Does anyone not wear a bra after implant reconstruction?

I have had my implants for almost 3 yrs, I never wear underwire bras and go without a bra if I feel like it. I am fortunate in that my implants look very natural and pretty much like the originals. When I asked my ps about bras, he said to wear whatever I wanted or nothing at all. It seems that each ps has different opinions on the bra issue. If you're not happy with your implants or ps, book a consult with someone else.

My PS told me I never need to wear a bra again unless I want to.  He had no opinion on what kind to wear, if I chose to, other than for running he said to wear a decent sports bra with the band tight and high, kind of tucked under my breasts.  He said no matter what I do, I won't damage anything related to the reconstruction, but the sports bra will protect against soreness at the IMF when there's a lot of bouncing around. 

I've had exchange (December, 2013) and a revision including implant swap (June 2014) and both times, each PS said I could wear a bra or not - that it was totally up to me.  After the exchange, the first PS did stipulate that wearing an underwire was discouraged for the first few months because of the IMF incisions.  However, after the revision (which was done through my old lateral BMX scars), it seems that anything goes.  I do wear a sports bra to bed most nights (whippetmom's recommendation) but regularly go without anything during the day.  I feel good either way and am thankful that I'm not restricted to either option.

Yes, I have implants, and Alloderm.  Not sure if that factors into the "no bra" thing.

You could always consult with another PS to get another opinion on your reconstruction options.  Because, like you say, their instructions and recommendations are all over the map.

I have implants, and Alloderm, and I LOVE wearing underwire bras. I wear them pretty much 24/7...yup, I also have comfortable underwire bras for sleeping in. Being in a proper fitting bra (meaning correct sizing - 80% of women are in the wrong size...usually too big of a band and too small of a cup) is incredibly comfortable in my opinion. I don't notice my bras during the day at all...all I notice is that I don't notice anything at all! If you are always tugging at them or feel they are torture devices I will bet you you aren't in the correct size/bra (only I won't actually bet as 80% of the time I would be paying up!)

I always wore underwire before surgery, and still do (even my sports bras are a padded underwire!). I just find a good fitting bra feels good, and they do help with shaping...like when I take off my bra my breasts look even more amazing, ha ha. It does not look like I am wearing a pushup with my bras on though...it looks pretty much like I did before surgery.  If things look pushed up, it seems like that might have to do with the style or size of the bra, a "full cup" style" for example really should not be pushing you up; though a balconnet or demi-cup can. A too small or too shallow bra can also cause that as the breasts, especially implants, have no where else to go.

Anyway, I know I am rather passionate about bras, but for me putting on a pretty, well fitting bra is the equivalent of my first cup of tea in the morning, a bit of a pick me up. I could hardly wait to get back into underwires again after surgery. The Genies and Balis were comfortable, but did not feel nearly as good or supportive as my wires

My PS "preferred" me to be in underwire once I was healed (I had IMF incisions)  but did not mandate it. He did say it was better for reducing risk of migration, sag due to stress of implant on thin tissues over time, etc. He did prefer me to be in SOME kind of bra though (even a soft cup) rather than no bra. Alloderm is some extra support and coverage at the bottom of the implant, but it is not immune from stretching over time and only minimizes risk of migration, it does not guarantee to prevent it.

2Tabbies (my kitty is a longhaired patched tabby, and my rainbow bridge kitty was a classic silver tabby, tabbies are awesome!) my mother had DIEP flap and just wears soft bras...sort of like Genies but ones with front closures as she does not feel comfortable (or professional) sans bra; she has lymphedema though so this is also part of her avoidance of underwires).

I had bi lateral lat flaps after rads & have never worn a bra since.  My PS knew I really didn't to wear one again & the only time it's a bit obvious is when I wear something rather form fitting or low cut on the shoulders so there are no straps showing.  Quite frankly I've tried to have professional fittings in case I ever wanted to wear something pretty & they don't fit into any bras.   I had one fitter almost in tears because she really wanted to find something to fit them & couldn't, I kept telling her it was okay, but I think she fitted me with every single bra in the store!   Dee

Sarahjane, I may consult with another PS. Both the guy I consulted with last year before my bilateral mastectomy and the one I just saw in June were recommending the lat flap. I just wish the guy last year had mentioned that rads basically rule out implant only recon. I told him that's what I wanted, and he said I could have "any procedure I wanted at any time." I feel like he led me down the garden path a bit.

Moonflwr, since the PS I saw in June told me about the issues with rads, I've been doing a lot of reading, and everything confirms what he said. I'm just still really bummed about it. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around cutting up a perfectly good body part to build a boob. I'm running out of good body parts. I wanted the least invasive surgery possible, but it's not to be. I plan on asking about fat grafting, as well as about 30 other questions, when I see him again next week. 

I am glad to hear from a number of you who say your PS didn't say a bra was essential and that you're doing fine without wearing one or at least not all the time. Sorry, DiveCat, but to me the one and only bright side to this whole breast cancer mess has been not having to wear a bra, and I want to keep it that way. I don't know if mine were never the right size. I tried different sizes. I was approximately a 36A. Actually, I'd have been a 35A if they'd made such a thing. I tried 34s and 36s both As and Bs. I never filled out a B so I'm pretty sure I wasn't going with too small a cup size. 34s were always too tight, and I'd end up with a push-up bra look. So I'd get a 36A with as little extra stuff (padding, wires, etc) as possible. I had good luck with those stretchy light weight one size fits "all" bras and sports bras, but am more comfortable without. I hate it when I sweat, and the bra gets all clammy.  I really only needed a minor amount of stabilization. Even at 56 I wasn't drooping since I didn't have children. In fact, my boobs were always the one part of my body that I was completely happy with. Sigh. The fitters at the fake boob store tried their best to get me something I'd find comfortable. They failed. Some are better than others, but none are great. If I don't absolutely have to wear one, I'll probably only do so if I wear something really clingy that looks odd without one. (Hooray for tabbies! My current 2 are Ginger and Cinnamon, the Spice Girls. I love all kitties.)

Dee, have you been happy with your lat flaps? I'm pretty nervous about messing with the lat muscle, but now I've had two PSs recommend it. I'm still going to explore other options before I decide. I feel like all the choices are bad, and I'm stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place. I hate the way I look flat, but also hate the thought of any of these procedures. However, at least it sounds like I won't have to wear a bra! :-)

2Tabbies,

I am very happy with my lat flaps.  I had a couple of revisions done after the initial surgery to remove some excess skin under my arms & some lumpy bits at the bottom of the back incisions.  But other than those little out patient things, it's been a good experience for me.  I didn't go too big & gave the surgery time to sort itself out afterward.  As my PS says, it is a major surgery & you need to give it a lot of time to sort itself out.  If you aren't a patient person this may not be the surgery for you.

I did my fills very slowly, taking 7 months to do them.  The whole process took me a year.  If you have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to ask them here or a PM.  Dee

Interesting thread, I never realized what different advice we were all getting from our PS! Mine said never again to an underwire and that I should wear something while exercising.

I wear a cami like tank top every day.  I tried to wear a soft cup bra in the beginning but found it very uncomfortable early on, I think because of the lack of feeling which went all the way around to my back.  I wear a low support sports bra while exercising.

If I'm wearing a sundress or something strappy I just go without a bra and have never had a problem.

I had quite large breasts before surgery so this is a huge change for me.  It used to be that a bra went on before I even brushed my teeth in the morning!

Also, I had rads and traditional implants.  My surgeon (sloan kettering) does the exchange from the tissue expanders to the implants before rads (after chemo ends).  I can see that the radiated breast is slightly higher than the other one but I don't think anyone else can notice.  It's also less 'bouncy' to the touch. So I there is definitely a difference in the quality of the skin but to the casual observer it looks fine.  My doc tells me I had an amazing result.  

I have a bit of a worry about what might happen if the implant ever has to be replaced down the road, but I guess we will cross that bridge when we get to it.

I am 2 years out from my final exchange to implants.

Rose

GG27, I don't have a lot of options for procedures unfortunately. I can't have what I wanted (just implants), and I'm not a candidate for the abdominal procedures even if I did want one of those. I really didn't want a flap at all. I wanted to keep all currently functional body parts intact. But that's not an option if I want boobs. It sounds like the lat flap will be the least troublesome with the shortest recovery from the initial surgery. My PS said it will be about 18 months from start to finish so I'm prepared for that. I'm sure I'll get impatient and annoyed and just want it to be over, but at least I know up front that it will be a long haul. But who knows, maybe he's got some other trick up his sleeve that I don't know about. I want to ask about the TDAP which takes a flap of skin and fat from the back but no muscle. That's my issue with the lat flap - repurposing a big muscle so it's not doing the job God and nature intended it to do. I'm glad to hear you've had a good experience with this procedure. Do you have any loss of upper body strength or pain in your back? That's my biggest fear.

GG27, it's not TMI at all. That's exactly the type of thing I want to know. Thanks for the input. I bet you can be a real hit at parties if you want. ;-)  I just hope I'll have enough upper body strength to haul myself up the ladder out of the swimming pool when I'm healed enough to swim. Swimming saves my sanity.

GG27, all of that is good to know. Thank you. My surgery is currently scheduled for November. That will be about about 9 1/2 months after finishing rads.One of the things I'm going to ask the PS next week is whether there would be any benefit to waiting longer. I'm working on really getting in shape before then, but I still haven't built back up to the strength I had before cancer treatment started. I'm not an athlete by any stretch, but I stay active. It just boggles my mind that the biggest muscle in the body can be removed from it's intended purpose without ill effects.

I hope you didn't pinch your fingers building your rock wall as much as I did when we built one!

2Tabbies, They don't remove the muscle, they take part of it & move to the front subdermally.  My PS never explained to me how they did it & I didn't ask.  But my primary Dr explained it all to me & showed me how the muscle worked.    No pinched fingers with the rock wall but I did drop a large rock on my arm & the pharmacist kept looking sharply at my DH & the big bruise on my arm....

sarahjane, Independently is the only way I can move them, I'm simply not talented enough to co-ordinate them! 

Sarahjane, you are apparently quite talented!