Arguably, the bre@.$t seems to be one part of a woman’s body that means different things to different people, and that could be the reason why women pay so much attention to it.

Beyond the fact that it is the source of food for a newborn baby, men see it as more of [email protected]:’ organ that makes [email protected]:’ more pleasurable, and for women, apart from its being important for bre@.$tfeeding after childbirth and being a body part that enhances their outlook, it is one of the routes to [email protected]:’ual satisfaction, as findings have shown that handling the bre@.$ts is one of the quickest ways for women to reach org@.$m.

Such is the importance of the bre@.$t, or boob as some prefer to call it, to all concerned.

Meanwhile, it has also been found that the firmness or otherwise of those two soft, protruding organs influence women’s self esteem, and they also impact on how attractive they are to men.

For most men, the bigger the better, and the more firm the bre@.$ts are the better, which make women to do all they can to make the bre@.$ts look firm, including using all kinds of bras.

It should be noted that the bre@.$ts tend to sag with age and after childbirth and or bre@.$tfeeding. But be that as it may, there are some human activities that could increase the likelihood of sagging.

So, given the much importance men and women attach to the firmness of a woman’s bre@.$ts, it seems helpful for women to know how best the bre@.$ts should be treated to avoid sagging (quickly).

Mismanaged bre@.$tfeeding: It is largely assumed that a woman’s bre@.$ts tend to sag after pregnancy and bre@.$tfeeding, and this is entirely understandable because of the release of some hormones and the secretion of milk which could increase the size of the bre@.$ts. In fact, some people assume that with the way the baby draws the Tips in the process of suckling the mother’s bre@.$ts, the bre@.$ts would lose firmness and end up being droopy afterwards. But those assumptions may not be true. According to a gynaecologist, Dr. Bolanle Shukra-Okesina, women can retain the firmness of their bre@.$ts even after bre@.$tfeeding, depending on how the woman manages the bre@.$ts during and after the period.

She said, “Bre@.$tfeeding per se does not make the bre@.$ts to sag. If the woman uses the appropriate bra size and she takes enough of fluid, especially water, when bre@.$tfeeding, the bre@.$ts will not sag, even after bre@.$tfeeding. Also, during pregnancy, the woman is expected to change the size of her bra as the bre@.$ts increase in size. She is supposed to use the appropriate size at every stage because the bre@.$ts need to be supported by a firm bra.

“When the milk stops after bre@.$tfeeding, the bre@.$ts would on their own go back to their normal size. So, if the woman does the right thing, the bre@.$ts have no reason to sag.

Crash Diet – This factor particularly applies to women who are watching their weight and are doing everything to lose some weight, especially people who are obese, because according to Shukra-Okesina, losing weight could make the bre@.$ts to sag. She said in the process of losing weight, a bre@.$t would also give up its fat and some ligaments and if the diet is deficient of fat and some calcium-building elements, it would eventually sag. “If a woman who is watching her diet is not taking balanced diet, perhaps to lose some fat, it can make the bre@.$t to sag,” she explained.

Furthermore, a bre@.$t surgeon and president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Michael Edwards, in his piece on Women’sHealth, said, “Each time a woman gains and loses weight, bre@.$t tissue becomes slack.” He also believes that excessive exposure to the ultraviolet rays from the sun could take its toll on the bre@.$ts by stretching out the connective tissues and damaging the skin.

Wrong Bra Size: One other factor that has been found to influence the firmness or otherwise of the bre@.$ts is whether women use the bra that is appropriate for their bre@.$t size. According to the gynaecologist, the bre@.$ts would likely sag if women with (relatively) big bre@.$ts do not use the size of bra that can lift the bre@.$ts and keep them in position.

And for women who wear the kind of bras that make the bre@.$ts to shake, perhaps to appear buxom, Edwards warned that the more the bre@.$ts bounce around, the more the skin of the bre@.$ts and collagen would be stressed, eventually leading to sagging. Thus, women should wear bras that keep the bre@.$ts intact and in shape.

Smoking: This act has been found to have serious adverse effects on the human system, especially the functionality or efficiency of some internal organs, but not many would know when women smoke, it tends to have some effects on their bre@.$ts. Edwards had this to say, “Any amount of smoking weakens and ages skin by decreasing the blood supply to the skin surface, and the bre@.$ts are not spared in this.” and according to a consultant endocrinologist, Dr. Olamoyegun Michael, smoking weakens the ligaments that hold the bre@.$ts, which could ultimately lead to sagging.

Wrong exercise: No doubt, exercise is good for the body, and people across all age groups are advised to engage in it. In fact, there are exercises that help to make the bre@.$ts firm, including push-ups and lifting dumbbells. But it has been found that some exercises are inimical to the firmness of the bre@.$ts, especially running. Findings show that when a woman is running and she is not wearing the appropriate bra, like a fitted sports bra, the bre@.$ts would naturally be moving up and down, which can lead to the breakdown of the connecting tissues, leading to sagging eventually. For those who are able to, findings have also shown that weight lifting also helps to make the bre@.$ts firm as it strengthens the muscles underlying the bre@.$ts. So, if you have the capacity, try it.

There are myths surrounding bre@.$ts sagging, and among them are excessive suckling or handling and abstinence from bra. But according to Olamoyegun, suckling the bre@.$ts or handling them does not lead to sagging.

In effect, doing the needful while bre@.$tfeeding, eating balanced diet and in reasonable quantity, avoiding too much exposure to sunlight, abstinence from smoking and doing the right exercises could reduce the likelihood of sagging.