The decision to undergo a breast augmentation procedure is something that requires a strong resolve.  If you’re not sure if you really want to undergo a procedure as permanent as this, you may first want to know what some of its biggest risks are.  Here are 3 reasons to think about holding off on a breast augmentation procedure:

breast implants

1. Suicidal Tendencies

A recent study carried out in Sweden surveyed over 3,500 women that had undergone breast implant surgery for cosmetic reasons between 1965 and 1993.  According to death certificate data taken after the first 19 years of the test period, the suicide rate was 3 times higher for women with breast implants compared to the rest of the population.  However, women who received their implants when they were 45 years or older, the risk was 7 times that of the general population.  Suicides weren’t the only type of death that saw a spike, though… deaths related to psychiatric orders like alcoholism and drug use spiked 3 times as high as the rest of the general population.)  It’s a chicken or the egg type argument, though, since it’s yet to be known if the breast implants directly led to the decrease in psychological stability, or if those women were unstable to begin with.

2. Impaired Milk Production

If you plan on having kids, you may want to consider that depending on the type of incisions, breast implants can put you at risk of losing your ability to produce milk.  This is especially true for periareolar incisions, which go through the areola, carrying the highest rate of damage to sensitive nerves and milk ducts in the surrounding area.  Although the risk is still very low (less than 1%), damaged nerves can prevent the brain from producing prolactin and oxytocin, which are responsible for milk production and ejection, respectively, as well as sensitivity to the area.

3. Slippery Slope

It’s a known fact that many women who undergo breast augmentation procedures either already have a form of body dysmorphic disorder (a disorder in which a person becomes obsessively concerned over a perceived defect in their body) or develop one due to the results being different than they anticipated, or the presence of scars from the surgery.  This can lead to a slippery slope, where the woman can develop dysmorphic views about other parts of her body, which is why people often become “addicted” to plastic surgery.

Eric Hirota is a personal trainer at LAVA Sport & Fitness.  He also writes for various diet blogs in his free time.

1. Exercise

Exercise won’t add inches to your breasts, since breasts are largely fatty tissue and you can’t exercise to grow fat. However exercise can make your breasts sit higher and more even on your chest because it builds up the muscles on which your breasts support. This pushes the breasts up making them look a bit larger. If you strengthen your back muscles, you can also improve your posture and make your chest look a hundred times better. Try to do the following exercise everyday to increase your breast size naturally and to firm them up:

a. The Push-ups:
This will help keep your chest muscles firm and toned. To do this, put your hands and knees on the floor with your back flat. Align your hands with your bust. Bend your arms and lower yourself until your chest almost touches the floor. Then push yourself back up to the starting position. Hold this pose for a few seconds and then bend your arms again bringing your torso down a few inches to the floor. Repeat this ten times. On the second week, perform two full sets of ten repetitions. And on the third week thereafter, do three full sets every other day.

Bigger looking breasts

b. Modified Push-ups

This is akin to the push-ups mentioned earlier. The only difference is that instead of the hands and knees on the floor, the lower arms, the elbows and toes are placed against the floor. The torso is raised up but your lower arms and elbows and toes are kept on the floor.

c. The back extension

Back extensions strengthen your upper and lower back muscles, thus improving posture. To do this, after each set of push-ups, lie facedown on the floor, lift one arm and the opposing leg a few inches straight in the air simultaneously, and hold on for a count of ten. Do the move twice on each side.

d. Bench Press:

This is the best exercise for shaping and firming your bust line because aside from shaping and firming the bust line, it also sculpts the shoulders and tightens the triceps. To perform this exercise, lie flat on a bench, with one foot on each side of the bench touching the floor. Firmly press your head, shoulders, back and butt on the bench while sticking up your chest. Keep the dumbbells about 18-20 inches apart and parallel to the floor with your palms facing upwards. Slowly push the dumbbells straight up, away from your chest. Fully extend your arms but don’t lock your elbows when arms are fully extended. The dumbbells should now be approximately a few feet above your chest. Pause slightly at the top of the movement then slowly lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position. Inhale and hold your breath as you lower the dumbbells. When they reach the chest, begin to move the weight upward again. Exhale as you pass the point of greatest resistance. Repeat this 8 to 12 times to complete one set. You can perform about 1 to 3 sets at a session and about 3 sessions per week with a day’s rest between sessions.

e. Breast Press

Using two three-to-five pound dumbbells, sit on the edge of a chair with your back straight, arms at your sides. Lean forward slightly at your hips, and bend your elbows to 90 degrees, keeping the palms down. Raise your arms from the shoulders so your elbows reach shoulder level, your hands in front and to each side. Hold this position for a count of four, and then return to your start position. Repeat this ten times.

f. Arm Swings

While standing erect, swing your right arm clockwise for eight counts while the left arm rests at your side. Then let your right arm rest at your side and swing your left arm clockwise also for eight counts. Repeat this exercise on both arms only this time the movement is counterclockwise.

g. Stand-up Push-ups

Stand facing a wall at arm’s length. Place palms on the wall. Push against the wall as if you were pushing it away, without bending arms at the elbow. Hold for eight counts and relax arms for eight counts. Repeat this eight to twenty times a day.

h. Apply Pressure

Massage the upper and outer area of your bust in circular motions applying gentle pressure. This helps stimulate circulation on the muscles and help tone the fatty tissue of the breasts.

2. The Perfect Boosting Bra

If your boobs appear sacked out on your rib cage or distinctively lopsided, maybe the problem is your bra. You’ll get the sexiest support if you look for the following features:

a. Supportive cups

“If your breasts are saggy, they’ll sit in the bottom of the sheer cup,” says Stacey Ellis, a bra-fit specialist for Nordstrom. Look for a bra with lined cups that are slightly firm to touch.

b. A firm, solid back

Flimsy cotton and lace may not be strong enough to pull your breasts up. A bra with a wide, tightly woven back will help hoist you up in front.

c. Underwire

Underwire bras give a good lift to your busts because they provide good support underneath. Just make sure the wire surrounds the breast tissue and is a perfect fit to your breasts otherwise you’d be uncomfortable to wear them.

d. Padded bra

Padded bras don’t just make your breasts appear bigger but they also provide added protection to your breasts from accidental nudges in public and crowded places.

3. Nutrition

Nutrition is one of the factors that influence the growth of breasts.
How you look reflects the things that you put in your body. If you want your breasts to look good, I recommend you exercise healthy food choices. Include fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet. Women with poor diets tend to have smaller breasts while women who are overweight tend to have larger breasts. Also add Til or sesame seeds in your intake. They are known to be effective in firming the breasts of women because they contain calcium, protein, iron and phosphorous. The oil also can be applied on the breast to make it look less droopy.

Although having well-filled breasts makes a woman feel more confident about herself, the lack of breast tissue does not make her less than a woman. Beauty is not gauged on breast size alone. The truth is, most women look pretty in their own ways. But one of the biggest things that makes a person attractive is a positive attitude towards oneself and other people. People are easily drawn to women who exude such compelling influence, no matter what size of breasts they have. So, if you wanna attract more people, don’t just focus on having bigger breasts and wanting what you don’t have, instead work your way up with your self-esteem. At any rate, you will realize that you will be happier with a bigger self-esteem than a bigger boobs.

7 seconds to a perfect body