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Breast Aging - Article
Female breasts change throughout life. Desmond Morris in his book " The Naked Woman" describes 7 ages of female breast:
• Nipple breast of childhood.
• Breast bud of puberty.
• Pointed breast of adolescent.
• Firm breast of young adulthood.
• Full breast of motherhood.
• Sagging breast middle age.
• Pendulous breasts of old age.
Breasts are glands with important function of nourishing the newborn. Apart from this they have a strong association with female gender identity and sexuality. Anatomically the breasts are composed of milk glands, ducts that carry the milk to the nipples, supporting fibrous tissue and fat. Throughout the lifecycle the quantity and proportion of these individual elements keeps changing.
At birth the breasts are virtually nonexistent. At times both in male and female newborns the breasts are swollen and even ooze milk when pressed. This is because of circulating female hormones of mother in baby's body. In a couple of weeks the hormones disappear and breasts spontaneously flatten. In India grandmothers try to squeeze the milk out everyday. This only makes the baby cry and possibly damages the breast. This practice is best avoided.
Breast development is the first sign of puberty. Breast buds develop much before the menstruation starts. Small breast bud is visible. Throughout the teenage years breasts develop at a steady pace. This growth is affected by the general health of the girl. Its not uncommon to see flat chest in undernourished girls and excessively large breasts in obese girls. The difference is usually in fat content of the breasts.
Breasts look their best in late teens- the so called photographic super breasts .At the age of about 25 human breasts are at the peak of their growth. They are hemispherical but not usually sagging. With pregnancy come the major changes in the breasts. Breasts start enlarging in early pregnancy and sometimes become tender. Ducts and glands are growing at this time under influence of female hormones. By 6th month drops of milk are being produced. Once the baby suckles, breasts grow further, especially the glands part, to produce milk. Milk production is not related to the size of the breast . Women with very small breasts can feed effectively and sometimes huge breasts do not produce any milk. The reason is usually hormonal.
Once breastfeeding is stopped the hormones become inactive and the breast glands and ducts shrivel. Fat and larger skin envelope remains as it is. At times women loose the extra weight they gained during pregnancy and breast fat also goes down. All this results is saggy breasts of adult life. Breasts are flatter on top and heavy and round at bottom.
Nipples are low and point downwards. There may be stretch marks and areolas are larger. Due to relative excess of fat in comparison with gland and fibrous tissue breasts feel softer. Wearing an under wire support bra becomes necessary to give shape to the breasts.
With advancing age, in older life breasts become more and more softer, empty and saggy in sixties and seventies.
All breasts do not age similarly. Aging is worst when woman has had major fluctuations in weight and has nursed several babies. Some women lose the breast volume completely after nursing whereas in others breasts stay larger. Bra does not help much except it can make saggy breasts look good in clothes. Plastic surgery of breasts can reverse the signs of aging and make the breasts look their best at any age.
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