The Reason Your Breasts Sag After Pregnancy
Submitted by Dr. Joyesh Raj on Fri 01/19/2024 - 00:56
Aside from puberty, the point in your life when you can expect to see the most significant changes to your breasts is during and after pregnancy. It’s no wonder that so many of Dr. Joyesh Raj’s cosmetic breast surgery patients schedule their surgery after having a baby. In this blog, Dr. Raj discusses the kinds of changes you are likely to notice to your breasts after becoming pregnant.
What Happens to Your Breasts After You Become Pregnant?
Beginning in the first trimester, your breast tissue starts to swell and feel tender. You may also notice your nipples extend further than normal. By the second trimester, your breasts should have enlarged enough so that you need to wear bigger bras. At the same time, your areolas may become darker and bigger overall, though the breast tenderness generally subsides. In the final trimester, your breasts are likely to have stretch marks because your skin has had to stretch quickly to cover the larger size of the breasts.
What Happens to Your Breasts While You Nurse?
Believe it or not, your breasts become even bigger and heavier after you have your baby. This is due to engorgement, or excess milk production. Engorgement is most uncomfortable in the days after delivering your baby, but pumping milk and feeding regularly can help to relieve this issue. Only after you have weaned your child will your breasts finally start to lose their extra volume. Glandular tissue that formed to breastfeed starts to atrophy. Your breasts may return to their original size or become even smaller than you remember. Moreover, your breasts are liable to sag because the skin that stretched to fit over your breasts is not elastic enough to snap back into place.
Cosmetic Breast Surgery Options After Pregnancy
Although changes to your breasts are inevitable, the good news is that you can improve the appearance of your breasts with plastic surgery. The most popular procedure is breast lift, which removes some of the excess skin from around your breasts so that they may sit at a higher position. The nipples can also be reprojected for a youthful, perky look. If you are concerned with the size and fullness of your breasts, this can be improved with breast augmentation. Breast lift and breast augmentation may even be combined to achieve your ideal results.
To discuss your surgical options with a top breast surgeon in Westlake & Cleveland, OH, please call Raj Plastic Surgery at 440-808-8030.
