Foam breast forms?

imgonnamakeit · June 2008

Foam breast forms?

imgonnamakeit · June 2008

Hi Ladies,

I'm having a tough time finding a breast form. I have been to Nordstrom and a local health boutique trying on various silicone (weighted and lightweight). What I'm finding is that my lifted non-cancerous breast on the left has upper fullness and when I place a silicone form in a mastectomy bra on the right side, it ALWAYS drops so that the bottom is full and the top is not. It looks lopsided. I tried the teardrop and the triangle shape and none of them worked.

The only thing I have right now is one of those cloth covered fiber-filled forms (the inside looks like cotton balls) however the inside filling tends to move around a bit so sometimes I have a dent here or there.

What it looks like is that I need a very lightweight form (foam - or sponge-like material like the old shoulder pads?) that has a round or oval appearance.

I'm hoping someone has seen something like that. I've done quite a bit of internet searching and have yet to find one. I can find 'enhancers' like that but not an actual breast form.

Thanks!

Nancy

nagem · June 2008

The Amoena 126 is probably what you're looking for. It's a lightweight foam form, relatively inexpensive.

mthomp2020 · June 2008

Did any of the shops offer to order something else for you? There are silicone forms that are fuller then others, and quite a few brands as well. It's so hard to find the right thing when the stores don't carry a lot of different brands. Around here, it seems like they only carry 2, maybe 3 brands.

I wonder if a small push-up pad would work under a silicone form? That might be worth a try. I'm not sure the Amoena would work for you. They're described as a shallow to average fit, which means there isn't much fullness at the top. Plus it can be hard to get a good match to the remaining breast. I have the Amoena 126, but I have to use something behind it to get projection to match my remaining breast, and I'm an A+/small B. I tried going a size up, but the projection was almost the same, and the size from side to side was way too big. So I have to put some fiberfill behind the form.

I suspect that most shops don't carry forms that are fuller on top, since most women who get prothesis are "mature" like me, and we just naturally sag after 50! So that's the kind of forms they carry. If you know what size form you need in a particular brand, you might research on-line and see what they have that is fuller on top. It's so hard sometimes to match the remaining breast, especially after you've had surgery to "perk" it up!

SusaninSF · June 2008

Nancy,

I always have that same problem though it is not so noticeable if I make sure the bra shoulder straps are as short as possible. I also had a bra fitting at Nordstrom when I got my form and found that I was wearing a bra two sizes to big around and two cups sizes too small. The tighter fit around the chest helps to keep the form up. I am very short so the top of the form comes up pretty high which helps but makes it hard to find tops with high enough neck lines. In addition, I rarely wear a mastectomy bra as these tend to sag. I usually wear a contact form in a regular bra. That way you will have a greater selection of bras and can find one that fits your natural breast profile. Even with all of these little improvements, in a tight fitting t-shirt or sweater, I can see the difference at the top of my breasts. Sometimes, there is even a bit of fabric gathering near the top part of the form because it is more concave there than the real breast.

You'll find something that works for you but it does take a lot of trial and error.

Cheers, Susan

TammyLou · June 2008

www.womenspersonalhealth.com

Offers a wide variety of foam prosthetics, including specialized shapes that may help. (I think they're under "leisure" forms)

Tammy Lou

otter · June 2008

I saw that the Amoena 126 form is made from latex. Has anyone had problems with a latex allergy with this form?

I don't think I have a latex allergy, but I am sensitive to adhesive tapes--I assume that's to the adhesive and not the tape, though. Otherwise, I would really be interested in a lightweight, "leisure" form. It just fits my lifestyle more than the heavy-duty forms would. I see there are other options besides the Amoena 126.

otter

Erica3681 · June 2008

Otter,

The form is completely covered by cloth so, if you don't literally have a latex allergy, I think the 126 would be worth trying. I got a rash from the tape used after my surgery, so I too am sensitive to adhesive tapes, but I've worn my 126 forms for almost two years--never a problem!

Barbara

ddd · June 2008

The Pals forms maintain fullness at the top because they are a more solid material. They are not made to have a "natural" drape like most silicone forms. They are indestructable and inexpensive enough to give them a try. In fact mine were too full at the top for my taste, and the company told them to just trim them down, which I did.

Nokia · June 2008

Hi!

Check www.tlcdirect.org . They have lots of inexpensive options to try!

imgonnamakeit · July 2008

Hi Ladies!

I finally found a 'pert near' perfect breast form that works in most tops. Again, the type of top (material, type of pocket) makes it impossible for one form and one form only to work in everything however I am now pretty satisfied with the Amoena Weighted Foam Leisure Form which has a rounded oval shape and a nice soft cloth outside.

What gives it the little bit of weight (and not like a silicone form) are metal balls inside (weird huh?). In any event, I found that it works pretty well in the pocket of my Amoena Sports bra (style #0658). The odd thing about this sports bra is that I normally take a 34C or 34D and in this particular style, I ended up with a 36B of all things! I use the last hook/eye row to make it tighter around the band area.

Not only is the style quite nice (comes in black with little white stripes around the band) but it is very very comfortable. I do tend to want to pull on the right pocketed side but that's just me. I have a big problem with certain things about myself (if my hair is shorter on one side by 1/4", it drives me nuts or if I've pulled my hair into a ponytail and see a little bit of a loop instead of it being smooth - I have to start all over and over and over again until it's smooth).

From reading another thread on this topic, I finally got an answer to what I was going to do with all my Champion sports bras that I used to wear and are too low now - they would show the hollow/flat area. Someone mentioned that Nordstrom will sew in a pocket so I just called them and they said that yes - even if you don't buy the item there, they will sew in a mastectomy pocket for a nominal fee. I asked if they can also add some material above the neckline of the sports bra as well and she wasn't sure but said to bring it in and ask the seamstress. Neat! I'll see what they charge and then I'll ask my tailor about it. I can show him the Amoena sports bra and see if he thinks he can do something like that. I'll have to go with whoever charges less because, frankly ladies, all these items are really expensive and I still have to get the final say from my insurance company on how many bras or protheses they pay for per year.

How come we have to pay so much more for these items with pockets? For goodness sakes, they make all sorts of sports tank tops and regular camisoles with the "shelf bra" which is an extra piece of material - why do we end up paying an even higher cost just for the pockets. It really gets to me.

Ok - I'm off to bed now. I just wanted to share about the Amoena Weighted Leisure Form - oh by the way - it's style #128 - and the great Amoena sports bra.

Have a wonderful week ladies.

Foam breast forms?

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