I still fit my old bras even after a breast reduction. Is it because I'm swollen?

Question

It's been a week and one day since my breast reduction surgery. I was wearing a DDD bra with spillage. I asked the PS to get a reduced to a C. Today I tried on all my old bras that range from 34D to 36DDD. Should I expect to wear my old bras after the swellen goes down? I was really hoping for a C wearing a D and DD bra will be very disappointing.

Adrian Richards, MBBS, MSc · Answer

Thank you very much for your enquiry. 
At one week following surgery you will be quite swollen.  The swelling will take up to six to eight
weeks to go down and then you will be able to see your normal appearance.During surgery your surgeon will have written down the weight of the
tissue he or she removed and it would be useful to know these as these will
give you an indication of the amount of tissue that was removed and the likely
amount of reduction you get.  I hope this information helps.

Tracy Kayan, MD · Answer

8 days out from surgery is too early to tell what size you will be. Often, a great deal of swelling subsides in the first week, however it varies from patient to patient, and a majority of the swelling will go away between now and one month after surgery. It is often that before surgery breast reduction patients wear bras that are way too small in an attempt to "lift" and support their breasts, and after surgery the same bras still fit, albeit now they fit properly. I usually recommend that patient get re-fitted for a bra about 6 weeks after a reduction, so you can have a better idea about what sizes to shop for.  In the mean time, be patient and wait for your body to heal more before jumping to any conclusions or being disappointed.

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

It is difficult to say what bra you could or couldn't fill. At this point you have to allow for swelling to dissipate and see what they can fit into.  This may take a minimum of 6-8 weeks and maybe even more.

I still fit my old bras even after a breast reduction. Is it because I'm swollen?

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I still fit my old bras even after a breast reduction. Is it because I'm swollen?

Answers (3)

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Everything you need to know about Breast Reduction

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