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80% of women wear an ill-fitting bra –it becomes even more of a problem if you’ve had breast surgery due to breast cancer. Breast health and breast care is more important than ever following surgery. We recommend waiting about six weeks after for a bra fitting, as this allows sufficient time for you to heal, as well as for any swelling to go down.
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It might surprise you, but we generally we don’t like to use a tape measure when working out your ideal fit, this can leave room for error. We prefer to start off by using the cup and band of your current bra and working back from there.
Here are some key things we are looking for below:
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The Band
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The Straps
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The Cup
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The Gore
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Breast Form
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The band is arguably the most fundamental element for getting the right fit.
The band provides 80% of the support of the entire bra when fitted correctly, so it’s important for it to not be too loose - yet not too tight. It should fit snugly around the narrowest part of your back and be of equal height all the way round. The stretch of the band should leave room for just two fingers to slip under. If you can pull the bra out any further than this, then the band is too big and you need to try the next size down.
If the band is too loose, it will ‘ride-up’, creating a rainbow shape on your back. It is tempting to overtighten your straps to get the support ‘right’, but when the band is snug enough it will comfortably stay in place without the need to increase pressure and tension on the shoulder straps. One way to check if the band is too loose on the bra you are wearing is to lift your arms over your head – if your breast spills out under the band, it’s definitely too loose.
We recommend fitting your bra using the middle hook of the fastener. This allows you to have room to loosen off as you ‘expand’ during the day, or at different times of the month. It also allows you to have room to tighten up over time, as the bra loses elasticity with age. Check the band is tight enough by raising your arms. The band should have very little to no movement and stay in place.
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When you are confident that the band size is correct, the straps should provide the other 20% of the support you need.
You should adjust them to a position where they are not falling off your shoulders, but not so tight that they dig in to your flesh and create red marks on your back. Please note that some bras are sent to you with the straps fully adjusted. Make sure you ease them off into a comfortable position when adjusting it for the first use.
If the straps keep falling off your shoulders, it’s a sign they might be too loose - try tightening them a bit, but avoid overtightening. It could be the case that they are too wide-set for your body shape. First, check that the band is snug enough, as a band that is too wide can lead to straps that are too wide, or it may simply be that the style of bra is not right for you. Try a bra with more set-in straps.
We also suggest that you check the adjustment regularly, as washing and wearing will cause them to loosen off.
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Your breasts and breast forms should be fully covered by the cup at the sides, top and bottom.
If you do not wear a breast form, and have chosen a plunge or half cupped bra, the cup will only cover half the breast.
There should be no wrinkling or excess fabric, as this means that the cup is too big and you should try the next size down. Equally, there should be a smooth line at the top of the cup, and your breast form should not spill over the top or side. If this is the case, it is likely that the cup is too small and you should try the next size up.
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The centre front (also known as the gore) should sit between your breasts as central as possible.
This is more achievable if you are wearing an underwired bra or a well-fitting soft-cupped bra. The band should not pull away from your body, and you should not have a gap between the centre of your bra and your body. If there is a gap, the cup is too small, which means that your breasts are pushing the band away - in this case try the next size up.
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If you wear a breast form, it is important to make sure you are fitting the bra and the cup to your natural breast side, not the breast form side.
Your natural breast will change size due to weight loss or gain so, if this is the case, we would advise changing the size of the breast form to balance your breasts.
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No Bra To Check Against?
As an exception - If you haven’t worn a bra in a while and don’t have one that we can use as a starting point, we will ask you to take two measurements – the under bust and over bust.
Under bust - Measure under your bust, all the way round. It is important that this measurement is pulled snuggly as this is the number we will use for the band.
Over bust - Measure over your fullest part of your natural breast from the centre of your back around to the middle of your bust. Once you have these measurements, we would ask you to call so we can advise on sizing.
This is very much a starting point as using a tape measure is not ideal and allows room for error, but it will give us an idea as to what size to recommend. Our free 100 day returns allow us to keep trying sizes until we get it right.
We also suggest that you check the adjustment regularly, as washing and wearing will cause them to loosen off.
Remember all of our Nicola Jane team are fully trained, certified bra and breast form fitters and just a phone call away should you get stuck. Call us on 01243 537300 or see further fitting services below.
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