Pregnancy is considered to be one of the more powerful experiences for women, both physically and emotionally. This special period is life is extended for women who breastfeed. It is a period of significant changes to the body and the breast, including changes in volume, stretching of the skin and its elasticity. These changes may have long term aesthetic effects on the breast, such as loss of volume and sagging, that become more prominent in the months and years that follow.
Beauty is an individual concept, and while some women embrace their postpartum look, other may feel that it negatively affects their self-esteem and confidence.
If you feel the latter, there are options available for you! In this article, we will discuss how pregnancy and breastfeeding can affect your breasts and how you may regain your beautiful contours with a breast rejuvenation procedure.
How pregnancy and breastfeeding affect your breasts
We all know that pregnancy expands the abdomen area, we often hear that the hair and nails will be beautiful, and the skin will be glowing while you are pregnant. But what about the breasts?
Your breasts will go through various changes during pregnancy and breastfeeding. In fact, an increase in breast size is usually one of the first signs of pregnancy. A quick timeline of pregnancy would be:
- First trimester (week 1 to week 12): your breasts will grow in size due to changes in your estrogen and progesterone levels. Your breasts may feel tender and sore at this time.
- Second trimester (weeks 13 to 27): your breasts will be ready to start producing colostrum milk, and you could even leak some of that colostrum (don’t worry, it is entirely normal!)
- Third trimester (from week 28th until delivery): your nipples and your breasts will become larger as they prepare for breastfeeding.
As your pregnancy progresses, your nipples and the areola (the area around the nipples) will become progressively darker.
When your baby arrives, your breasts will remain large as they continue to produce breast milk for breastfeeding.
Once you stop breastfeeding, your breasts could go back to their original size and shape, or they could remain larger while the skin loses some of its elasticity. Permanent changes could be determined by many factors, including:
- The length of time you breastfeed
- Genetics
- Weight fluctuations during and after pregnancy
Your nipples may or may not go back to their original size and shape, but they will become lighter in colour over time after you stop breastfeeding.
What is a breast rejuvenation?
While exercise and a healthy diet can help you resume a healthy postpartum body, you may still notice sagging or loss of volume in your breasts.
Breast rejuvenation is an umbrella term for all procedures designed to rejuvenate breasts that have lost the youthful look due to ageing, pregnancy or breastfeeding.
What kind of breast rejuvenation options are available?
The most popular procedures for breast rejuvenation are a breast lift, breast augmentation or a combination of both. All surgeries can dramatically improve the look of postpartum breasts that might look sagging or "empty."
During a breast lift, the surgeon will lift, contour and reshape the natural breast tissue. The final look will be firmer and have a more youthful shape. Your surgeon will also remove any excess skin and reposition the nipple and areola if needed. A breast lift alone will not augment the size of the breasts.
A breast augmentation will augment the size of your breasts and provide a subtle lift. It can be performed with fat grafting, breast implants, or a combination of both.
Finding the right breast implant for your breast rejuvenation is a very personal decision. Some patients want a subtle improvement, while others prefer more projection and volume.
No matter what style you choose, one of the options you might consider are lightweight breast implants: Significantly lighter than traditional implants — as much as 30% lighter– they provide the volume you seek with less stress on your breast tissues, resulting in even better long-term results.
Getting your confidence back
Building your self-esteem is an art, and your confidence in how you look plays an important part. In fact, one of the more common reasons women choose breast rejuvenation procedures is to regain their confidence and boost their self-esteem. It is important to always consult an experienced surgeon in breast rejuvenation.
You can find surgeons that work with POLYTECH implants in your area in our Clinic Finder.
Sources:
https://www.plasticsurgery.org/news/blog/better-breasts-after-pregnancy-and-breastfeeding
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325602#complications
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/pregnancy.html
https://www2.hse.ie/wellbeing/pregnancy-and-birth/baby-development-pregnancy-stages/stages/breast-changes/
https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/pregnant-breast#milk-production
https://www.isaps.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ISAPS-Global-Survey_2020.pdf