So what's best for your breasts?

When Cate Blanchett showed off her cleavage at the Charlotte Gray film premiere last week, the first thing everyone noticed was that, well, there was less of it. No surprise, really, since she's recently had a baby. As most mothers know, one minute you have the most magnificent, inflated bosom, the next it's gone. When you stop breast-feeding, and levels of prolactin (milk-producing hormone) fall, your breasts start to reduce to their old size. They usually sag, too, which is nothing to do with breast-feeding, but a result of changes during pregnancy. So what can you do to improve things?

Tone your chest area

There are no muscles in the breast, says Laura Williams of Future Perfect personal training (07712 001 525), but you can work your pectoral muscles. You can do this with a chest-press machine or by doing "flies" with dumbbells. Lie on your back with your arms straight out in front of you, then bring them out to the sides in an arc, keeping a slight bend in the elbow. Making the pectoral muscles stronger will support the breasts and make them appear perkier.

Work on your back

After having a baby, muscles in the back become weak, says Dax Moy, a corrective exercise specialist (020 7354 3550). The increased weight of the breasts when producing milk drags the whole pectoral girdle forward, and it is vital to get these postural muscles strong again. You need to do scapular retraction - drawing the shoulder blades together. Sit down and bend forward from the waist, with weights (or cans of baked beans) in your hands. Raise the elbows, drawing the shoulder blades together as you do so. This exercise is crucial before you move on to pectoral squeezes, as they will only tighten what is underneath the bust.

Use a firming cream

Clarins' Bust Beauty Gel (for the morning, £31) and Bust Beauty Lotion (for the evening, £27.50) are old favourites. French women apply bust creams religiously; in Britain, we are beginning to see the point. Creams don't promise to increase bust size, but daily application for four weeks should result in improvements in skin tone and firmness. For a more intensive boost, try Clarins' Paris Method (from £35). More information: 020 7307 6700.

Grow a size with magic gel

Bustbooster gel encourages blood flow to the breasts, increasing their size. Does it work? Yes, said one previously cynical tester, though it was rather sticky. The hand-bag-sized tube (you will need to take it with you, in case your fabulously enhanced chest suddenly deflates) gives up to 30 applications. It costs £59.95 from www.thermohealth.com (01429 409 825).

Remould at a salon

Thalgo Bust Modelling treatment is particularly good after having a baby, says spokeswoman Donna Jury. After exfoliating the skin and applying a deep-action serum, a "modelling mask" is applied. Using a spatula, the therapist remodels the contours of the bust into the desired shape. The mask then hardens and heats up, driving the serum deeper into the skin. When it cools, it constricts and tightens. When the mask comes off, the idea is that the breasts stay lifted and, they say, if you have enough treatments (up to 12, at about £30 each), the results will last longer. For home use, try Bust Shaping Serum, £25. Stockists: 020 7512 0872

Imagine a bigger chest

Visualisation can create a physiological response in the body. Think hard about a lemon, and you will soon find yourself salivating, says Gloria Thomas, a mind-body coach based at Third Space Medicine (020 7439 6333). Imagine yourself exercising your chest muscles - see them working at the right intensity, and your bust rising as a result. If you see yourself with healthy muscles and a good-sized chest, you will find it easier to motivate yourself to do the exercises, and make a difference.

Wear a suction bra

It sounds batty, but this is the big new hope for the saggy-chested in the US. The Brava is a surgical bra which pulls against breast tissue, and has been shown in several studies to increase the wearer's breast volume by up to a cup size. But don't get too excited - the Brava is not yet available outside the US, the whole procedure has to be supervised by a physician, and you need to wear the thing (microprocessor and all) for at least 10 hours at a time, every day for 10 weeks, in order to see results. It also costs $2,500, but, heck, it's cheaper than surgery. (www.mybrava.com)

Eat properly

Good nutrition - that's masses of fruit and vegetables, carbohydrates with a low glycaemic index, lean protein, and less fat, sugar and refined carbohydrate - is as important for the health of your breasts as for the rest of your body.