Choosing the Right Bra for Breast or Chest Surgery

If you are about to have breast or chest surgery, it’s crucial to find the right bra to take into hospital and wear in the weeks immediately after your operation. Whether you’re having breast reconstruction, augmentation, reduction or chest surgery, a supportive, wirefree bra will provide the gentle compression, support and breathability that will help your surgery site heal without any irritation.

Fit for Purpose

Have you had a bra fitting lately? It really is worth taking the time to have an expert fitting before you go into hospital. Not only will it ensure that your bra is beautifully comfortable, but an experienced fitter can also help ensure that the band won’t be too tight immediately post-surgery and that you allow for your increased or decreased cup size (where relevant).

The majority of Royce stockists are trained bra fitters who will be happy to ensure your post-surgery bra fits just as it should, but if you can’t get along for a fitting before you go into hospital, here are our top tips.

• The band of the bra should fit snugly around your ribs and not ride up at the back
• Your breast(s) should be fully enclosed within the cup of the bra, with no bulges or wrinkles
• However, if you are going to have breast augmentation or reduction, allow for the cup size you will have after surgery (with some space for post-operative swelling)
• Fit your bra on one of the middle fastenings, giving you the chance to loosen or tighten the bra if you need to.
• If you wear a prosthesis, fit the bra to your natural breast and make sure the bra is supporting it well – especially if you have recently lost or gained weight

What to Look for in a Post-Surgery Bra

Depending on your procedure, your surgeon will talk to you about the best style of bra to wear after the operation. Some surgeons advise wearing a sports bra – probably because they offer light compression, seams or underwiring. However, many believe it’s best to wear a bra that is specifically designed for the immediate post-surgery period.

Two bras in the Royce range are suitable for wearing straight after surgery – the Comfi-Bra and the Silver post-surgery bra. As well as being wirefree, they also have light compression to help reduce swelling and promote healing and front fasteners for ease of access and dressing. With high cotton content for breathability, the Comfi-Bra is ideal to take into hospital and wear home and, because it is so soft, it’s an ideal sleep bra too.

The Silver bra is specifically designed to help care for your surgery site. It contains real silver fibre, which has anti-bacterial properties and can aid the recovery of scar tissue. The lower edge of this bra is designed to fit well below the root of the breast so that it does not irritate surgery scars, which is particularly helpful if you’ve had breast implants. Other clever design features include front fastening for easy dressing and access to surgery areas, ‘magic’ straps with touch and close fastening for simple adjustment and perfect comfort, and double layer cups for added support.

Hello World

After your six or eight week check-up, you will be free to choose from a much wider range of styles. We would still recommend wirefree bras, however, as these will gently expand with you throughout the day, ensuring no restriction of blood-flow to your surgery site and keeping you cool and comfortable. There are so many styles to tempt you that shopping for your new shape can be a real treat!