April 10, 2014
7 Things You Didn't Know About Your Breasts
The booty is definitely having a moment, with Hollywood being “all about that bass” these days. We’re bucking the trend and asking you to draw your attention up top. Whether you’re an A or F cup, acquainting yourself with the inner-workings of your breasts and what keeps them healthy on the inside and outside will give you a whole new appreciation for your number one bosom buddy.
1. Weight Loss Won't Impact Their Size Much
Typically, you’d have to shed a steep amount of weight for noticeable shrinkage. To drop one cup size, a woman of average height and band size would need to lose 20 percent of her body weight, an American Journal of Human Biology study reveals. Steep. “As most women know, only a portion of weight loss affects the breast volume,” says Hooman Soltanian, M.D., interim chair of the department of plastic surgery at Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. “However, in patients with massive weight loss, the volume of the breasts can decrease significantly.” But there’s a downside to this: The shape of the breasts can become droopy because the skin and supportive structures of the breast are stretched out, explains Soltanian. This is all good news for those worried that cutting cals will diminish cleavage, but not so great if you’re uncomfortably busty and want a nonsurgical fix.2. Dense Breasts are Embroiled in Important Legal Issues
Forty to 50 percent of women who undergo mammograms have dense breasts—meaning you have a lot of fibrous or glandular tissue and less fatty tissue, reports a recent New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) paper. It also means your risk of breast cancer is doubled, and it's harder to spot cancer on standard mammograms. And your M.D. doesn't have to tell you your girls are packed tight—which is why 21 states (so far) have adopted some type of breast-density legislation, including transparency with your doc and extra screenings, reports the NEJM paper. But a number of health professionals worry these laws and legislations may lead to unnecessary procedures, false positives, and patient anxiety While it’s all being figured out, keep getting your mammograms. And if you know you do have dense breasts, ask if your practice offers newer 3D mammography, which has improved cancer detection in dense breasts, says Priscilla Slanetz, M.D., co-author of the NEJM article.4.Proper Skincare Prolongs Their Youth
We’re diligent about moisturizing and sunscreening our faces—but our breasts, not so much. In an Aesthetic Surgery Journal study of over 300 women, those who moisturized their chests daily were perceived to have younger-looking breasts, by way of significantly fewer wrinkles as well as less stretch marks. “The water content of skin decreases with aging, and moisturizing may increase that water content,” says Soltanian, author of the research. Another potential anti-ager implied by the research is shielding your breasts from UV rays, so shade yourself and slather broad protection sunscreen around those super-skimpy bikini tops. It seems that sun exposure—though it’s unclear just how much—could compromise the elasticity of the breasts’ supporting ligaments, increasing the likelihood of wrinkling and sagging.