Gillian from Colleen’s Lingerie and Swimwear, Garran, offers first-hand advice for women facing the daunting task of bra shopping after breast cancer surgery.
Bras, the thought of shopping for one can fill women with dread. A necessary evil some might say and that’s before a woman hears the words “you have breast cancer”. Thrust into a new and frightening experience of breast surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and hormone treatments, bra shopping for the right bra can suddenly become even more daunting and very emotional. I remember my first bra and breast form fitting after my mastectomy in 2008. Even though I didn’t know what to expect and disappointed at the lack of bra choice, the fitting was so uplifting. I re-entered the world feeling much more like the “old” me.
Prior to surgery
The best place to start is to ask your breast care nurse or surgeon which type of post-surgical bra you’ll need, often referred to as front opening comfort or compression bras. This will depend on the type of surgery – mastectomy, breast conserving surgery (lumpectomy), reconstruction with implant or using your own muscle and tissue.
Bras designed for after breast surgery
These usually have a pocket to fit a breast form – even if you don’t need to use the pocket, this type of bra is ideal for all breast surgeries as they have soft cups (wire free) to prevent discomfort or irritation on scar tissue, wider side bands to help hide surgery scars and offer greater support to the surgical site. In some cases, you may not be able to wear an underwire bra again due to the location of your surgical scar, effects of radiation or general discomfort.
Which bra is right for you
The bras you choose to wear after surgery is a personal choice and will depend on your lifestyle, the clothes you like to wear and what you feel comfortable wearing. I’m glad to say that the choice of these bras has greatly improved since my first fitting after surgery over 15 years ago.
Wearing a breast form or balance shaper for uneven breasts
For women who choose to have a mastectomy without reconstruction, there are many breast form options available to match your lifestyle and personal comfort. Amoena offer a wide range of forms – lightweight, ones with cooling technology, ones which adapt to changes in size using adapt air technology and ones which adhere to the chest. They also have balance shapers (partial breast forms) which are designed for uneven breasts. You can receive a rebate for the purchase of breast forms from Medicare as a result of breast cancer or for prophylactic mastectomies (preventative surgery).
At Colleen’s, we are trained to support you in finding the right bra and breast form and to do so with sensitivity and understanding. Until COB Tuesday 31 October, when you buy an Amoena breast form or balance shaper and two Amoena bras, the third bra is free.
