what's the difference between silicone forms and swim forms

samon

Hi all,

Can someone tell me the difference between regular silicone form and the swim forms.  I have tried the regular silicone forms, bath puffies and the cheaper foam forms when I was swimming and I really don't like how any of them work.  The silicone forms are too heavy for my suit.  The bath puffies work ok, but with a small child hanging on me in the pool, that sometimes is a problem too.  The foam ones soak up so much water and I have to try to squeeze them out when I get out of the pool withone onyone noticing. 

I really don't want to spend the money on the forms that are marketed as "swim forms" if those don't work much either.  Who knows, maybe it's my suit that's the problem.  I sewed my own pockets in my favoriet suit (that was the one that I found months before my diagnosis and was thrilled with how it fit the rest of my body).  Anyway, any advice would be great.

Erica3681

Swim forms are usually clear silicone and are hollowed out (concave) in the back. This allows the water to drain as you step out of the pool. They're light, since they're hollow. However, I wear a small size form (2 or 3), so I'm not sure how light they would feel in larger sizes. I also use my size 3 foam Amoena leisure form (Style 126) in one of my suits--I don't feel any need to squeeze it out, but again that may be because of the small size.

Here's a link to Amoena's swimform: http://www.metromedicalonline.com/amoena129.html

Thankfully, swimforms are less expensive than regular forms, but it's worth checking with your insurance. They may be covered.

Barbara

BreastFree.org

OLBinNJ

I know what you mean.  The silicone forms are heavy, even the ones made for swimming.  Also since they are hollowed out, you end up with the dreaded "boob farts" if someone hugs you or if you lie on you stomach, and you end up with a smooshed boob.  I always ended up putting foam in the hollowed out space which helped a little, but they were still too heavy for some swimsuits.  I found the amoena leisure forms to be the answer.  When you get out of the water, wrap a towel around yourself and squeeze your arms across your chest (under the towel) as though you were cold.  This gets enough of the water out so it's not a problem.