Breast Health Before and After Breast Surgery

    COLUMBIA, MD, June 05, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Attractiveness is, in evolutionary terms, supposed to be one of the top honest indicators of health and reproductive potential. Although not exactly one-to-one these days, the key to looking good is being healthy, and your breasts are no exception. So, if you want good-looking, functional breasts for life, the key is to keep your breasts healthy. Here's some basic advice for keeping your breasts healthy and good-looking, both before and after your breast surgery.

A Healthy Weight

The first place to start for healthy breasts is finding your healthy weight. Most people consider healthy weight to be people with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 20 to 25. The key is to reach and maintain a good weight for you, rather than trying to impose an unnatural shape on your body. Most likely, you are not built like a super-skinny model and just can't reach that figure. It's also important to remember that breasts are mostly fat, so if you lose too much weight, you are likely to lose breast mass. Worst of all is yo-yo dieting, which can cause your breasts to grow and shrink, putting stress on them and on your breast skin, leading to stretching and damage, which may mean sagging later and more likelihood you'll need a breast lift.

Skin is in

Your skin is essential to the health and appearance of your breasts. Even if you don't want to bare it, you should still take care of it. Good nutrition is an excellent foundation for healthy skin. When you look at the skin on your breasts and you see a youthful, glowing surface, it means your skin is in good shape. Not only does this give your breasts a good looking surface, it will make sure your skin is up to the task of doing its part to hold up your breasts. And if you do decide to bare your decollete, whether you are taking a day at the beach or wearing a sun dress to the horse track, make sure to wear sunscreen. Sun is skin's worst enemy.

Quit Smoking already

Only you can make you quit, but if you don't, your breasts will make you wish you had. Smoking is the number one contributor to breast ptosis, i.e. sagginess. Smoking reduces the blood supply to your skin everywhere, and nowhere is this more important than in your breasts. If your skin isn't getting nutrients, it's less likely to be able to pull its share of the possibly considerable weight of your breasts. This can put more stress on your ligaments, increasing the need for a breast lift.

Wear a Bra

Although few guys are going to go out on a limb to tell you that you should wear a bra, just because you're turning heads today doesn't mean you will be in a few years. Women's breasts are really a marvel of engineering, but they aren't made to last. In early human history, people rarely lived past their thirties, so there was no reason to save anything for later. If you want your breasts to look good in your late 30s or early 40s, give them the support they need by wearing an appropriate bra.

This is true even after breast augmentation surgery. Breast implants can stand up better than natural breast tissue, but if you want to maintain your good results, you should wear an appropriately supporting bra most of the time. And you should always wear a sports bra when exercising.

Mammograms

And, equally important whether you have had any kind of breast surgery or not, is getting regular mammograms to screen for the early appearance of breast cancer. The earlier breast cancer is detected, the higher the survival rate. If you have had breast augmentation, make sure you work with a screener experienced with breast implants. Also, share details of your breast surgery with your screener so they know what they are looking at. If you are concerned about breast cancer and want to make screenings more accurate, be sure to have your implants placed beneath the muscle. And if you have a family history of breast cancer, you should consider carefully your decision for breast augmentation.

To learn more about breast health and breast surgery, please visit the website of The Austin-Weston Center for Cosmetic Surgery at www.virginiabreast.com.

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