Is it true that wearing a bra protects against sagging breasts?

It is widely believed that this element of underwear performs not so much an aesthetic function as a physiological one - it supports the breasts, protecting them from sagging. We decided to check if this is actually true.

Basic task bra usually called form support breasts. Websites on the selection of underwear, describing functions of the right bra, almost always list prevention sagging breasts Similar statements can be found even on medical websites. clinics and in interview experts.

Scientifically, sagging breasts are called mastoptosis, its degree is determined by the position of the nipple relative to the fold where the lower surface of the breast is attached to the chest. Mastoptosis is a natural effect of aging, connected with an age-related decrease in the level of the female sex hormone estrogen. How found out scientists, sagging breasts are influenced by age (the older a woman is, the more age-related changes her body undergoes), significant (more than 20 kg) previous weight loss, a constant high body mass index, large breast size, the number of pregnancies and smoking. However, breastfeeding, weight gain during pregnancy and lack of regular exercise do not affect the risk of mastoptosis. Sagging occurs faster and is more pronounced during menopause and in women with pathologies, affecting collagen production (for example, with syndrome Ehlers-Danlos).

In order to understand the mechanism of breast support (or sagging), you need to understand its very structure. Breasts are made up of mammary glands, milk ducts, fatty tissue and Cooper's ligaments. There are no muscles in the chest itself, so it is impossible to “pump up” the chest itself with exercises. All exercises to improve breast shape target the muscles to which the breasts are attached. Fat and glandular tissue are distributed unevenly, moreover, the ratio of these types of tissue in the breast changes throughout life. Thus, during pregnancy and lactation, glandular tissue is growing, and after breastfeeding is completed, it undergoes reverse development, that is, adipose tissue becomes larger again. To prevent breast sagging, a bra would need to specifically target the ligaments and distribution of certain types of tissue within the breast. 

However, the scientists' findings indicate that this does not appear to be happening. One of the first studies on changes in breast shape when refusing a bra published Japanese doctors in 1990. They recruited 11 volunteers, who were first asked to wear professionally selected underwear for three months, and then for another three months to abandon this item of clothing altogether. It turned out that after three months without wearing underwear, the breasts were higher and more firm than even after wearing the right bra. 

In 2003, French sports doctor Laetitia Pierrot published data collected from 33 female athletes aged 18 to 25 who trained at least four hours a day and agreed to go braless for a year. During this period, the doctor took measurements of various breast parameters four times. Measurements showed the absence of mastoptosis, better breast elasticity and development of the muscles to which the mammary gland is attached. The doctor suggested that these changes were associated with the strengthening of connective tissue, which adapted to the new mechanical stress caused by stopping wearing a bra.

In 2009, Pierrot's findings confirmed another French doctor is Olivier Roussel, who observed 50 women for three years after refusing to wear a bra. The volunteers’ breasts did not sag, the tissues did not stretch, but, on the contrary, became more elastic.

In 2013, French scientists shared preliminary findings from their research into what happens to the breasts of those who refuse to wear a bra. For 15 years, researchers observed 330 volunteers aged 18 to 35 who decided to stop wearing this item of clothing. Sports medicine professor Jean-Denis Rouillon, who led the study, reported The Local that "from a medical, physiological, anatomical point of view, breasts do not benefit from the denial of gravity." Against, explains he, "the supporting tissues will not develop, but rather will decrease in size, which will gradually worsen the condition of the breast." According to French scientists, after refusing to wear a bra, the nipples of volunteers rose on average 7 mm per year relative to shoulder level. However, the researchers themselves emphasize the limitations of their conclusions: the sample was not representative of the entire population, moreover, the refusal of this item of clothing unlikely will radically help a 45-year-old overweight woman with several children.

Rouillon's conclusions were subjected to criticism from feminist communities. First, the activists were embarrassed that the study on breasts was conducted by a male professor. Secondly, how writes, for example, The Guardian columnist Deborah Orr, “Women don’t wear bras for medical, physiological or anatomical reasons. We wear them for psychological, aesthetic and practical reasons." 

The experimental data of scientists is also supported by health care specialists. For example, Susan Love, an American surgeon and breast cancer researcher, in her work "The Breast Book by Dr. Susan Love" calls The belief that wearing a bra strengthens the breasts and prevents their possible sagging is erroneous. “It sags because of the ratio of fat and other tissues in the breast, and no bra will change that,” the doctor emphasizes. Robert Munsell, professor of surgery at the University Hospital of Wales, also speaksthat “wearing a bra does not prevent breast sagging. Breast sprains and sagging occur on their own in adulthood, the main reason for this is the weight of the breasts themselves, and the fact that their owners wear bras does not prevent these changes.” Dr. Cassann Blake, MD, in a material on the website of the Cleveland Clinic, a non-profit medical research center, calls the idea that wearing a bra is related to breast shape is a myth. And science journalist Deborah Franklin compares him with a previously widespread similar belief regarding the corset.

At the same time, experts don't count the bra is an absolute evil and most often don't call completely stop wearing it. Scientifically proventhat, contrary to common misconceptions, tight underwear is not capable of causing breast cancer. Moreover, specialists advise pay attention to the woman’s own comfort, including psychological. For those who have large breasts and play sports, May be more comfortable do it's in the bra. And although an entire industry produces and offers lotions, creams and special bras that reduce breast sagging, name These methods cannot be effective. Only cosmetic surgery using implants and injections can eliminate mastoptosis. At the same time slow down Natural breast aging processes are still possible. To do this, you need to watch your weight, eat right, don't smoke, stay in good physical shape and use sunscreen to prevent aging of your breast skin.

Thus, the idea that wearing a bra will protect your breasts from sagging is nothing more than another pseudo-medical myth. There is no scientific evidence to support this position. Moreover, the scientists' findings show that refusing to wear this item of clothing can improve the appearance and shape of the breasts. The ligaments and muscles that are at rest with the support of the bra, having lost their support, only become stronger, which makes the breasts more toned.

Cover image: Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Not true

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