A professor at Sweden’s prestigious Lund University warns
young girls to put off wearing bras, as doing so too early can lead to
low-hanging breasts.
“Too tight a bra can lead to breasts that sink,” said Professor Göran Samsioe to The Local.
Professor Samsioe, an adjust at Lund's Department of Obstetrics and
Gynaecology explained that the body’s “everyday, natural, movements”
stimulate the development of elastic tissue beneath the skin
responsible for supporting breasts.
“If natural movement is restricted by a bra that is too tight, it can affect the growth of these tissues,” he said.
Samsioe cites a French study on women ages 18 to 25 which found that
the distance between a woman’s nipples and the ground decreased in
women who wore bras.
“Bras caused nipple height to sink slightly,” he said, going on to
explain that the women in the study who wore bras ended up with breasts
that hung a bit lower than women who went without bras.
Local girls discussing their first bra purchases with the Sydsvenksan
newspaper didn’t dispute the professor’s warnings, but explained that
sometimes other factors come into play when considering whether or not
to start wearing a bra.
“I remember that I really thought I needed a bra, despite having small breasts,” 18-year-old Sarah Nielsen told the paper.
“It was bumpy and uncomfortable when simply going down the stairs, and
I, a horse girl, absolutely needed something around my breasts when I
was riding,” she said.
Samsioe stressed that girls and young women with growing breasts are at
the greatest risk of experiencing negative side effects from wearing
too tight a bra.
He added, however, that girls with unusually large busts shouldn’t shy
away from bras, as large breasts can also damage the elastic tissues
which serve as the breasts natural support mechanism.
“If you feel uncomfortable without a bra, you should use one, as long
as it allows your breasts to move in a natural way,” said Samsioe.
The professor is concerned that young girls looking to purchase “highly
supportive” bras are falling prey to societal pressures driven by the
commercial interests of clothing manufacturers, pointing out that bras
have only been around for about 100 years.
“Western culture has come to believe the breast is some sort of sex organ,” he said.
“We’re made to believe that we all need to have a bra, but there is no
medical reason for them and in some cases it can even be harmful.”
Samsioe acknowledges, however, that all the fuss over breasts and bras has more to do with looks than with health.
“There is no medical importance as to what your breasts look like,” he said.
Source: thelocal.se
