Saggy Breasts

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Saggy Breasts

A Nonsurgical Lift

They've added to your sex appeal. They've given sustenance to a child. But now your formerly round, firm breasts are, at the unfair age of 40 or so, drooping toward your waist.

Besides being attractive, breasts are functional units of milk glands and fat supported by muscles of your chest. Unfortunately, over time, the ligaments from which your breasts are suspended stretch, and your breasts sag.

"Once you reach your forties, the skin becomes more lax, the milk ducts shrink and fat replaces the ducts," says Debra Price, M.D., clinical assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Miami School of Medicine and a dermatologist in South Miami.

What Women Doctors Do Works Out Every Other Day Debra Price, M.D. Like a lot of women her age, Debra Price, M.D., wants to keep her breasts firm and youthful as long as possible. A clinical assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Miami School of Medicine and a dermatologist in South Miami, Dr. Price relies on exercise to counter the effects of gravity on breast tissue. "I work out every other day," says Dr. Price. Her trainer, Bini Masin, an exercise physiologist in Coral Gables, Florida, recommends push-ups, in particular. "The push-up is the best and most effective exercise to build the pectoral muscles in the chest that underlie the breast," says Masin. Dr. Price also applies a suncreen when wearing chest-bearing clothes, like tank tops or swimsuits with a low neckline, to protect her breasts from the damaging effects of the sun. "I always use a SPF (sun protection factor) number greater than 15," says Dr. Price. "But I really like the nonchemical sunblocks with titanium dioxide that reflect the sun's harmful rays--both ultraviolet A and B."

This process tends to occur earlier--or is more pronounced--in women who have had children and breastfed, according to Anita Cela, M.D., clinical assistant professor of dermatology at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in New York City.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Other than visiting a plastic surgeon, the only thing that you can do to prevent your breasts from sagging (or firm up already slack breasts) is to build up the pectoral muscles under your breasts and fill the sag with muscle, says Dr. Price.

Here's how to give your breasts a lift.

Try the fly. "To build more muscle, try what's called the dumbbell fly, using a pair of one- to three-pound weights," says Peggy Norwood-Keating, director of fitness at Duke University Diet and Fitness Center in Durham, North Carolina.

To start, pick up one weight in each hand, then lie back on the floor. Extend your arms out at shoulder level on the floor with your palms up, clutching your weights. The weights should be parallel to your body.

Draw both arms straight up together above your body, keeping your elbows slightly bent, so that the weights meet over your chest, says Norwood-Keating. Then, return the weights out to your sides at shoulder height, as if you were drawing a semicircle or half-moon over your body.

Repeat the exercise 12 to 15 times, then rest for 1½ minutes, says Norwood-Keating. Repeat the exercise a second time and rest once again. Then repeat the exercise for a third and final set.

The stronger you become, the more weight you'll be able to handle. This means that you should be able to gradually increase your weight (by one to two pounds) while decreasing repetitions (8 to 10) in order to work your muscles gradually, says Norwood-Keating. Your goal here is 8 to 10 repetitions in three sets.

Try a chest press. A variation on the fly that also builds chest muscle is the chest press, says Norwood-Keating. This time, pick up a five-pound dumbbell in each hand and lie back on the floor. Extend your arms and hold the dumbbells up in the air over your chest, parallel to your body. Then, bend your elbows and lower the dumbbells toward your chest, with your elbows out to the sides at shoulder level. Extend your arms straight back up over your chest and repeat the exercise 12 to 15 times. Rest for 1½ minutes, then do a second set of 12 to 15 repetitions. Rest again and do a third set.

As with the previous exercise, if doing this exercise as described gets easy, increase your weights by one or two pounds. Your goal, says Norwood-Keating, is the same as above: 8 to 10 repetitions in three sets with as much weight as you can safely and comfortably handle.

Round out your workout. All these exercises may be great for your chest, but you need to round out your workout with an exercise that strengthens your back muscles, says Norwood-Keating. Otherwise, you're likely to become round-shouldered and weaken your back. So pick up a five- to ten-pound weight in your left hand, then lean on a bench or a low, sturdy table by placing your right knee and right hand down on its surface. Your left foot should be on the floor.

Bend your left elbow, bring the weight up to your armpit and try to squeeze your left shoulder blade toward your spine. As you resist gravity, slowly lower the weight back down until your arm is fully extended. It won't be easy, but resist letting the weight fall by squeezing with your left shoulder blade as the weight returns to the starting positon, explains Norwood-Keating.

Repeat the exercise 12 to 15 times, rest for 1½ minutes, then do a second set of 12 to 15 repetitions. Rest again and do a third set.

Don't forget sunscreen. Since sun exposure can speed up the aging of the elastin fibers that keep your skin from sagging, make sure that you wear a sunscreen whenever you wear a sundress, tank top or bathing suit with a low neckline, says Dr. Price.

Many dermatologists recommend a sun protection factor, or SPF, of 15, she adds. Whatever you use, don't forget to reapply regularly.

Wear a bra. To prevent your breasts from sagging further, wear a bra. "It does help," says Petra Schneider, M.D., a plastic surgeon in private practice in Melbourne, Florida. "Wearing a bra puts less stress on your ligaments. The more you wear one during the day, the more it helps."

Wearing a bra is especially important if you jog, play tennis, do aerobics or participate in other forms of exercise that bounce your breasts. If you're a C cup or larger, look for sports bras with good support that control your breast movement, says Dr. Price. Some women find that nonelastic shoulder straps are best for minimizing movement. Sports bras are available in the lingerie department of some department stores or in sporting goods stores.