Eight Years Of Wearing Well-Fitting Bras -- What Changed?

It's been around eight years since I went from wearing a bra size that was a couple of sizes off to a correctly fitting one. How did those eight years affect the breast tissue? Obviously I have aged eight years, I also had a second child that I nursed for a year. In spite of that, the changes to my breasts have been extremely positive, and I owe it all to wearing well-fitting bras.

Breast tissue vs bras

If it comes down to firmness, perkiness and shape, I'd say that that it only got better over the years. The breast tissue has recovered from badly fitting bras and pregnancies and has gotten firmer; and apart from stretch marks it looks better in my 30s then it did in my 20s.
My breasts also go slightly closer together -- I used to have no cleavage to speak of, there was a flat plateau between the breasts, and I needed very wide underwires because they were very wide apart. Now I have a cleavage and need medium underwires.


There are thousands of boobs out there, these ones are mine.

Psychologically I have also become much more accepting and appreciative of my breasts and the rest of my body. This also has a lot to do with bras and this blog and all the amazing women who wrote to me and sent me their photos. I have seen so many sets of breasts that I developed a whole appreciation for the range of human bodies out there. And all the different ways a body can be beautiful. I'm happy with my size and shape and know which bras and clothes flatter me.


My boob routine
If you want to know what I do exactly -- I wear size 28E at the moment. I sleep in a comfy underwired bra with a slightly stretched-out band. I know that the topic of wearing bras at night in controversial, but I got very positive opinions about this from older readers of this blog. Every 2-3 years I do a week of the milk thistle supplement, when I feel that I lost a bit of fullness. I try to keep the skin moisturised, I use either my face cream or my body cream on my neck, décolleté and breasts. I try to dry-brush at least once a week, and I go over my breasts in light circular motions.


The financial side
I haven't bought many new bras in the past years. I'd say I added 1-2 bras each year as the older ones wore out and got degraded to sleep bras. The brands I pick make long-lasting bras that hold up beautifully if you take care of them. A shout out to Parfait Affinitas, Ewa Michalak, Panache and Masquerade for quality elastics and fabrics, their bras look beautiful even after quite a lot of wear.


Because I often get new readers that stumble onto posts -- you can learn about the basics of bra fitting at the *Bra Matrix* tab on the top left of the page :)

Obviously your mileage may vary, so now we'll talk about you.
How long have you been wearing correctly fitting bras? What changes have you noticed? Do you have any special ways of caring for your breasts and décolleté?

Korean Bra Fitter Demonstrates Advanced "Scooping And Swooping"

   While browsing through Asian beauty tips, I stumbled upon this bra-fitting video from Korea (at least I think it is Korean based on this). What caught my eye was the way the fitter was scooping the migrated breast tissue into the cups.

   She scoops the tissue not only from the underarm area, but also from below the bra strap. Do watch the last bit of the video, the technique is really interesting. Obviously the girls there are quite slip and don't have much fat, while many of us have much on going on in that area. And if you have ever wondered whether this bit or that bit is migrated breast tissue or fat, then consider this: breast tissue is mostly fat. So you can always attempt to make it rejoin your boobs.

  Here is the video:

  Apparently this kind of scooping and swooping is linked to lymphatic massage.
In this image the girl scoops from the top of the shoulders, which activates the acupressure points below the collar bone.

   On a side note, I'm not a huge fan of the shape of the "after" bras, I hate the shape a prominent horizontal seam gives.
   If anyone of you understands Korean, I'd love to know what the fitter is saying.

   If you are new to this blog, this method will work only if your cups are big enough and your band is snug enough, so you might want to check this out. More about why breast tissue migrates and what to do about it is here.

   
   How does your own scooping and swooping routine look like? Have you ever had a lymph massage? Do you also think that the horizontal seam makes breasts look like duck beaks?
   

Source: Azjatycki Cukier

Readers Bra Metamorphosis 75A to 75D

     The Bra Metamorphosis is a series of posts that show photos of women before and after finding out their correct bra size. If you'd like to share your before and afters and inspire women to re-measure themselves, do contact me!

    Hey everyone, it's time for another bra metamorphosis! This one is close to my heart because N. won her very first correctly-sized bra on the Ea Michalak giveway on this blog! I almost feel like a fairy godmother (ok, me and Ewa).
     Also, this is the story you should be forwarding to small-boobed friends and relatives who insist that they have too few boobage to bother with fancy bras. Also, this story includes the typical misunderstanding that smaller-chested women get when they are unsatisfied with the fit of their bras, aka "you don't need support / you don't have much boobage anyway". Fortunately N's story story has a happy ending:

Measurements: 76cm underbust tightly, 88cm overbust

   "I have shallow, very wide set breasts. Since I haven't been able to try different brands with different underwire width so far, I can't tell for sure, but I think I need medium to wide underwires, as my breasts tissue ends almost under my armpits. I also have a mild Pectus excavatum condition.

   When I bought my first bra in middle scool I wasn't even fitted, the lady in the store just looked at me and picked a 75A. Because of my size I thought the bra's only job was giving me a decent cleavage, so I used to purchase only push-ups. But my instead of lifting my breasts up and together, my firm tissue just pushed the bra away and down (giving a droopy shape to the breasts) and bulged under the armpits. Frustrated, I even wore AA bras, thinking that if the bra is small enough it will squeeze my breasts closer together and make them look "normal". When I complained about the cups being too close together on all models and the bras giving me armpit rolls (which now I know was actually because the cups were too small and underwires too narrow) I was told that I have "small breasts" and that "the fit is fine and I am not going to find anything better". The center gore never sat parallel to my chest because of my pectus excavatum and I was told this was "because my breasts were so much apart", so I always bought plunges, where the center gore stuck away from my chest for an inch, offering no support. I was never offered bigger cups, just bigger band sizes, if the underwires were uncomfortable. I used to be ashamed of my breasts and I thought that I must have weird, unusual breasts, because I don't fit into any bras "my size". I was also teased at school for being flat chested and I used to wear very revealing clothes, just to show that I actually have breasts.
    About a year and a half ago (I am 20 now) my breasts suddenly grew and the "sideboob" became even more obvious. I purchased some 80B bras (which I picked on my own, not even asking the saleslady) and surprisingly bigger cups did fit me! I even tried some C cup bras and realised that I was wearing too small cups. I mentioned my discovery to my mom, who laughed at me and told me that I have small breasts and to get over it. She has larger breasts and she never understood why am I fussing about bras, if I am small enough to wear tank tops and I "don't need support"! Angrily, I began searching information on the internet and I discovered Bra matrix on Venusian Glow blog and later other sites and communities about bra fitting. There were no proper bra brands available in my country (I wandered  around the bra butiques, the fitters all starred at me when I wanted 75D/70D bras and than they tried to put me in A/B), but I was lucky enough to win an Ewa Michalak giveaway on this blog, so I got my first 75D. The bra feels much  better than the smaller ones, my breasts sit in the cups instead of being squashed to the chest and the centre gore lies parallel to my chest. I still have a bit of space on the lower part because of the recession between my ribs, but it stays on its place and feels supportive. And I don't spill half of my breasts under my armpits!

   I used to consider my breasts very small, but realized that they are actually average, I just don't have a cleavage because of the pectus excavatum and because they are wide-set. I still feel quite uncomfortable about them, since I find them proportionally too small for my body. But since I have started wearing properly sized bras I started to like them more, as the bras don't make them appear droopy (like the push-ups did) and I don't have so much armpit rolls. I hope to find a nice soft cup bra and a plunge, that would work on my pectus excavatum, as I wear a lot of  deep-cut necklines and the higher bridge on my current correctly fitted bra peeks out of my shirts.
   I also hope to convince my mom that she is wearing too small cups and that her sagging breasts would look much better in a well-fitted bra.
   I am very grateful to all bloggers who put their effort into helping others break out of their badly fitting, uncomfortable bras!"


   Don't you think that the Milady bra looks gorgeous on N? I'd like to thank her for sharing her metamorphosis with us. If you'd like to share yours, I'd love to have you! The "contact" button is on the top of the page, can't wait to hear from you!

Readers Bra Metamorphosis: 36A to 32E

     The Bra Metamorphosis is a series of posts that show photos of women before and after finding out their correct bra size. If you'd like to share your before and afters and inspire women to re-measure themselves, do contact me!

 
  R. sent me her before and after photos a while back, mentioning that she has seen an improvement in her back fat situation since she has started wearing a snugger band and bigger cups. I wanted to mention this post, which shows that contrary to expectations, snugger bands result in less back rolls than looser ones.
R writes:

"My photos show a big difference in the amount of ‘back-fat’ exhibited by ill-fitting and well-fitting bras, and I would be very happy if I could contribute in some way to your extremely helpful and informative blog.

  I’ve enclosed some pictures, and though the bra fit isn’t 100% great (I live in a tiny town and was lucky to get a bra near the right size) it does show the difference. I’ve also only been wearing the new bra for a week, but thought it would be a good idea to show that a difference is noticeable almost instantly. It should be noted that I am a bit overweight though!

Loose underbust-32.5”
Tight underbust-29.5”
Bending over bust- 38”
Standing Bust- 37”
Lying down bust- 26.6”

These measurements should put me at a 30F/32E (UK)"

Presence plunge 36A (UK) bra:

 32DD Reget by Janet Reger bra:

Debenhams Gorgeous polka dot spot bra in 32E: 

The reason for me wearing a wrong size is that my shopping center is very small and ill-stocked, and so I had to go with the next best thing!

   Even though the fit of the 32E is not perfect, the difference is already quite big! As far as I can guess from the photos, I think R's breasts are a bit shallow, and the bra cups are too deep. I'd seriously suggest that R tries soft (unpadded) cups, as the stiffer cups often mask fitting issues. Do you have any tips for R ?

   In a follow-up, R mentioned that "in the past month of wearing the 32DD I’ve had to alter it to make it fit because of the tissue migrating back to where it should be. I’ve had to adjust the band and wires, and it kind of shows how quickly the ‘back fat’ re-migrates."
  

   I'd like to thank R for sharing her metamorphosis with us. If you'd like to share yours, I'd love to have you! The "contact" button is on the top of the page, can't wait to hear from you!

Reader Bra Metamorphosis 34B to 28F

     The Bra Metamorphosis is a series of posts that show photos of women before and after finding out their correct bra size. If you'd like to share your before and afters and inspire women to re-measure themselves, do contact me!
      Today's metamorphosis is from a small-busted woman, and demonstrates how it's not just the fuller busted ladies that benefit from getting a bra that fits perfectly. Here is TC's bra story in her own words:

        I measure 28" underbust when comfortably snug, 27" when pulling tight. My bust is 35" when standing, and 37" when leaning. I have a 26" waist.

     I do not consider myself busty. I don't feel top heavy, nor were my breasts ever something I worried or fussed over. I didn't develop until well into my late teen years, and was (and still am) a proud carrier of small breasts. When I was around 19 I suddenly grew breasts which were still small, but definitely present. I decided it was in my best interest to get some bras that actually had some padding instead of the non-wired, non-padded sports bras I had been wearing before. I was first put into a 34B, which seemed decent to me. Looking back, I can see the bands were riding up, the cups were cutting in and the gore was nowhere near my sternum.

    I stayed in these bras, and occasionally 34A's, sometimes 32C's (which were no better), until I studied abroad in Scotland for a semester a year ago. It was there that I happened upon a tiny bra boutique and went in out of curiosity. The women inside were wonderful. They asked if I had ever been fitted before, and I told them I was wearing 34B's. She said bluntly, "Sweetie, there is no way you are a 34 band. I wear 32's and I'm much wider than you." She pulled me into the back and after taking one look at my ill-fitting bra brought me a 28F Freya Jolie. I was shocked. I tried to give it back to her, saying "This looks way too small. Trust me, it won't even close." She laughed and told me to try it on. She helped me into the bra and, well, she was right. It fit a million times better than my old bra. I left that store with the Jolie and a newfound knowledge of how a bra should fit. My new bras improved my posture, made my clothes fit better, made my breasts look and feel better and truly increased my confidence. I actually had breasts, and they looked great!

     Since then, I have learned more about which bras fit me and which don't. I have even fullness, so tight upper sections sometimes cut in, but loose or stretchy upper sections sometimes gape, which can be very tricky. I need narrow wires, so I tend to stick to Freya as they have narrow wires and enough depth for my breasts, which aren't very shallow even though they are rather small. Nearly my entire bra wardrobe consists of unpadded and unlined bras as I have come to embrace my natural shape and the way these bras make me look. I am so glad I was properly sized and given the chance to change my view of bras and breasts. And even thought I am not a busty girl, I also benefited from properly fitting bras. Just because you aren't busty doesn't mean you should neglect your breasts! A well fitting bra will make your bust look larger (just look at my before and after!), firmer, well placed and naturally lovely. 


     Let's take a look at the side-by-side comparisons:

      You can see how the 28F underwire encases all of the breast whereas that of the 34B doesn't. Also, the 28 band lies much smoother even though it is snugger than the 34, and of course it stays horizontal. The shape of the breast is much more lifted and projected, making the breasts look bigger and shapelier.

   I'd like to thank TC for sharing her story with us. If you'd like to share yours, I'd love to have you! The "contact" button is on the top of the page, can't wait to hear from you!

   And if you haven't found your correct bra size yet, you can get started here.

Readers Bra Metamorphosis 38DD to 38GG

     The Bra Metamorphosis is a series of posts that show photos of women before and after finding out their correct bra size. If you'd like to share your before and afters and inspire women to re-measure themselves, do contact me!

   Hello everyone, today's metamorphosis is a very interesting one. We know that the typical mistake when fitting bras is a too big band and a too small cup -- in this case the band "masks" the smallness of the cups. However, sometimes women wear correct bands and cups that are too small -- in this case several cup sizes. 

 

Note: All sizes are US.

     "I live in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. I've been professionally fitted once before, when I was pregnant about four years ago. After those two bras (I think they were a 36F?) wore out, and after I shed my nursing bras about a year later, I took the cheap way out and got the largest thing Target had, a 38DD. (This is the size in my before pictures). I went through several rounds of these cheap, easily worn-out, too small bras.
    After reading your site today, I did the bend-over-and-dangle measurement on myself. My ribcage measured 38". That was not a surprise. My "dangle" measured at 51" That is an increase of 13", or according to some sources, a M cup. There is NO way I was going to be an M cup. M!"

(Actually the inch = cup size method would make her an I cup, because you need to cound the double-letter cups as well! -- Eternal*Voyageur)

    "So I went and got fitted again tonight. A lovely young lady at Nordstrom measured my ribcage at 38. Again, no surprise there. She didn't measure the bust, but she just looked at me and then brought back a G and a GG. She had me swoop and scoop into the 38G. Just a bit of spillage, so I scooped and swooped into the 38GG. A perfect fit! That little spot between the wires in front sat firmly against my ribcage. This has always been the most problematic spot for me. It has ALWAYS pushed away from me, leaving my boobies to squish together. I have a permanent rash mark there from year after year of hot summers with them smooshed together, my skin unable to breathe. The dark spot in After#2 is not gaping or shadow, it is the rash mark left from years of bad bras. You can kind of see it in the Before#1, too. I tried on a few other styles in a 38GG, but a few of them still did the pushy-outy-center thingy, so those were a no go. She said my boobies are a little bit closer together than most that she has seen.
I bought two Elomi "full cup with side support" in a 38GG. They are perfect. Thank you so much!!"

"The dark spot is not gaping or shadow, it is the rash mark left from years of bad bras." 

And now a side-by-side:

   Such a big difference, don't you think? Any comments or questions for A? I'd love to see S. in a balcony cut or a half-cup, I think they would look great on her. The full-cups have a bit of empty space at the top because of the bottom-heavy shape of the breasts, so a slightly lower-cut style would be more flattering.
   I'd like to give a big thanks to A for sharing her metamorphosis with us. If you'd like to share yours, I'd love to have you! The "contact" button is on the top of the page, can't wait to hear from you!

Reader Bra Metamorphosis 32B to 30D + What A Too Tight Band Looks Like

     The Bra Metamorphosis is a series of posts that show photos of women before and after finding out their correct bra size. If you'd like to share your before and afters and inspire women to re-measure themselves, do contact me!

   This reader metamorphosis is especially interesting because it illustrates a rarely-seen phenomena -- a too tight band.

  D's measurements are:

Band (Break the Tape, exhaled): 26"
Band (Snug, exhaled): 27"
Bust (Standing): 32"
Bust (Leaning): 33.5'

    She started out wearing badly-fitting 32B's. In a quest to find the perfectly fitting bra, she tried out a 28F which didn't work. She says "The bra was from Change, a 28F is what the lady put my into.  The cups are too wide for my body, close to quickly on the top and thus she kept upping my size and overall flattens me out. " She made this thread on Bratabase with the photos, asking for help, and she got a lot of helpful advice (do check out the very insightful comments!). The cups are too big, but the too tight band pulled the cups wide and flat which disguised that fact.

    On the basis of Bratabase advice, she got this 30D La Senza Hello Sugar Front Closure Bra:

  The band seems to be the right size! There appears to still be a little bit of migrated breast tissue there, which will go away after diligent scooping and swooping. I'd also recommend trying a soft (not moulded) bra, since moulded bras often mask imperfect fit.

   If you are wondering how much you should be able to pull the band away from your body, well it kinda depends on how hard you pull. If I pull on my bra band with determination, I can fit up to five fingers between it and my torso (that's a similar distance as on the picture). Obviously this is often less for brand-new bras.

    Any comments or questions for D? I'd like to thank her for sharing her metamorphosis with us. If you'd like to share yours, I'd love to have you! The "contact" button is on the top of the page.