Losing weight has changed my breasts. What can I do?

Q I’M 55 and have lost weight recently. As a result, my bra cup size has significantly decreased. However, this has also left quite a prominent vein on one of my breasts — it was there before but is more noticeable now that they are smaller.

Is there any procedure that can help? A WeIGhT gain or significant weight loss can alter both breast volume and skin texture.

The only way to improve and increase the breast size is a surgical breast augmentation, but you would have to discuss the pros and cons of this with a surgeon as there are a number of considerations in a woman of your age.

however, Ultherapy ultrasound — while it cannot be used on breast tissue itself — can be used to improve skin tone around the décolletage.

It’s likely that losing fat has caused the vein to appear more prominent, but I would always recommend consulting your doctor to check that there is no underlying medical condition.

Once you’re satisfied that it’s purely aesthetic, I would recommend a consultation with a vascular surgeon, who will be able to advise you on the best solution.

spider veins — which are smaller — can be treated with a non- surgical procedure called sclerotherapy and this may also be appropriate here.

This simple procedure uses a fine needle to inject a sclerosing agent into the wall of the vein. The solution irritates the lining of the thread vein, causing its walls to stick together.

This causes the blood to stop flowing through the vein and it collapses. Over a period of two to four weeks the residue is absorbed by the body’s own natural defence mechanism. There is no downtime and it is a quick and safe procedure.

Laser treatment can also be used as an alternative to treat small blood vessels.