Effect of aging on breast skin thickness and elasticity: Implications for breast support

Skin overlying the breast and fascia within the breast support the female breast. Bras complement these anatomical supports by providing external breast support. Sufficient breast support is vital to allow women, particularly those with large breasts, to maintain an upright posture and to limit excessive breast movement, and associated breast discomfort when they participate in physical activity. Aging is known to significantly affect skin whereby thickness of ventral forearm skin significantly decreases from age 40-60 years onwards in women, where the dermis can thin by approximately 20%. Ventral forearm skin also progressively loses its ability to return to its initial state from 20-30 years of age. Minimal research has been conducted, however, on age-related changes to breast skin thickness and elasticity, although such data are likely to have important implications for the level of breast support required from a bra. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of aging on female breast skin thickness and elasticity. It was hypothesised that age would influence
breast skin properties, whereby reduced breast skin thickness and elasticity would be observed in older compared to younger participants. It was also
hypothesised that regional variation in skin thickness and elasticity would be observed across the breast.