I received a question today asking if there was a natural, nonsurgical way to lift the breast. Ah… If only I were magic.
The breast is not a muscle. Doing pectoral muscle exercises will not lift the breast. You can be as toned as possible in your underlying muscle, but it won’t lift the breast tissue, firm the ligaments, or tighten the skin. (or make your breasts larger. sigh.)
Skin tone is like a bathing suit. When your skin is new, it has great elasticity. It bounces back well, and doesn’t stretch out, wrinkle, or sag. As we age, our swimsuit ages as well; and the tone isn’t as good. We all have different qualities of skin tone based on our age, ethnicity, sun damage, smoking, what we have put it through (major weight changes, pregnancy, etc) and genetics.
Once your skin is stretched out, it is stretched. There is no proven skin cream, exercise, or laser to improve it. Many products will claim they firm and lift. But I think these products prey on our dreams- none of them really work. I always ask them to show me the science. Show me the improved skin biopsy; show me the photos of the lift.
Watch out for trickery. Many cosmetic lasers will show only photos at 1-2 months out. This is misleading. When you have a little bit of swelling, the skin looks prettier, plumper, and more youthful. What does it look like at 6 months? A year? Some of the lasers will take the first photo without flash (always shows more wrinkles and aging) and the second photo with flash. Or they will take the photos from different angles. Watch out for this. I love marketing. I had a woman who was going to do a “laser bra” in which the laser lifted the breast. Trust me, I have breastfed three kids. If there were a simple laser treatment which firmed and lifted, I would be the first to sign up.
So, alas, I am here to tell you there is no magic answer, no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
The only way to really lift and reshape the breast is with a surgery.