From doing push-ups to keep your breasts perky to drinking fennel tea to make them bigger, expert debunks myths about boosting your cup size (and reveals the ones that really work!)
- Dr Jacqueline Lewis revealed the truth behind some of the most popular myths
- Consultant breast surgeon said drinking fennel tea could give boobs a boost
- Dr Lewis also confirmed that wearing a bra does in fact keep breasts perkier
- Comes as fifth of women reveal they unleash their boobs from a bra once a week
From asking if push-up bras making them perkier to whether it’s safe to sleep in a bra, there are all kinds of myths about breasts – but an expert has now revealed what’s best for your chest.
Dr Jacqueline Lewis, a British consultant oncoplastic breast and aesthetic surgeon, has debunked some of the most popular myths surrounding women’s boobs.
It comes as research by innovative shape-wear brand Sloggi shows a fifth of UK women admit they love to go ‘brammando’ – freeing the nipple on a weekly basis due to the discomfort caused by bras.
Speaking exclusively to FEMAIL, Dr Lewis has revealed exactly what will keep your breasts looking their best.
Dr Jacqueline Lewis, a consultant oncoplastic breast and aesthetic surgeon, revealed that wearing a bra can help ‘reduce the effects of gravity’ on breasts
THE MYTH: Chest exercises and push-ups can help firmness and perkiness
THE TRUTH: The firmness of your breasts is related to the skin quality and how much fatty and breast tissue you have.
By doing push-ups on a regular basis you are working your pectoral muscles which, for younger women who haven’t experienced sagging of the skin, can result in a perkier feel of the breast.
With age, the skin becomes less elastic, the firm glandular tissue is replaced by less perky fatty tissue and the ligaments between the skin and chest wall stretch leading to more drooping.
THE MYTH: You need to wear an underwired bra to keep your boobs to prevent sagging
THE TRUTH: This is a misconception. Wearing a bra can help to achieve the immediate desired shape and look but, once it’s removed, breasts will return to their natural position.
However, in the long term, supporting the weight of the breasts in any type of bra can help reduce the effect of gravity on the skin and ligaments, especially when they become heavier during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
It is important to wear a comfortable well-fitting, supportive bra that does not press on your glandular tissue.
THE MYTH: You should sleep with a bra on to keep your boobs perky
There is no evidence to suggest that sleeping in a bra will prevent sagging – and if it is too tight, can actually disrupt the blood flow to the breast tissue
THE TRUTH: Women with larger boobs may feel that they want to sleep with a bra on to feel more comfortable, however, there is no evidence to suggest that this will prevent sagging.
If you’re currently wearing a bra at night, you should avoid a wired bra and should only be sleeping in a soft-cup bra.
Sleeping in a bra with a wire that is too tight, can disrupt the blood and lymphatic flow to the breast tissue.
THE MYTH: Your boobs will stop growing at the age of 17
THE TRUTH: Between the ages of 9 to 11, boobs typically begin to grow and are fully developed by age 17.
However, it’s totally okay if your growth period starts before or after this time.
Your breasts will change at different times of your life – swelling just before you have your period if you have a baby and breastfeed, and often become droopier when you get older and your periods stop.
THE MYTH: Drinking fennel tea will make your boobs bigger
THE TRUTH: Drinking fennel tea causes an estrogenic effect on the breast tissue, which can make some women feel the same swollen sensation that you experience just before a period.
Therefore, fennel tea can be a natural way to enhance breast size very slightly, but the effect is only temporary and will not change breast shape or size permanently.