Does Breastfeeding Cause Sagging?

It has been widely believed by both plastic surgeons and the non-medical community that breastfeeding is the main cause of later breast sagging, a condition known as breast ptosis. A recent study, which appeared in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal (published by the American Society For Aesthetic Plastic Surgery) , showed results that surprisingly challenged this long-standing belief. The study evaluated 93 women who came to plastic surgeons requesting the procedure of Breast Lift to correct breast sagging (breast ptosis). The results showed that the main factors that contributed to post-pregnancy sagging were higher age at pregnancy, overweight patients, larger cup size before pregnancy, the number of pregnancies, and smoking. The biggest surprise was that breastfeeding alone was not a factor. The good news is that women who are contemplating breastfeeding do not have to worry about the effects of sagging and can be more open to this option. There will continue to be women who do develop post-pregnancy breast sagging, but it is not just because of breastfeeding and the surgical procedures of breast lift (mastopexy), breast augmentation, and the combined procedure of breast lift/augmentation remain safe and effective options to correct the problem of breast sagging or breast ptosis.