Breasts are the main sign of feminine beauty: nice, pert breasts make a woman extremely attractive. That's why there's no wonder why there is an industry of billions of dollars around breast caring products, and billions of dollars worldwide go to breast reconstruction or augmentation surgeries (with all the risks posed for the woman's health by the last ones). The preoccupation for the form of the women's breasts is also one of the main causes why modern women have stopped breastfeeding.

But a new research led by University of Kentucky plastic surgeon Dr. Brian Rinker and presented this week at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons conference in Baltimore comes with the conclusion that saggy breasts and changes in the breasts' shape have no connection with breastfeeding. The research was carried on patients at UK HealthCare Cosmetic Surgery Associates. "A lot of times, if a woman comes in for a breast lift or a breast augmentation, she'll say 'I want to fix what breastfeeding did to my breasts'," said Rinker.

Rinker's team chose 132 subjects who had visited UK for a breast lift or augmentation during the eriod between 1998 and 2006. The average age of the women was 39 years old; 93 % had bore at least one child, and 58 % of the subjects had breastfed at least one child.

The team analyzed the subjects' medical history, body mass index, pre-pregnancy bra cup size, and smoking status. The study of the data revealed no difference in the level of breast ptosis (sagging) between women who breastfed and those lacking this experience. Instead, some other factors were significantly linked to saggy breasts, like age, the number of pregnancies, and smoking. "Smoking breaks down a protein in the skin called elastin, which gives youthful skin its elastic appearance and supports the breast… so it would make sense that it would have an adverse effect on the breasts", said Rinker.