Breast : Natural vs Fake

There is naturally a great variety in the size and shape of breasts in women, with size being affected by various factors including genetics.

The breasts naturally sag through aging, as the ligaments become elongated. This process may be accelerated by high impact exercises, and a bra may reduce this effect by providing external support, although the health benefits of wearing of a brassiere are not universally accepted. Pendulous breasts (ptosis) are considered undesirable by some, and some older women seek cosmetic surgery to raise their busts.

A long term clinical study showed that women with large breasts can suffer shoulder pain as a result of bra straps ^[1], although it should be stated that a well fitting bra should support most of the breasts' weight on the back strap rather than on the shoulders.

There is no relationship between breast size and ability to breastfeed, and it is a common belief that human female breasts are shaped the way they are so that they can feed babies by producing milk. However, their shape is also thought to have evolved due to sexual attraction, as described above. The orb-like shape of breasts help limit heat loss, as a fairly high temperature is required for the production of milk.

In order to support the breasts adequately, a correctly sized bra must be worn and it is for this reason that breast size is typically expressed as a "bra size". According to the results of the "Size UK" survey ^[3], the average bra size in the UK has increased from a 34B in the 1950s to a 36C today, and the average size for US women is a 34B as of 2005 by the CDC. Women with exceptionally large breasts may experience back pain. In some societies there is a belief amongst some that small breasts make a woman less sexually attractive. Some women suffer from insecurity about their breasts, and in some cultures a number of women who are unhappy with their size seek surgery either to artificially reduce or enlarge their breasts. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery found that 334,052 breast augmentation procedures were performed in 2004 [4]. Some women undergo breast reconstruction after mastectomy for breast cancer, a result of the high value placed on symmetry of the human form in those cultures, and because women often identify their femininity and sense of self with their breasts.

It is typical for a woman's breasts to be unequal in size, particularly whilst the breasts are developing during puberty. Statistically it is slightly more common for the left breast to be the larger^[2]. In some rare cases, the breasts may be significantly different in size, or one breast may fail to develop entirely.