F. wrote to me with two problems: her skin was creasing under her armpits, and her underwires shift downwards during the day. I tried to make an illustration from the photos she sent me -- my skills are limited so I hope that this conveys what was going on:
Now the creasing is not just a shallow line -- the tissue had separated into two distinct rolls and rather deep rolls.
F.'s measurements are 74,5cm / 97cm and she is petite. She got a Curvy Kate Thrill Me in 28H and a Cleo Juna is 28GG (drawn above).
When the underwires shift lower than the breast crease during the day, this could be because the underwires are narrower than the root of the breasts. However F. wrote that this was not the case. So, I suspected that the cups are too small.
Now, I noticed that F.'s breasts were very slightly spilling out of the top of the Juna cups (this however was not visible in the Curvy Kate bra, probably because of the different cup shape). It also looked like a lot of the bulk of the breasts was on the sides -- probably if this was really thoroughly scooped into the cup then the cups would overflow. F. also mentioned that the straps do not lay flat in the front where the fabric of the bra cups meets the straps -- this was also probably because the breast tissue over there was trying to escape the too-small cup.
This was my theory about the creasing: I think that the creasing is forming because in the past (incorrectly fitting bras) the breast tissue had escaped to the sides, and it was also hung lower because the old bras were not very supportive. Now, the snug bands are lifting that tissue up and there is creasing and bulging going on. But with a bigger cup size and regular scooping things should smoothen out as the breast tissue moves more towards the center.
I suggested that H. try bigger cups. I was pretty thrilled when F. got back to me and let me know that I was right!
"Hello. Hat tip to you! I believe you were right about my cup size being too small. I ordered the same CK Thrill Me bra in grape/jade (from the photo I sent you) in the next cup size (28H) and in the few hours that I have worn it, the underwires in front are not slipping down. So yay!"
(I really love it when you get back to me, even if I was wrong or someone else solved your problem -- that is how I learn.)
She also mentioned that the crease is much less prominent in the bigger cups, and that she found out that shortening the straps also worked to minimise the crease. She also mentioned that the bras were pushing her breasts apart -- a common issue in G+ cups; for which I recommended trying out Ewa Michalak bras.
Have any of you also had issues with breast tissue creasing under the armpits? Any tips for F.? Also, should I stick with these kind of illustrations or do you prefer the simple line drawings I did so far?
