Menopause And Aging: Overcome The Changes In Your Breasts
Posted on: 18 July 2017
For some women, menopause can be one of the most difficult and confusing times of their lives. The many changes that occur during this stage in your life can affect you both mentally and physically, including the loss of volume and firmness in your breasts. Your once perky and firm breasts may now appear soft and droopy. If you're like other women, the changes in your chest may make you feel uncomfortable about your appearance. Here's more information about your changing breasts and how you can improve them.
Why Did Your Breasts Change?
Menopause is a critical stage in the aging process for women and their breasts. Some women begin the menopause in their 30s and 40s, while other women begin the process in their 50s. During menopause, your hormones slow down in production, including estrogen. Estrogen plays a critical role in keeping your breast tissue firm and youthful.
Estrogen keeps skin hydrated by increasing certain acids in the body, including hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid allows your skin to maintain its moisture content, which keeps skin plump and firm. Estrogen also regulates and increases the protein collagen, which prevents skin from sagging. But as estrogen declines before and during menopause, the moisture and suppleness in your skin decreases.
In addition, a reduction of estrogen can affect the ligaments and other connective tissues in your breasts. The ligaments that "hold" and support your breasts begin to weaken. A number of women experience mild to severe sagging in their breasts over time.
Combined with perimenopause and menopause, the natural aging process you go through may also affect the state of your breasts. As a younger woman, your breast tissues are thick or dense. But as you age, fat replaces the dense tissues of your breasts. Your breasts lose some or all of their fullness when this occurs.
You can do a few things to make the effects of menopause less stressful on your breasts.
How Can You Improve Your Breasts?
Although you can't turn back time or stop menopause from happening, you can take steps to improve how your breasts look. One of the most important things you can do is see a gynecologist or regular doctor about your hormonal changes. A doctor may be able to balance out your estrogen and other hormone levels with medications and diet changes.
You can also try weight training to firm up your breasts. Weight training, resistance band training, and other exercises may help improve your appearance. But it's important to know that exercise may require long sessions in a gym or at home to obtain the results you desire.
If you want to address the changes in your breasts sooner, ask a cosmetic surgeon about breast augmentation surgery. This type of surgery can replace your lost breast tissue with artificial implants made with silicone gel or saline. Both types of implants add volume to your breasts so that they appear fuller and more rounded in shape. A surgeon can discuss the pros and cons of each type of implant to help you decide on the best one for your needs.
You should understand that breast augmentation doesn't work well for severely sagging breasts. In this case, you may ask a cosmetic surgeon about breast lifting. Breast lifting essentially removes extra skin from your chest. A surgeon can also tighten and reposition the tissues on your breasts during a lifting procedure. You may be able to lift and augment your breasts at the same time, or you can schedule the procedures separately.
To find out more about how to improve your breasts, contact a cosmetic specialist, like one from Renaissance Center For Facial & Body Sculpting, today.
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