Dissatisfaction with Breast Size and Shape: Making the Right Choices
Many people experience anxiety about the size of their breasts, wondering if they will grow larger or change shape. This article aims to address these concerns and alleviate anxiety and confusion.
Breasts are constantly changing
Is it impossible for an adult's breast size to change? That's a common misconception. While breasts may maintain relative stability for a period, absolute stability does not exist as they can be influenced by hormones.
After puberty, between the ages of 20 and 25, the mammary glands continue to develop. Regardless of whether one plans to have children, the body naturally prepares for breastfeeding. From the images, we can see that during the later stages of breast development, there is a process where the areola changes from light to dark and then back to light. If your areola is a very dark color, it may not have fully developed yet.
The mammary glands that have already developed during puberty may not increase in number, but their volume can change, similar to fat cells, which typically do not change in number but can change in volume until the body feels ready. Some people may even experience growth beyond the age of 25. Apart from natural development, changes in body weight, whether gaining or losing, will also affect breast volume.
Breasts that feel small may grow significantly during this period, and those that are large may continue to develop. Until the breasts are fully developed, everything is uncertain. Some people may still develop at the age of 24; while height may not increase, breast size is largely controlled by hormones and can change until menopause. If dissatisfied with the size, it's best to wait until everything is settled before considering solutions.
Especially in families where development is generally good, the likelihood is even greater, as breast size is highly influenced by genetic factors. Some may have children before the age of 25 and miss the optimal development period. For women who are around this age and considering marriage, it's advisable to have children after the age of 25-28, as they will be more psychologically and physically mature, which can help in breast development.
Hormonal changes due to pregnancy or breastfeeding can significantly affect breast size. Breasts do become larger after pregnancy, but they often return to their original size after breastfeeding. While some may worry that breasts won't change after breastfeeding, such cases are relatively rare.
Even if changes occur, unless the size is extremely large, there's no need for concern. Many middle-aged women's breasts appear larger than those of younger women, but this is not necessarily due to childbirth; it's often related to weight.
It's normal for breasts to change after breastfeeding, and some changes can be reversed by wearing the right bras, at least making them unnoticeable from the outside.
I've seen many places use the "use it or lose it" theory to argue that bras are useless, claiming that wearing bras will cause the breasts to degenerate in function and that not wearing them is better. I think the image below cannot be explained by this theory. Many people naturally have breasts that are wide-set or soft, and they need bras for support.
Not finding the right bra
Apart from the developmental period, not finding the right bra also means that the size is not fixed. For smaller sizes, not wearing the right bra means you can't be sure if your breasts are truly small. Bras can stabilize the breast contour and adjust the appearance. If the contour is particularly loose, wearing the right bra can make the actual size much larger than wearing the wrong one.
Many so-called shaping and nursing bras use this principle, adjusting with different sizes of underwires and cup depths to achieve a more concentrated and full effect. Of course, you don't have to wear this type of bra; any well-fitting bra will do. Many women experience a "second development" after wearing the right bra, with a significant change in size.
For larger sizes, feeling that large breasts are a burden and significantly affecting life can lead to wearing bras that compress the breasts, visually reducing their volume. While there are indeed women who are truly troubled by this, often the situations I encounter are: difficulty buying bras, discomfort during running, unattractive bras, difficulty turning over in bed, etc.
Many of these situations can be improved by choosing the right bra, and unattractive bras are even easier to solve. Instead of worrying about the pain caused by large breasts in life, it's better to carefully choose the right bra and focus energy on the right places.
Although many people jokingly mention Z-cup sizes, there are brands that offer this size or close to it. Most women who truly reach this size have had breast augmentation surgery or have macromastia; ordinary large breasts do not reach such exaggerated sizes.
If you wear the right bra and still struggle with size issues, I think considering changing your weight to change volume might be an option. Generally, the right bra can improve most of the troubles of having large breasts; you won't wobble while walking, sleep bras can solve the problem of turning over in bed, there are also large-sized sports bras for running, and beautiful large-sized bras are available worldwide, as long as you are willing to look for them.
The real trouble with finding bras is the financial cost; it's easy to accidentally buy ill-fitting bras and waste money, but this expense is worth it as it can change emotional value and even make you feel that your breasts are a gift from the gods.
Especially for some intermediate sizes, many people start complaining about the difficulty of finding attractive bras at a C-cup, while C is actually quite a small size in the cup scale. I personally suggest not just looking at local brands and counters, but casting your gaze worldwide; you will find that there are many people with your size, and buying bras is not a difficult task.
Immaturity or misconceptions about aesthetics
Anxiety about breast size may occur more frequently in younger individuals or in environments where appearance anxiety is emphasized. Whether it's feeling that large breasts look unfashionable and fat or that small breasts make one seem less sexy and mature, I personally think these are completely unnecessary notions.
Many people think that a B-cup is the best because an A-cup feels too small, and a C-cup seems like a large cup, so the middle size is the best. In reality, everyone knows that someone who looks like they have a B-cup might actually have an E-cup, even though it's a 65E.
The existence of breasts, whether large or small, is beautiful. What truly matters is not letting them affect your life and having a happier and more relaxed body. Many also think that breasts affect how slim they look, but this can be improved through the dual action of bras and outerwear.
If you feel a bit too small, you can improve the appearance by wearing padded bras or clothes with more decorations, and if you feel too large, you can wear simpler, more elegant clothes and bras that make large breasts appear smaller.
Many people consider their partner's needs and feel the need to change. I personally believe that your body is your own, and you should prioritize your own feelings. If you are satisfied with your size, don't consider the other person's thoughts. If there is a significant conflict over this, I personally think it's best to put yourself first.
Many who are dissatisfied with their breast size are not extremely small or too large; it's more about conformity and feeling pressured by others' opinions. Most of these situations occur during student years, and in most cases, just sticking it out until graduation is enough. Aesthetics are ever-changing; what you like now does not mean you will like it in the future. Being true to yourself is enough.
How to change if dissatisfied with breast shape?
As mentioned earlier, breast size can change, and if you are still young and your size is not stable, your breast shape may also change. If it is relatively stable and the contour is not clear, there will be changes. Compared to size, breast shape has a certain room for change, although it will not change a lot.
The reason for some change is that breasts have soft fat, which can easily change shape with bras. Without using inserts, the rounder the cup you wear, the rounder your breasts can look; the sharper the cup, the more pointed your breasts can become after wearing it for a while. The appearance of roundness is even easier to change; molded cups can directly shape the breasts according to the cup shape.
To make breasts look more concentrated, there are push-up bras; to make wide-set breasts look more centered, there are side-support bras; to make breasts look more挺拔, there are uplift bras... In short, whatever breast shape you desire, bras can provide it. However, all of this may disappear after taking off the bra, but most people need aesthetics at a social distance, so as long as the breast condition is not too bad after removal, it's not a big issue.
Of course, if you expect breasts to be directly changed by bras, it's not impossible, but it will be very slow. Some functional or nursing bras can have an effect, but the effectiveness depends entirely on the individual, and breasts with a lot of glandular tissue are difficult to change.
Some may ask, since the effect disappears with wearing bras, why can't thick pads work. The reason is simple; thick pads can deform the breasts, making them uncomfortable, stuffy, and sweaty. After removal, the breast condition can deteriorate,
and thick pads are not truly suitable, requiring frequent adjustments.
Functional or ordinary bras, whether they improve the breasts or not, will not harm them, and the breasts will return to their original state after removal. Ordinary and functional bras are small changes based on suitability, while thick pads are never a good fit. Similarly, there is some compression, with ordinary bras being 10% effective, functional bras 20%, and thick pads more than 50%. Discussing toxicity without considering the dose is not advisable. Moreover, bras need some adjustment; otherwise, allowing breasts to maintain their original shape in the bra with too much space will reduce friction and support. Making breast shape more attractive is like a "Bonus."