For women who undergo breast reduction surgery, post-operative care is essential. Once the gauze and dressings are removed, you will need to wear a breast reduction bra for several weeks to control swelling and keep your breasts secure. Overall, this allows for proper alignment and for the tissue to conform. That’s why it’s essential to know what to wear after breast reduction surgery and the most important features that offer comfort and proper, faster healing. Let’s dive in so you know precisely what to look for.
In this guide, we review the aspects of How many surgical bra after breast reduction, why do you have to wear a compression bra after breast reduction, how tight should a sports bra be after breast reduction, and What bra is recommended after breast reduction?
How Many Surgical Bra After Breast Reduction
Benefits of Wearing a Post-Surgical Bra
After a breast reduction, wearing a post-surgical bra is an absolute must, as they provide many benefits that help you heal and recover faster. For starters, a post-surgical bra compresses the area, promoting proper blood circulation. Proper blood circulation has several advantages in itself, both decreasing inflammation and reducing fluid to avoid hematomas. Overall, a post-surgical bra will also fully conceal the area to protect the incisions and prevent infection. But a post-surgical bra should also be comfortable and able to offer complete support, especially since you’ll be unable to raise your arms. Let’s take a look at some of the critical features that allow both comfort and support.
Essential Features of a Post-Surgical Bra
Many doctors recommend Leonisa’s highly rated post-breast surgery bras. And once you understand what to wear after breast reduction surgery, it’s easy to see why! This post-surgical bra has all the best, essential features to provide ultimate comfort and support, made of our signature, exclusive DuraFit®, PowerSlim® and breast-leveling SkinFuse® banding created from the latest compression technology.
If you’ve decided to go forward with breast surgery like augmentation, lift, or reduction, then congratulations! It’s an exciting decision and one that can drastically boost your confidence. However, it’s normal to have questions about what to expect. Keep in mind that your recovery period will be one of the most important phases of your surgical journey, and wearing a supportive bra will help speed along your healing. Here’s what to know about this part of your post-surgical recovery and how our team can help.
Why should I wear a supportive bra?
Gravity is one of the biggest concerns when it comes to your breast surgery results. Whether you opt for implants or not, a surgical or supportive sports bra helps hold your breasts in an upright and snug position. This helps relieve strain on your incisions so they can heal as Dr. Power intends them to. Additionally, compressing the area can decrease swelling and keep your implants in the correct position while the underlying tissues begin to accommodate them. If you opt for a breast lift or breast reduction, wearing a surgical bra can help the tissues adhere to their new position during recovery. In short, a surgical bra can help your breasts successfully recover without the added strain that comes with a downward pull or excess movement.
How long should I wear a supportive bra?
Everyone recovers at different rates, and your unique procedure will determine your length of recovery. However, you should plan to wear your bra for around 6 weeks after surgery. You should wear it as much as possible (even while sleeping), but can remove it to shower. Some women opt for a special surgical bra while others wear a supportive sports bra. Whatever your choice, you should avoid wearing underwire bras during the first 6 weeks because the wire structure can irritate your incisions and cause concerns with healing and your cosmetic result.
When can I exercise?
Your timeframe for returning to your regular exercise regimen can vary based on your specific breast procedure, but for any procedure, you’ll need to avoid exercise and heavy lifting over 5lbs for at least one month. This is because exercise can increase blood flow and thus swelling in the area, while lifting can put strain on both your incisions and your pectoral muscles (which your implants may be placed under). If you normally engage in high-impact exercises or running, for example, make sure to ease into it by wearing your supportive athletic bra that will keep your breasts from moving too much. If, at any time, you feel pain or discomfort from your breasts or incisions, make sure to stop your activity. Dr. Power can help you determine the right timeframe for gradually increasing your activity level as you heal so you can avoid any complications.
why do you have to wear a compression bra after breast reduction
Nowadays, there’s an unlimited number of body-shaping surgeries that people can undergo, starting from Brazilian butt lifting to breast augmentation and breast reduction procedures. And although those surgeries are often associated with beauty standards, they’re critical for medical reasons most of the time.
For instance, people who undergo breast reduction surgeries often do them because they suffer from back pains and physical issues due to having huge breasts. The surgery consists of removing excess tissue and skin from the breasts, and luckily, it isn’t a high-risk surgery. But are the results permanent?
Well, the answer depends on your discipline afterward. The results can be affected by gaining weight, losing weight, and not abiding by the recovery rules, like wearing compression garments and exercising regularly.
What Are Compression Garments?
If you’ve researched body shaping surgeries, you’ve probably heard about compression garments before. They’re tight garments made from breathable fabrics, like nylon and elastin. Some are also made from moisture-wicking fabrics to ensure patients’ comfort.
Compression garments are a vital part of recovery from body-shaping surgeries, and they improve blood circulation, reduce swelling, and quicken the recovery period. Unfortunately, recovering patients often have to wear them for a few weeks or months after the surgery.
Many compression garments are available on the market, like girdles, binders, leggings, socks, and bras. However, each one of them works for a different body-shaping procedure.
They also come with many types of closure. For instance, some garments have Velcro closures, while some come with hook-and-eye ones. After undergoing breast reduction surgery, you’ll have to wear a compression bra for a while.
Why Wear a Compression Bra After Breast Reduction Surgery
Compression bras are crucial for a healthy and quick recovery from breast reduction surgery, and here are five reasons why.
1. Reduces Swelling
Swelling is an expected side effect of any surgery, and breast reduction procedures are no exception. However, you can keep the swelling at bay by wearing a compression bra regularly after your surgery. But how will it help?
It’ll apply pressure over your recently treated breasts, thus preventing fluids from building up and forming a seroma. As a result, this action will allow your disrupted tissues to get essential nutrients and oxygen.
The bra will bring post-surgery bruising to a minimum as it’ll prevent your blood from accumulating at the surface of your skin.
2. Quickens Healing
Compression bras make for a more comfortable and quicker recovery period, but how? For starters, swelling disrupts your recovery by preventing nutrients from reaching the damaged tissues. This way, the tissues take a much longer time to heal. So when compression garments reduce swelling, they quicken your healing process.
In addition, wearing a compression bra protects your sutures from stretching or opening, and it also minimizes the risk of bacterial infections due to contact with your incision site.
3. Improves Final Results
Although the final results after breast reduction surgery are often satisfactory, they might not be as permanent as you think. To maintain them, you’ll need to follow specific rules. For example, you’ll have to watch your diet, exercise more often, and wear compression garments.
Luckily, compression bras contribute to pleasing results by keeping your tissue in place during recovery. As a result, they don’t allow side effects like bumps formation and skin wrinkling. Instead, they help people with poor skin elasticity keep their contoured bodies.
Finally, people with recently healed wounds are at risk of developing keloids, which form firm lesions because of excessive scar tissue. Wearing a compression bra will help soften keloids and prevent their formation.
4. Lessens Post-Surgery Pain
Pain is a natural side effect of any surgery, especially during the first week or ten days. That said, wearing a compression bra can drastically lessen your post-surgery pain. This is because it’ll protect your recently treated tissues from being pulled or stretched by your movements. Accordingly, you’ll be able to move around comfortably.
So while many people complain about how compression garments are uncomfortable, they’re saving you from a much more bothersome recovery period.
5. Improves Circulation
Compression garments are famous among poor blood circulation patients because they apply pressure on weakened areas of your body. Therefore, they help your damaged tissues get the oxygen required for healing.
After any surgery, the risk of developing blood clots increases. However, your compression bra can bring this risk to a minimum by improving blood circulation. More so, proper circulation can help prevent bacterial infections and post-surgery swelling.
How to Choose a Compression Bra
Buying a compression bra might seem like a breeze, but it has many aspects that you should consider before purchasing. Lucky for you, we’ve made a list of the essential features of a compression bra.
Front Closures
Compression bras with front closures will be your new best friend during the recovery period. They’re insanely easy to wear and remove, and you won’t have to strain any muscles in the process.
Front Closures are essential because if you strain your arms to close the bra from behind, you might stretch your sutures too far, leading to an unfortunate event like bleeding or opening. So for maximum comfort, you should prioritize front closures in your post-surgery bra.
Adjustability
Non-adjustable compression bras can be bothersome to wear during the first week or after your surgery. For instance, if you change your sleeping position and want to adjust your bra accordingly, you won’t be able to.
That’s why, ideally, you should look for compression bras with adjustable closures and straps. This way, you won’t have to make an extra effort while wearing or removing them.
Wires
Most post-surgical bras don’t have wires; however, you may come across one that has. So it’ll be best if you check this feature before purchasing. A compression bra with wires can uncomfortably press on your incision site and cause skin indentations. And unfortunately, you might not feel them cutting into your skin because of post-surgery side effects like numbness.
Breathable Fabrics
As a rule of thumb, compression garments made from breathable fabrics are always better for your recovery period. Breathable fabrics are more comfortable, reduce scratching and irritation of the skin, and lessen the risk of bacterial infections.
They’ll also come in handy if you decide to undergo your breast reduction surgery during the summer. If you sweat a lot, you won’t risk infections and discomfort.
Degree of Compression
Not all compression garments provide the same pressure; it differs according to your healing stage. To elaborate, if you had your surgery less than a week ago, you’d need to wear a tight compression bra. But if you had it a few weeks ago, you can opt for a more petite pressure bra.
You should consult your doctor to know what’s best for you because the final answer will depend on your condition.
Antibacterial Properties
Nowadays, many compression garments on the market come with antibacterial properties, and they protect sutures from bacterial infections and keep your skin well-ventilated as long as you’re wearing them. However, not all compression garments come with this feature.
It’s worth mentioning that although antibacterial compression garments are beneficial, they aren’t crucial to your recovery period. So, if they’re out of your budget, you’ll do well with a regular compression bra.
Band
Some compression bras have long bands, while some have short ones. If you want to be highly comfortable during recovery, you should settle for an extended band; it won’t feel as restrictive as a short one, making for better adjustability.
More so, short bands wear out faster than long ones. And since you’ll be wearing your compression bra for quite a long time, you won’t be ecstatic if the band chafes midway through your recovery.
Size
After breast reduction surgeries, people often choose the wrong bra sizes, and this is because they’ve become used to wearing a specific size, and it changes suddenly. Choosing the right compression bra size is crucial for your comfort and safety.
If the bra is too tight, it might affect your blood circulation negatively and impair the supply of nutrients and oxygen to your breasts. This process will lead to a much slower recovery. Not to mention, it might cause discoloration around your breasts. While it’s an average side effect after such surgeries, it’s often distressing to many people.
On the other hand, if your bra is loose, it won’t work efficiently as a compression garment because it won’t apply enough pressure on your healing tissues.
How Tight Should a Sports Bra Be After Breast Reduction
According to Dr. Doru Paul, associate professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, finding a compression bra that fits you comfortably after surgery is essential to your recovery. Dr. Paul explains that post-surgical bras offer comfort to your chest during recovery and help to reduce post-surgical swelling and fluid backup. When bras are too loose or too tight, they cannot perform these functions effectively.
To learn more about how to tell if your compression bra fits correctly, continue reading our blog below!
Finding a Fit: Bra Straps and Bra Bands
According to Dr. Patrick Proffer, founding partner of Proffer Surgical Associates, the first step in ensuring that your compression bra fits you correctly is to check the straps and band of your bra. Dr. Proffer states that the straps of your bra shouldn’t dig into your shoulders too tightly, but they should also not fall loosely. Instead, your bra straps should sit comfortably and securely on your shoulder.
Dr. Proffer also states that the band of your bra should feel snug but not ride up on your skin. Our front closure compression bras are designed with OEKO-TEX standard-100 textiles to help support you with 360-degree compressions. This material is highly comfortable and breathable, so you can wear your bra snuggly without added irritation or rubbing on your skin.
Finding a Fit: Bra Cups and Sizing
Dr. Proffer also states that, while bras need to fit securely on patients, it’s also essential that patients avoid wearing bras too tightly. He says that a typical sign that bras are too tight for patients is that their breasts “spill over” the edges of their post-surgical bras.
Instead, Dr. Proffer advises that patients wear bras that contain their entire breast in the cups or panels of their bras. No excess sections of your chest should fall out of bras or feel pinched in the underarm region.
Dr. Proffer also advises testing small movements, such as leaning forward, to help assess whether bras can completely cover and compress breasts without hassle. This exercise is a key indicator of whether your compression bra fits securely.
We hope reviewing the advice of medical experts such as Dr. Proffer and Dr. Paul has helped you determine how to tell if your compression bra fits correctly. Remember to assess the straps, band, fabric materials, and cup size of bras while browsing for your perfect fit.
What bra is recommended after breast reduction
Searching for the perfect bra is already a pain in the you-know-what, and adding post-surgical support needs into the mix just makes a tough process even harder to navigate. You may ask yourself, What do I even need to look for in a post-breast reduction surgery bra? Don’t worry, we got you covered. Read on to discover the best qualities to search for and our favorite AnaOno post-surgery bras to support your new size.
Finding the perfect bra after a breast reduction involves taking a few new things into account. These include:
How Long Do I Need To Wear A Compression Bra After a Breast Reduction?
After your surgery, you’re going to need to wear a compression bra for quite some time to help promote healing. You will get specific instructions from your surgeon, but expect to wear a compression bra most of the time, if not around the clock, for anywhere from two weeks to six weeks after the procedure.
When Can I Go Braless After A Breast Reduction?
You can typically go without a bra after six to eight weeks. Since everyone’s body is different, for some women, it may take longer to heal than others. Make sure to speak with your doctor to confirm when you can go braless after a breast reduction.
Buying Bras After Breast Reduction
Your new breasts will have different support and coverage needs than you did pre-surgery. Here are our favorite bras to wear after a breast reduction.
1. Bianca Bra
If you were given the choice between a regular bra and a sports bra, you may not go for “uniboob” sports bra, but the Bianca Bra keeps you lifted, separated, and supported. The Bianca holds you in place without digging straps. Featuring light padding, adjustable racerback straps, and front hook-and-eye closures, you’ll feel secure whether you’re still a few weeks post-recovery or you’re leaping right back into your daily yoga routine.
2. Monica Bra
Perfect for running errands, working out, or lounging around with your family, the Monica Bra is designed for your everyday adventures without skipping out on the support you need. This full-coverage bra is casual, comfortable, and supportive with its light padding, thick adjustable straps, and ultra-soft modal fabric. The Monica Bra is so comfortable that you’ll forget you even have it on!
3. Rora Bra
If there’s one bra that’ll get you through your post-surgery recovery smoothly, it’s the Rora Recovery Front Closure Bra. This doctor-recommended bra features a front-closure design that makes it easy to take on and off while you’re recovering. The back bridge offers additional support under your arms and between your shoulders, while the super-soft modal feels luxurious against your sensitive skin. If you want a high-quality, post-surgery bra, you’ve found it with the Rora Bra.
4. Gloria Soft Lace Bralette
The Gloria Bra is the perfect combination of flirty, feminine, and practical for your post-procedure needs. Named one of the best post-surgery bras of 2021 by Healthline, this bra features fully-lined soft cups, adjustable straps, and a supportive four-hook back closure. Additionally, this bra has breast form pockets if ever needed. All these design details guarantee that the Gloria Bra provides the utmost comfort and support after your procedure, without giving up on feeling sexy.
5. Miena Robe and Drain Management Belt
The Miena Robe was thoughtfully designed to wear after recovery and long after you’ve healed. The robe includes a hidden inner belt and pouch system that keeps your drains organized, if your surgeon placed these after your breast reduction surgery. The Miena robe is made with an unbelievably comfortable and breathable modal that glides over sensitive skin, while the open front classic robe design is simple to slip in and off — no need to reach your hands over your head.
