The Breasts

Breast size and shape is unique to each woman and is generally determined by heredity and body fat.

Most women develop breast tissue at puberty which is stimulated by hormones causing enlarged ducts and lobules. The most common age in which women generally develop breasts in between the ages of 11 and 19. This can vary in overweight individuals because they have more body fat and breasts are also made up of fat. However, breasts change throughout women’s lives can be caused by age, pregnancy, weight changes, diseases, gravity and hormonal changes.

As you age and during menopause the number of lobules decreases and the remaining ones shrink. In addition, a larger proportion of the breast is made up of fat so breast density decreases affecting shape and perhaps size.

What are breasts made of?
The inner portion often referred to as the breast mound consists of a combination of, fat, milk glands (lobules that secrete milk during pregnancy and breast feeding), fibrous connective tissue, nerves, blood vessels, mammary ducts, lymph vessels (small vessels that collect the lymph fluid from the breast tissue and drain it back into the bloodstream) and muscle tissue. This breast mound is encased by a skin envelope on which is a nipple and areolar.

Saggy Breasts
When the breasts sag, it's usually because outer skin envelope has stretched and or is too big for the breast underneath. The many contributing factors as well as gravity contribute to physical and aesthetic changes in the breasts. Droopy, sagging, shapeless, flattened breasts usually have an elongated shape and nipples that point downwards or in some extreme cases sit under the breast crease. In massive weight loss patients, the breast shape may be so distorted that the nipple areolar complex is hidden under folds of excess breast skin.

Schedule your complimentary cosmetic consultation today!