No. Bras don't . Breasts sag with age as the amount of collagen in our skin decreases. Yes if you have very large breasts (atypical for trans women) the weight will pull them down. A bra won't stop that. If your breast grow very quickly they can cause stretch marks to form.

Tl,dr gravity and age gets everyone.

Also, I always find it amusing when people say they worry about compression affecting development. Push up brass rely on compression and have been in popular use since the 60's.

I use Palmer's Coco Butter Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks and rub it in while I am doing my breast massaging which I do twice a day for 10minutes.   It has Vit E, Elestin, and Collagen in it really helps.  I have found that the Playtex 18hr bras work the best for support and they make both non wire and underwire bras, but there are specific one I use.  They are not very expensive either.  Besides massaging I also do light tri pull downs which helps lift the breasts and help them stay close together.

Quote from: Isabelle on December 15, 2013, 07:05:48 AM
No. Bras don't . Breasts sag with age as the amount of collagen in our skin decreases. Yes if you have very large breasts (atypical for trans women) the weight will pull them down. A bra won't stop that. If your breast grow very quickly they can cause stretch marks to form.

Tl,dr gravity and age gets everyone.

Also, I always find it amusing when people say they worry about compression affecting development. Push up brass rely on compression and have been in popular use since the 60's.

I'm sure that's true.  Still, I want to do my best to avoid sagging as long as possible.  It's better to prevent the issue early on.

Quote from: Michelle Hayden on December 15, 2013, 08:43:33 AM
I use Palmer's Coco Butter Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks and rub it in while I am doing my breast massaging which I do twice a day for 10minutes.   It has Vit E, Elestin, and Collagen in it really helps.  I have found that the Playtex 18hr bras work the best for support and they make both non wire and underwire bras, but there are specific one I use.  They are not very expensive either.  Besides massaging I also do light tri pull downs which helps lift the breasts and help them stay close together.

I use Gene's vitamin e cream and aloe vera on my breasts everyday to prevent stretch marks.  It seems like stretch marks in that area are a problem for most transwomen, so I'm trying to do what I can to avoid that issue as well. 

Quote from: generous4 on December 15, 2013, 05:17:38 AM
Same here.  My breasts are so heavy now that for me it is a matter of survival -- I am at the point where I have to have the support.    And I wear a bra to bed now, too, for comfort.   

Perkiness is the last thing on my list of worries.  It's way back in the r ear view mirror. 

Not too long ago I could easily go in boy mode 24/7.  Lots of changes, but good. 

I'm still growing and haven't been on hrt too long, so my breasts aren't that big yet.  Right now, I'm comfortably wearing a b cup, but I'm really more of an A.  I just needed to find a band size that worked for me.  In any event, I'm slowly understanding why bras really do help with support, lol. 

I'm not sure if what I read was related directly to sagging but one health reference website provided the following quote:

  During Stage 4 breast development "it is very essential to give adequate support to the breasts with the help of a good bra."

One other thing I'm getting worried about after comments here and further reading is the potential for stretch marks forming.  How likely is this to occur?  I read that it can be very common in transwomen, possibly because the unnatural hormone administration can force growth through more quickly.  Any additional suggestions to help avoid this would be welcome.  I don't want to end up with problems because I'm too distracted by the wonder of development!

Violet, I think some skin types have less elasticity and are more prone to stretch marks, but who knows until it happens. Best plan is to do breast massages with coco butter or some coconut oil like several of the gals have suggested. It lubricates the skin and gets the blood flowing more efficiently to the hormone receptors.

Quote from: Shantel on December 16, 2013, 09:35:02 AM
Violet, I think some skin types have less elasticity and are more prone to stretch marks, but who knows until it happens. Best plan is to do breast massages with coco butter or some coconut oil like several of the gals have suggested. It lubricates the skin and gets the blood flowing more efficiently to the hormone receptors.

Looks like I have much to learn, I had no idea about any of that.

Quote from: Violet Bloom on December 16, 2013, 09:19:12 AM
I'm not sure if what I read was related directly to sagging but one health reference website provided the following quote:

  During Stage 4 breast development "it is very essential to give adequate support to the breasts with the help of a good bra."

One other thing I'm getting worried about after comments here and further reading is the potential for stretch marks forming.  How likely is this to occur?  I read that it can be very common in transwomen, possibly because the unnatural hormone administration can force growth through more quickly.  Any additional suggestions to help avoid this would be welcome.  I don't want to end up with problems because I'm too distracted by the wonder of development!

Prevention is key for stretch marks.  Everyday I use Vitamin e cream with aloe vera and haven't ran into too many problems (I use a lot of body lotion).  Unfortunately, it can happen because of the hormones and there is only so much you can do.  Since your fat is being redistributed and stretching the skin in new areas, it's not too unlikely for them to form. 

Make sure to drink lots of water and too lose extra weight in a healthy manner. 

Quote from: Shantel on December 16, 2013, 09:35:02 AM
Violet, I think some skin types have less elasticity and are more prone to stretch marks, but who knows until it happens. Best plan is to do breast massages with coco butter or some coconut oil like several of the gals have suggested. It lubricates the skin and gets the blood flowing more efficiently to the hormone receptors.

  My skin has good elasticity and is quite taught.  I'm also starting with near bottom-of-healthy-range BMI and am quite thin.  I don't think I'm going to have too much trouble with sagging but I am concerned that my skin won't want to make room quick-enough to accommodate my development.  That said I might never have significant-enough fat deposits for breast-building unless I start eating like crazy.  I can at least say that I've re-gained some of my pubertal appetite again and have put on a few healthy pounds since.

Quote from: Ms Grace on December 12, 2013, 03:13:34 PM
Western cultures and those influenced by them have developed a fetishism around breasts remaining youthful and perky and this has been facilitated by the bra, which in fashion terms isn't a very old concept (a bit over 100 years I think).

Absolutely - that's what everyone used to think ... until a bunch of 600 year-old bras were found in an ancient Austrian castle last year ... and they look EXACTLY like modern bras.

So I guess that women figured out a very long time ago what the best way was to shape breasts and prevent them from drooping ... and who are we to argue?! 

Here's the link, and it's well worth following just to check out the shape of the medieval bra!

http://www.historyextra.com/lingerie

Quote from: Carlita on December 16, 2013, 11:44:11 AM
Absolutely - that's what everyone used to think ... until a bunch of 600 year-old bras were found in an ancient Austrian castle last year ... and they look EXACTLY like modern bras.

So I guess that women figured out a very long time ago what the best way was to shape breasts and prevent them from drooping ... and who are we to argue?! 

Here's the link, and it's well worth following just to check out the shape of the medieval bra!

http://www.historyextra.com/lingerie

Lending credibility to the biblical saying, "There is nothing new under the sun!"

That link was awesome good find. I always thought bras (as they are known today) were a much more modern invention

Happy to be of assistance with all your brassiere-related historical inquiries, ladies!