Bras 101: The Great Post-Exchange Debate
Comments
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I'm getting close to the two-week mark since my exchange. My PS said no underwires before that (I have IMF incisions), and good support is important. He doesn't offer more advice than that. He seems to suggest sports bras a fair amount. I'm looking forward to a visit to an appointment only lingerie store in town that specializes in fitting, but it's expensive enough that I'm only doing it once. I assume I should be at a more final size/shape, so I'll wait a few months before I do that. In the meantime, I could 1) buy a few cheap sports bras or 2) try to find a bra (probably wireless for those IMF incisions) that's supportive and less compressing. I'm tempted by option 2 because I really wanted to be larger than I was pre-surgery, and I look so flat right now! : ) Yeah, I know, I should be patient. The biggest problem with option 2 is that it's hard to find a cheap bra in my band size. My rib cage is 27" when the tape is tight. I've lived with 32 bands so far, but the straps *always* fall down, or the whole thing rides up--gee, I finally understand why! I don't want to invest much money in a good bra if I'll change size over the next couple months, and I doubt I'm finding a cheap 28 or 30 size bra anywhere! What do y'all think? Sports bras, right?
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Elizabethaw - Not all of us change sizes. Two weeks out … can you see much swelling? Most of the swelling goes away by week six. But again, depending on the pocket work done, your individual body … your swelling may be minimal.
I wear a 30 band and I've never seen a 'cheap' 30 band. It's even harder to find a 30 band in a soft cup. I would go and get a fitting. Have you made an appointment yet? You being so tiny … I don't think the cheap sports bras are not going to give you much support at all … even with IMF incisions …
If you can find a 30 band soft cup at the specialty bra shop I would buy it. If you live near a Nordstrom, call and make an appointment with a surgical fitter.
If you can find an extra small hook up/zip up the front sports bra I would buy one of those as well. You can sleep in it after you don't need it for everyday wear.
I really like the Marena post surgery bras … I have a 28 inch rib cage … and the 32 worked for me … but I did drop it down a couple of cup sizes …
It is here:
https://www.marenagroup.com/comfortwear/product/co…
https://www.marenagroup.com/comfortwear/product/co...
There are other ones … but those are just a couple.
The champion sports bra that Enerva posted above could work too … if you're able to get your arms up over your head.
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Elizabethaw, I bought some Wacoal bralettes (Amazon $20 EBay for less). They provide support and great with IMF incisions. Love the bra. I too wear 30 and cannot say enough about this bra.
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Olaf - Could you post a link on what they look like so Elizabethaw can find exactly what you mean?
Thank you!
I found something like this … is this what you mean?
http://www.herroom.com/wacoal-835275-b-smooth-bral...
Thanks again, Olaf!
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Elizabeth, I'm on your same schedule. I had my exchange on Sept 5 so i'm nearly 2 weeks out. My PS didn't say anything about bras but after reading all these threads, and getting advice from Whippetmom, I realize its important for keeping a nice shape and not putting stress on IMF incisions. So a few days ago I headed to Nordstroms and had a great experience getting fitted. I'm a completely different size than I ever thought I was (29.5 with a tight tape measure.) Anyway the woman there gave me great advice and direction and I bought the Wacoal Awareness soft cup bra. http://www.herroom.com/wacoal-85276-awareness-soft-cup-bra.shtml I'm wearing it 24/7 and plan too until i'm 2 months out or so and can buy underwires to really help shape the new breasts. I would really encourage you to head somewhere to get fitted. You don't have to buy there if you don't want to…but after all we've been through, I'm not sure this is the time for cheap bras.
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Hi Lalli, my exchange was Sept 4th, so I am right there with you. We don't have a Nordstroms here, although there is a "Nordstroms Rack" opening in October. Macy's is probably our biggest department store, but I don't know if they do fittings. I haven't ever heard it advertised. The store I know that does them actually requires that you buy at least one bra from them. So I was planning to wait until I thought the size would stick. I suspect my current size won't change much. I really hope I don't get smaller! : )
If you have a 29.5--I assume that's rib cage--what size of that bra did you get? The smallest offered by the store in your link is a 34, which is too big for me. I keep having that problem.
And you're right--after two biopsies, three surgeries and 8 weeks of time off work, a $60 bra pales in comparison!!
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I just took my bra off to look
Its a 34D…hmmm. I think she went a little larger as she felt I was still swollen. She said I'd probably be a C cup when I buy normal bras. (I'm hoping to get smaller by some miracle!). Yes, 29.5 was my ribcage. She told me that meant I was a 32, and I don't remember why I came home with a 34…..but it fits quite tightly. FYI I'm 5'10" 145lbs if that helps. It might be worth buying one bra from the store that measures?0 -
Estel I think we have a Nordstrums in St louis I will have to check it out
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Elizabethaw, here is the bra I was talking about. 32 is the smallest but it is plenty tight as I am a 30.
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Ooh, I like that one! It really has enough support? I wore something similar with my TEs, just to even things out and make them a little more real-looking.
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momto7 - There are two Nordstrom in St. Louis.
One is in West County.
http://shop.nordstrom.com/st/nordstrom-west-county
The other is at the Galleria
http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/saint-louis-galleria
http://shop.nordstrom.com/st/nordstrom-saint-louis...
When coming from Illinois, the closest one is at the Galleria.
For the best possible visit … call ahead in the lingerie department and make an appointment with a surgical fitter.
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Elizabeth, it does for me. It's cheap enough and you can always send it back.
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Hi ladies I am now 3 weeks out from exchange, only sport bra are ok so far my wacoal bra which I love hurt my incisions so until maybe two months I won't wear them. I now see the swelling is gone which gives me some rippling but I am still very happy
so far champion sports bra are best in my case, my insicions are under the breast line so the large band of sports bras usually sit under and not on it. 0 -
Now I'm back with sizing questions. I tried the size calculator in the header (Her Room), and they say a 27" rib cage equals a 32" band. By their sizing (not the implant version, just the regular one), I end up a 32B or 32C, depending on various measuring inaccuracies (hard to measure by myself and keep the tape straight!). Then I tried the implant measuring--the width of the implant. That gives me a 32 "full C" or D. Then I tried this calculator:
http://www.brasizecalculator.tk/
I thought the website was really informative. My measurements there put me at 28DD or 30D.
I suppose that makes sense if band size and cup size correlate like that--up a band size equals down a cup size.
Before BC I wore a 32B, which was probably too big in the band. I was hoping to be significantly larger. I know I shouldn't use bra size to evaluate this since implants are different.
Anyone have any insight about band size and rib cage measurements?
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Hi Elizabeth,
So no answers but more questions on your topic. I saw the same calculator and yes they say to add 4-5" to ribcage to get band measurement. When I went to Nordstrom, she said they add 2". That left me completely confused and I wonder if there actually is a standard of measure for bras or are they all over the map with different manufacturers? Anyone know about this?
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U.K. and U.S. have different bra measuring philosophies. Not helpful, I know.
Generally, in the U.S. when measuring band size, 4,5 inches is added to rib cage measurement to determine band size. , The U.K., 0 to 2 inches is added to your rib cage measurement to determine band size.
Does it make sense when buying jeans to measure your waist and add four inches? I think it is ridiculous to add that much. The only time I've seen it makes sense to add that much size to your band is if you are a broad shouldered woman...that's the only instance after five years on these boards that Ive seen it was necessary to add more than three inches to your rib cage measurement.
That being said, women in the U.S. are generally not accustomed to wearing a band 0 to 2 inches larger than their measurement...so it is ultimately personal preference...but knowing that a band is supposed to give 90% of a bra's support...and we are now wearing a bra to support our implants...it makes sense to wear a band that is generally no more than two inches bigger than your rib cage measurement.
One caveat, however: some bras run small (just like jeans or shoes) so some bras you might wear a bigger band size (or smaller) because of that brand or style. I generally wear a 30 band but I have bras in my drawer that are a 28 band size and one that is a 34. It all depends on the brand/style.
To complicate things even further (sorry!) U.S. and European bra cup sizes differ. Herroom has a bra size converter that is helpful.
Hope this helps some.
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again, speaking in general terms, you should not be able to put your hand between your bra band and your back. For me, I use the two finger rule...no more than two fingers should fit between the band and my back.
Here are a couple of videos.
http://www.herroom.com/bra-strap-design-fit,914,30...
http://www.herroom.com/bra-strap-design-fit,914,30...
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bra size converter
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Elizabethaw, I used that same website to measure myself and it was the same measurement that the fitter fitted me for. S
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some good general info here.
http://m.wikihow.com/Measure-Your-Bra-Size
the cup size info here...know that with reconstructed breasts...we are going to have wider, flatter breasts than this sizing allows...so cup sizing like this explains will likely be a bit off for us reconstructed gals. Everything else, though...is helpful info.
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Do not add 4". Some do add 2", but it kind of depends on your ribcage. 4" gives you way too big of a band, period. Some can actually go down (especially if you have more flesh on your ribcage). Generally you just found to the nearest inch (I measure 29" snug, I wear a 30 band usually, but sometimes will go to 32 for very snug bands or for availability and will modify the band).
That calculator, Elizabeth, is one I have linked here a few times and in all my years is the most accurate one I have ever found. It worked spot on for both my natural breasts and my implants. It is a creation of one of the redditors at r/abrathatfits and is based on that subreddits long used calculations for proper fitting.
For every 1" between your ribcage and bust, generally it is a cup size (A=1", B=2", DD = 5", E=6", etc). And yes, if you go up a band size, you go down a cup size, and vice versa (assuming cup size is correct). Lots of people do not understand this or sizing unless they have taken steps to educate themselves about proper fit and sizing (I hate reading bra reviews on Amazon as it is clear many women are in the wrong sized bras from their reviews, making the reviews rather worthless!).
UK sizing/method is far more accurate and precise, and consistent across brands. Stick with UK and UK brands as much as possible, but you can learn to approximate sizing in US if necessary.
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Reconstructed breasts usually have lower projection, but this affects the style of bra (I.e. you may need to find bras with shallower cups) rather than really the actual cup size needed (which is about the wires, or wire to band ratio). We often on here say "I look like a C but need a DD" for implants...and I do this too sometimes but I think this can be misleading as what does a C or DD look like, exactly? See "a bra band project" to see how off your conceptions of bra size may or may not be! I had 30E breasts before, and now. I have a bit less projection, and am firmer and don't have as much tissue to scoop and swoop into the cups, but In both cases I was and am a true 30E. The breast of one 30E can look different than the breast of another 30E, but they are still 30E. So I really don't like this "looks more like a C than an E" kind of stuff much
Natural breasts can actually be very shallow and/or wide too (with breast tissue even going under arms and around sides, or up to collarbone) that may them "appear smaller" but many people are not aware of this and so wear too small cups with much of their breast tissue outside the cups. You can have naturally shallow breasts that are, say a 30F, but someone is jamming themselves into 34As or Bs because they think they have small breasts appearance wise and so the wires are just cutting across their breast tissue and not actually containing it all in the cup, and the wires are just floating over them as the band is too big. 34A or B is actually an incredibly rare size (it would mean 1-2" ribcage to under bust difference) but you would never know it from what bra sizes women seem to believe they are or what places like VS fit them into!
Having implants makes it rather easy to see if a bra cup is right or not, as you can easily see if the wires encapsulate the implant.
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I just found this on Mentor's website. I'm thinking that a properly fitted underwire doesn't actually press on the implants, right? If it isn't sitting on the implant, it can't cause an indentation. Couldn't the seam from the surgical bra theoretically cause such a permanent dent as well?
When can I wear an underwire bra again? »
Most doctors ask that women wait 3
months before wearing underwire bras after implant surgery. Your body will be
forming scar tissue around the implant for 3 months. During this time the
pressure of the wires could cause the scar tissue to form in such a way that an
indentation from the wires could become permanent. After this initial healing
time under wire bras should be worn intermittently to avoid permanent
indentation.0 -
No, a proper fitted underwire should not press on the implants at all. The wire should run right alongside the implant, right in the IMF but still on the ribcage itself.
However, many women DO wear improper fitting underwires, and I think this is where surgeons are coming from (and even surgeons don't often have much knowledge of bra sizes or that they go above DD!). I have looked enough on implant sites when researching implants for my recon to see that many women with augmentation squeeze themselves into improper fitting underwires for their avatar and signature photos, so I imagine many women WOULD wear underwires that press on the implants itself or distort the forming capsule.
There are actually surgeons who send their patients for proper bra fittings or put them in underwired sports bras right after surgery (Dr. Salzberg who pioneered the direct to implant method does this even though he does usually use IMF incisions) and makes patients wear them almost 24/7 during the initial weeks.
Anyway, this is why it is very important to get a proper fit. Nordie's is often recommended on here, but I also think it is advantageous to take your own measurements, learn about fit (and recommend the size calculator from r/abrathatfits) so that you yourself know what to look for in a fit, because even "certified bra fitters" can often get it wrong.
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Hi, I am new to posting on this forum but read it often. I want to add another resource I don't think I have seen much of on the site or board:
http://showcase.designveronique.com/
They are very helpful, have larger sizes for us plus size ladies and a good selection of cotton bras.
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Well said, Divecat.
If you go to a department store and they don't have some of the smaller or some of the larger band sizes...they will "fit" you in sizes they carry. Another good reason to know your band size and not go bigger than two inches of your rib cage.
Thanks, Divecat.
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Sassy Seven - Thank you for posting that resource. It looks like they would have great TE and post-exchange options.
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Ladies,
I am two weeks out from an exchange and fat grafting. My PS used Natrelle 410FF. Are there any folks out there with this implant that has found a bra they like with healing and general wear. I want to make sure I encapsulate them properly, etc.
Thanks!
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FLgrl32,
I have heard good things from a few women with anatomicals (who were put into wired bras by their PS after their drains were removed) about these...indeed these were the ones their PS put them in!:
http://www.herroom.com/donna-karan-35137-underwire...
http://www.herroom.com/natori-34439-sports-bra.sht...
http://www.herroom.com/wacoal-855170-sports-underw...
All are rather similar under-wire sports bras, and are encapsulating rather than high compression (just enough to provide light compression. I actually wear the last one as my current sports bras for running, etc). The cups are stretchy so should work well with you as things settle. The wire on it is worn on the outside so you still get the support but the wire is nicely padded so quite comfortable. The Donna Karen is the same way, I believe, but reviewers often say the band and cup runs a bit small so you might need to try a couple different sizes.
The Natori is a cotton/spandex blend, which might be more comfortable for all-day wear.
They are not very sexy bras, but might be comfortable at this point for healing and so on.
Another poster in here however got the okay to wear an unlined Freya (maybe it was the Arabella?) soon after exchange. Much prettier option (sadly Freya's do not work for me).
.
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FLgrl - be sure to check with your PS about bras. I also have 410s and I was told not to wear anything except sports bras for 3 months. Some say underwires, others not, etc. Each doc is different.
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