BREAST IMPLANT SIZING 101
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SoSonya:
If you are a direct-to-implant/one stage, it really will all depend on the amount of skin your PS has to work with after the mastectomy. I would think that implants ranging from 450 ccs to 550 ccs would be a something to discuss with your PS. Before the surgery, please discuss with your PS what HE envisions being able to accomplish, in light of your current skin availability. Discuss with him your desires regarding size and get some idea regarding what he feels might work, before the surgery.
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Whippetmom and SoSo...
Whippetmom as you know I had direct or immediate implants and I was reading your post to SoSo. (I still follow your thread).
My PS explained to me that he could not go bigger with immediate implants. I'm 5'5 120 pounds and a size 2. Small boned. Anyway was a full B cup and I had immediate implants put in. Mentor 500cc's. On me that's a full B cup.
I texted Whippetmom an Iphone shot to get her imput and she said 475 cc's...Very close to what he chose.
Am only writing because SoSo you might want to read up on immediate implants (also called direct implants) and see what others say. Perhaps get a 2nd opinion from another plastic surgeon. Am only suggesting that because you want to go bigger.
Others won't agree but 500cc's feel very heavy on me. (They look exactly like my old breasts) Maybe it's my frame but they feel heavy when I'm not wearing a bra. No problem with a bra.
As for going bigger...The PA for my PS said confidentially that the biggest complaint they hear is from women who wanted to be bigger and when they got want they wanted they wished they hadn't gone as big...Jus sayin'...
Good luck and btw...Having a double mastectomy and getting implants is NOTHING like breast augmentation surgery aka a boob job. Those women have all their original breast tissue so it's a whole different story. As one women on this board shared with me implants after a BMX 'is about managing expectations'.
Wishing you the best.
Whippetmom in a few months I'm going to resend you the pic I sent you pre surgery and the after picture. Pretty darn close!
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Whippetmom: You are awesome! I was under the impression from the PA that I would have to stay around the 200cc mark. I looked up the HP options that you gave would which would give me some desired projection and a bit more volume. Woot! I will see both the PA and the PS this week because of the continuing pinkness and will consider delaying the scheduled surgery if they won't consider a HP or if some smaller fills can be attempted. They have told me that they can fill up to several days prior to surgery.
Many thanks!
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SoSo - As stated above, with direct to implant it all depends on the amount of skin (and how healthy it seems) after surgery. If you have deflated breasts, you might have enough skin to go bigger, but otherwise you are generally limited to being close to or under current size. The reason for this is because your skin/tissues are going to be thin and traumatized - putting too much strain on them increases risk of tissue necrosis, etc. If you do want to go much bigger, then you will need to consider TEs.
I had nipple-sparing direct to implant with Alloderm. My ribcage is 29" and I had 371g and 446g removed from my breasts (had 35" overbust). I was a 30E bra before surgery. I had 435cc high profile rounds put in, and am STILL a 30E (29" ribcage, 35" overbust, 118 lbs, 5'4"). They do however look different - firmer, higher, little less projection. I am very athletic, including running, and do not find them heavy or in the way at all. I find them say more comfortable, especially when running, than my natural breasts were. When you can return to running and other activities is not about the size of implants but what is necessary for recovery in general and your own recovery. I was back to non-impact activities (walking, elliptical without arms, spin) in days, but did not go back to running until 6-8 weeks out and added more upper body after that too.
My PS took measurements at my pre op, discussed what was realistic for me (I did NOT want to be bigger, but as I was having NSM also could not go much smaller) and ordered implants based on this - three sizes. He ended up using the largest size he brought.
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Divecat, I don't doubt your claims about being an E cup but it's hard for me to imagine. I'm taller than you by an inch and only 2 pounds heavier. (I range from 118 to 122 but measure 120 at most doctors visits which have always been frequent due to neurologic and autoimmune ssues. I measured my ribcage prior to surgery and I got 30 inches. Did it again a few days ago and got 29.5
I had 500 cc implants put in and you had 435 cc yet you remain an E cup? I had 500 cc and remain a full B cup.
Btw, I had custom bra size fitting at Nordstroms and again at Dillards before I was dx with BC. For anyone reading this is essential. Before the fitting I was wearing a C cup with a smaller band size...It's the most common reason for wrong bra sizes and ill fitting bras. In other words many women (not all!) are wearing a bra with a cup that's too big and a size band width that's too short. So if you think you're a 34C you might be a 36B.
I'd be happy to exchange pictures with you at some point because I have a hard time wrapping my mind around your stats and cup size.
You said you're athletic and a runner. I could NOT run with my native breasts. I was athletic but did ballet, rode horseback and yoga. Had a classic ballet body. Not professionally obviously but took ballet for many years as a teen and adult and although I don't have the height, ballet suited my frame perfectly. Most women in my classes had smaller breasts.
Do you think the difference is in body structure? What sized clothing do you wear?...Am trying to make sense of this.
Anyway, wishing you well and as I said would be happy to exchange pictures with you.
Again I have 500cc Mentor silicon moderate plus implants with a full B cup and you're an E cup with 435 cc? As I said I'd like to understand this
I'd like to share pictures if you're up for it.
Wishing the best...
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howdidigethere: I think you need to show your PA and PS the DIMENSIONS of the tissue expanders and then the dimensions of the implants which I suggested might be appropriate. It is sometimes a matter of what the PS is both willing to do and able to do, given the amount of skin envelope he has to ensure good coverage over the implants. .
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Cup size is such a nebulous term when it comes to the reconstructed breast. It depends on the bra manufacturer, the band size vs the cup size, and the width and projection of the implant (as it presents itself on the chest wall) factors in here as well. IHere are my stats: 5'4" tall and currently 115 pounds. Ribcage: 29.5 inches. Implants: Allergan Style 20, 550 ccs. I wear the following bra sizes: Freya: 32 F or 34 E....depends on the style. In Chantelle, 34 DD or 32 DDD, depends on the style. In Natori, 32 DDD.
NOTE: Oceansky: You told me you were wearing a 36 B bra. So if you were wearing the same band size as Divecat, and if you wore a European brand, such as I mentioned above, you would wear a 30 DD, 30 DDD or 30 E, depending on the mfr and style.
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Ocean Sky, I am a bit of a Bravangelist, and can affirm I am most definitely a 30 E cup, though in one brand model I need to bump to a 30F as it has very shallow cups and need more depth. I have been wearing properly fitting bras since I was a teenager and am passionate about proper bra size (80% of women wear the wrong size bra, often too large a band size is the starting error, and these include women who have been "professionally fitted.) Bra cup size is all dependent on the difference between your ribcage measurement and your overbust size. Your band size should be very close to your ribcage measurement ie at 29" snug ribcage, I wear a 30 band). Every inch difference is about a cup size. UK sizing is more standardized, so 1"=A, 2" = B, 3" = C, 4" =D, 5" =DD, 6" = E and so on. A UK E is sort of like a US DDD, but US brands are more inconsistent than UK ones so I stick to UK brands mostly like Panache. Implants changed what brands and models worked for me, as I needed bra models with less deep cups, but the wire width I needed remained the same.
I am not sure why you were told the most common sizing mistake was too small a band size, it is the opposite....most women wear TOO big a band, in part as many stores do not carry smaller band sizes for whatever reason and stick women into what they have....some Nordstrom's are great, but some aren't, and some specialty bra boutiques are great, and some aren't....VS is generally bad all around though for sizing. If you are in too big a band the correlating cup is smaller alphabetically than they would be in the right band size. The volume might be right, but the wire shapes might be wrong. At most you should size up about 2-3" in band from your ribcage (not 4-5" as some bad fitters do). Many are better closer to their band size (within 1" or so), those with squishing ribcages (more padding) may be better off going down an inch or two. 90% of the support is in the band, wearing a band size 4-6" too big makes no sense at all. That's like buying pants with a waistband 6" too big and expecting your pants to stay up without majorly cinching them up! The back of your bra should lay straight across your back - no riding up or pulling, the wires in the cups should rest flat against your ribcage right under your IMF, and you should not need to over tighten the shoulder straps to get "support". When you get a new bra, you should be able to wear it snugly on the loosest hook to start with. Bras stretch and as they get older then you move to the other hooks.There should be no digging, no tugging on the bra during the day, it should really be invisible and forgettable if it fits well.
Many people have a preconceived and erroneous idea of what a given cup size looks like. A 30E has same volume cup as does a 36C, though the wires are shaped differently. An E cup is NOT that big. If you are in a 36 band as Whippetmom said above, then we won't look all that different. Anyone reading this who is interested, you can check out the brabandproject.com and the subreddit abrathatfits. You can for example plug in the refinements for women in proper fit bras at 30E: http://www.brabandproject.com/gallery/search?band=.....
I have to take fresh pictures as I don't save them after posting on the photo forum, but if you PM me with your email I can try and do that this week. Or maybe I will try and send them via PM but I am usually on my iPad and this site gives me trouble on my iPad. I am also on the photo forum obviously and have lots of photos there. Like I said, I am 5'4", 118lbs, have never been above 120lbs, I am small framed, I have a 26.5" natural waist, 36" hips, I buy my clothes based on my measurements and size charts which vary so I have various sizes in my wardrobe. Having a 35" bust usually means I buy larger and have clothes tailored to fit my waist
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Ocean Sky, I found some photos I still had! I will try and PM them today. A couple topless ones taken in November as I am going for a revision in the next couple of months, and a few bra pics taken 2-4 months post-op so...but I assure you my breasts have not changed size since then, though I was looking a little softer in the body compared to know as I was still building back to my full routine! I still weighed under 130 lbs though.
Pre-surgery by the way I always ran with 2 very well fitted and snug sports bras! A Shock Absorber Run Bra and another snug compression bra over it. I ran pretty long distances (40-60 miles a week) like that. Now I just wear one underwire/compression bra (a Wacoal sports bra) and am fine with no bounce, though since surgery I cut down running mileage and added more cross training instead since I was dealing with a persistent run injury with that mileage
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Divecat was kind enough to send me pictures and it seems I may need to be refitted for bra size. In the picture w/out a bra we appear to be about the same size. I enjoyed seeing the bras you were trying on but it was harder to tell size. I am a believer though. I don't doubt your sizing.
Deborah, I think you're right about different bras being different in size especially since the one picture of Divecat and I appear similar...The one without a bra. For whatever reason though she appears narrower in the ribcage and she is. Divecat has a 29 inch ribcage and I measured mine twice and got 30 the first time and 29.5 the second.
My recollection about sizing was from watching Oprah shows... she did a lot of shows on bra sizing. I thought women were not wearing a large enough band size from watching that show.
I'm going to be refitted at Nordstroms and see where I land.
Divecat, which of those bras that you tried on did you like the best? Am guessing you're looking at the same brands that are available in the U.S.? Those were great looking bras.
After my surgery I was told to wear a bra with no wires but with support. I found an ugly bra at Marshalls that is a 36 C but I thought I was swollen because it fit like a glove. It still fits like a glove and I although I've worn two of my old bras at various times it's the ugly soft 36C that I wear constantly.
I'll get refitted asap and let you know.
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Ocean,
My favourites of the ones I sent you are the Panache Envy (that is the one with the houndstooth pattern on it and lace uppers) and the Panache Andorra which is that lighter cream/ivory one (though in that one I needed to size to a 30F as the cups are pretty shallow and I needed more depth, though the trade off was a slightly wider wire). I have two of each of those styles and I wear them pretty much everyday.
I like the Wacoal Halo Lace ones that I sent you for casual wear around the house as they are soft and stretchy, or even for sleeping, but just don't have as much support as the others, partly as they are actually a band size too big for me (32) and partially as they have unlined stretch cups, rather than sewn three part cups.
I am in Canada, but I ordered all of them from the US (herroom mostly). I usually order from herroom, barenecessities, and Nordstrom's online.
I know other women have had success with Freya, Natori, other Wacoal models, Chantelle (which was my favourite brand pre-surgery), etc. The best thing to do is go for a fitting (as I said in PM, ask for an appointment with a surgical fitter if at all possible) and get ready to try on a LOT of bras!
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I need to buy those two Panache bras.
So what if I have no more room in my bra drawer. 0 -
Thank you Whippetmom, Divecat and Oceansky (love those three names together)
I really appreciate the help even though I have to confess in someways I feel I grow more confused as the days pass. I know it will all come together, eventually.
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Ladies - check out Bras 101. Wonderful information. This thread has kind of languished but I just bumped so it should go to active.
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/44/topic/753120?page=181#post_4263840
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whippetmom - Time to get another bra drawer!
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OceanSky - With a 30 band size a 34 band is big enough and a 32 probably is best. It is true that most women are wearing too big of a band and too small of a cup. I wore a 34B prior to breast cancer. Since then, and after reading the bra thread and different discussions on the reconstruction threads I found out my band size was 28. No wonder my straps were always falling down!
Do we measure our waist and buy pants six inches larger than our size? I wear a 30D post-reconstruction. Listen to these gals! 
xo Let us know how your new fitting goes!
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Estel: You mean too LARGE a band and too small a cup, right?0 -
Yes…I'm sleep deprived … I'll go and edit it now.
TOO LARGE A BAND AND TOO SMALL A CUP is where most women err when it comes to bra sizing.
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Deborah - And I think Estel is right; you deserve another bra drawer!
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Ain't gonna happen. I already have the lion's share of drawer space in this house.
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Whippetmom: I was in today to see my MO regarding my arimidex and my recent BMD which showed osteoporosis. Starting denosumab injections twice a year. Anyway, the nurse wanted to take a look at the pinkness. Between the upper pinkness on the right and the swelling that was showing up on the lower left today, she called the PA in to look at it even though she had seen me Friday and I'm scheduled for this Friday. I think the left is irritated from the crease left in the expander after the 50cc removal. No answers but she said to be sure to call if there are further changes. Will take your advice about the dimensions this Friday, but the nurse seemed sure that my surgery will be cancelled.But after all this talk today about bras, I've decided that I am definitely going to get some very pretty ones as soon as this is all done! I did a lot of looking and dreaming as I checked them out online.
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howdidigethere:
I hope that the skin issues are nothing, but if surgery is cancelled, what will they do to address the reason for the cancellation?
Yes, pretty bras are in your future! It is a bit of a blessing that the prettiest bras on the planet fit the reconstructed breast better than a Warners or Playtex!!! Of course, they also are the most expensive bras on the planet...which is why you want to see if your insurance will cover the purchase of bras after the exchange.
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Deborah, I told Divecat that I'm going to get a new bra fitting at Nordstroms in a bit. It's only been two months and one week since my implants were put in.
After a week of wearing a brutal surgical bra after implant surgery the PA told me to get a very soft bra with no seams or wires but one that had good compression but not too much compression. My husband took me by a Marshalls on the way home and they had an odd blue bra that fit like a glove. It has THREE hooks on the back...Like it was going to be holding boulders. But it is the most comfortable bra I've ever worn. It's just not my style but for now it's what's happening. Sometimes for 24 hours at a time....I sleep in it for comfort sometimes.
So yes, Playtex does make some good products but prior to BC I loved my Natori bras the most. Am going to check out the Panache line though. I don't see myself in Playtex for the long term. Not a sexy look on me.
After seeing Divecat's pictures and sending her mine I'm pretty sure I'm wearing the wrong size. It will be interesting to see what I learn. I'll wait to see if these implants are going to change but honestly they look the same to me as they did from the beginning minus the swelling.
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Whippetmom: Always good advice. Yes, I'm hoping to see what the options are on Friday. I'm scheduled with the PA but the PS is supposed to come in also. Wishing I was scheduled with the PS if there isn't a straightforward path. I've gained admittance to the picture forum and hoping to get it together to start posting pictures.
OceanSky and Divecat: I dreamed about pretty bras last night!
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thank you Whippetmom for your help. Had a fill today and am now at 500cc in my 450 tissue expanders. PS says most likely will use the Mentor ultra HPs at 590cc or perhaps one higher. She wants to fill to about 650 as her preference is to over expand before exchange. Have been having 60 cc fills every 2 weeks. Was hoping to do 90-100 today to get to exchange quicker but at 70ccs my body was about done. PS said enough. I was really hoping to get my exchange done by mid to late Feb but it looks like I may have to wait till mid March. New boobs on my birthday is looking likely. It was so helpful to havethe knowledge I gained here in asking my questions to my doctor today.
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Wow you are such a resource! I had a friend go through this last year and so I have been picking her brain and she said "wow, you are so much more informed than I was." It is because of you gals so thank you! She ended up being very disappointed and had to have hers redone and made bigger 6 weeks later. Is thrilled now but didn't know what to ask prior. So THANK you all for your info. It has helped me understand this whole process better.
I have so many questions and hopefully will get those buttoned up at my next PS visit next week. I love my PS but he is so busy and I feel like they just keep leaving it all up to me. I guess that is good but I can't figure out what a saline looks like vs. a TE and how that translates into cc volume. Would love your opinion on sizing! I had a nipple sparring on both. Both nipples held up nicely and neither are pointing in the wrong direction yet any way! Thank goodness.
I am 5'2, 135lbs today but am normally around 130lbs when I can work out. I have barely been exercising for 2 months. My measurement around my ribcage underneath is 32". I am now filled to 500cc in the TE and like the size and would be disappointed if they ended up looking smaller as far as projection goes. I could do without some of the side boob. My TE is recommended for 550cc but can be overfilled to 600cc I am told.
There has been discussion of using a round implant so I don't have to worry about the rotation and we will do some contouring 3 months after with lipo in the upper part of the breast where I have divots.
I have full confidence he will do an amazing job but I want an opinion from you if you have time. I guess do I keep on filling to 600cc?
Thank you, thank you!!!
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sunandsnow: What type of TE do you have? Also, I need to know the style of the TE. You probably want smooth silicone round implants HPs, with around 650 ccs. Overfilling or not ovefilling is at the discretion of the PS0
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Whippetmom: You rock, thanks!So 650cc. Wow! So does that mean I keep doing fills to at least 650 and then the overfill as well if the PS does that? Which mine does. So my TE he told me is a 550 and can go up to 600? So that may mean that I can't do a 650cc silicone? I will see if I can find out the brand and type. I will pull my records.
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whippetmom,
I stopped my fills at 250cc because it was just too painful. I was a B before BMx and feel over full and large now. PS says I'm a full C now. I have time because not looking at exchange until mid-July. I'm pretty sure I want round implants but know very little about types. I welcome any thoughts.
Scottie
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