Bra Shopping After Breast Augmentation: What You Need To Know

Let’s face it, bra shopping isn’t easy. How many of you even know what size you truly are anyway? Each time you try on a different style, type, or brand the size changes. What you do know is that you are tired of your breasts not fitting properly in ANY bra you try on. You are fed up of trying to use padding and underwire to create the illusion that you have nicely shaped breasts with just the right amount of volume.

What Size Are You Really?

You’ve decided it’s time to trade in those Miracle Bras® for breast augmentation. During your consultation with your plastic surgeon you will once again be faced with the bra size issue. The dialogue might go something like this:

Plastic Surgeon: “What size bra do you wear?

You: “Umm, I guess I’m a 34B, but I really don’t fill that out, so maybe I’m a 34A, Umm, actually I have no idea.”

Plastic Surgeon: “What size would you like to be after surgery.”

You: “Well, I guess I want to be a 34C or maybe a 34D, but I’m not sure what size I am now, so how do I know what size I want to be after surgery?”

Don’t worry, your plastic surgeon has heard this many times before and he/she is there to help guide you through the process of determining what size implant will best suit you based on a variety of factors.

We fast forward to the weeks following your breast augmentation surgery…

You are fully recovered and no longer have to wear that post-operative sports bra, unless you want too of course.

Tips For Bra Shopping Post-Surgery

You finally get to go shopping for some sexy new bras and assume it’s going to be much easier than before having breast augmentation. While that might be true, augmented breasts are very different than natural breasts, so there are some things you need to know before heading out to your local bra store.

• Natural breast tissue hangs downward (like a teardrop) and there is a noticeable slope with little to no upper breast fullness. Implanted breasts are more structured, round, have less hanging, and more upper fullness. You will likely have improved cleavage as well. These changes to your breasts will require a different style bra than you wore prior to surgery.

• Although you may feel fully recovered, your body is still healing internally and the scar tissue capsule is still forming around the implants. For this reason, it is very important to find a bra style that fits you properly. The bra will act as a “cast” around your breasts and help further shape them while continuing to heal.

• Prior to having breast augmentation you may have been wearing bras with all sorts of bells and whistles to create the illusion of having larger perkier looking breasts. You will likely stray away from these types of bras after surgery, however there may be times where you prefer a more dramatic look so these could come in handy on occasion. Look for bra styles that offer more coverage as opposed to a demi-cup. Whether or not you need underwire, and what type of underwire, will depend on the overall shape and position of your breasts after surgery.

• The last point we cannot stress enough is to not be overly concerned if your bra measurements are larger than you wanted to be. It’s not the bra size that matters, rather that you are happy and confident about how your new breasts look on you.

If you are nervous about selecting the correct bra that provides proper fit and function, we recommend visiting Perfect Fit in Tustin. One of their specialties is bra management following breast surgery. If you are unable to make it there, we suggest visiting your nearest Nordstrom store. They specialize in bra sizing and are known for their customer service. As one of the top breast augmentation surgeons in Orange County, Joseph T Cruise, MD sends a large number of patients to both stores after they recover from surgery. Both Perfect Fit and Nordstrom Fashion Island have a great deal of experience with our patients.

Schedule a Consultation

To learn more about your breast augmentation options, schedule a consultation with Dr. Cruise. Call our Newport Beach, CA office at (949) 446-1421 or contact us online. Out-of-town patients can also follow our fast-track online consultation process to find out if they are candidates for breast surgery with Dr. Cruise.