kelly presents the five breast friends every woman needs — whatever your size.
ALL bras supplied by rigbyandpeller.com