Underwire Bra and Breast Implants, Safe?

I allow my patients to wear underwire bras one month after surgery.  Even push up's are fine.  Make sure it's not too tight.  You just had them made larger, don't try to smash them down.  After surgery you'll be needing new bras so make sure they fit.
Best wishes.

There is no problem with wearing an underwire bra around 6 weeks after breast implant surgery. You may have to wait a little longer if your scar is still tender and your scar is in the breast fold. There is no harm to wearing underwire once everything is healed. If you are still having pain at nearly a year, you may have to ask your plastic surgeon to recheck your scar. Otherwise you may try an underwire bra with a larger band size. Good Luck!

This is a wonderful question! I typically will request my patients to wait four weeks following surgery before switching to a bra that is not a sports bra with compression. Following the four week post-operative period I release my patients to wear any type of bra they choose, including underwire. It can be tricky finding the new correct size and style of bra following breast augmentation which I am always careful to discuss the need for patience following this type of procedure. It will take some time to find your new comfortable fit and this is normal. If you have been previously comfortable in an underwire bra following your breast augmentation surgery and you suddenly find that you are experiencing discomfort I would recommend you follow up with your Board Certified Plastic Surgeon to discuss what may be causing this discomfort. It may be a simple style or size change or there may be another factor that may be causing the discomfort. The most important thing is to follow up with your PS; by doing so you will be able to find peace and a correction to what is causing you pain. I do hope you have found this information helpful and I wish you luck!

After nearly one year from the time of your breast augmentation procedure you should be able to wear an underwire bra.  In my practice, once patients are roughly 6 weeks out from surgery, I allow them to transition into any bra of their choosing but do caution them that due to the inframammary incision and placement, that underwire bra's have the potential to irritate their scars/incisions.  Until your scars have matured, which can take up to one year to soften, fade and comfortably tolerate any pressure, patients might find underwire bra's to be a little uncomfortable with overuse and wear.  It is always recommended that you address any concerns and questions with your operating surgeon, as each has their own specific post-surgical protocol.  With that being said, you can always try wearing an underwire bra for a few hours and see how it goes.  If you are experiencing any discomfort or irritation from it, I would recommend changing into a lighter weight and underwire free bra.  Good Luck!

Thank you for your question. My patients will have a surgical bra that I place at the time of surgery. They normally wear this for the first week or two and then transition to a sports bra that opens in the front. By six weeks, if their implants have sufficiently descended, I let my patients know they can start wearing a normal bra (including a push-up bra). They may still undergo some changes which can change their bra preferences a few months later.  At this point, you should be able to wear what every you want.

Underwire bras can do two things after breast augmentation surgery: it can irritate the incision and may cause wound breakdown, if it is an inframammary incision. The other thing it can do is it can prevent an implant from dropping which may require a surgical revision. Therefore, we recommend waiting 1 month to wear an underwire bra after surgery.

As you suggest in your question, common sense dictates: if it's uncomfortable, don't wear it. In general, I tell my patients that after three months they can wear and do anything they wish as the implants are 80 percent softened and settled to their final position. I don't believe that an underwire bra will affect the last 20 percent of healing, which occurs over the next six months. 

At this point in your recovery an underwire bra is safe as long as it doesn't leave an indentation in the skin, or causes pain (indicating it is too tight).

It is perfectly fine to wear an underwire bra 1 year after your Breast Augmentation surgery no matter what type of breast implants you have.  Different bras can irritate nerves in your breasts and cause discomfort.  If this occurs, I would recommend you change bras to find one that is more comfortable for you.  If nerve irritation occurs, a course of anti-inflammatory medications taken for 10-14 days can generally help alleviate the irritation. If the problem persists after this course of treatment, I would discuss this with your Board Certified Plastic Surgeon.

In general, I recommend wearing underwire bras only until after the first 2 months of surgery, and since you're well past that, it should be okay. But you have the right idea - if it's uncomfortable, then you should avoid wearing them because your body is telling you that it hurts. The underwire may be improperly shaped. If you want to wear underwire bras, try having a custom bra fitting to see if you can find something that's more comfortable. You can also wear wireless bras, as many types provide plenty of support. 

There is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to wear an underwire bra at this time.  We generally recommend waiting six to eight weeks following breast augmentation. The majority of patients who are one-year post breast enhancement are using underwire bras again.
We generally avoid using underwire bras for six to eight weeks following breast augmentation for two reasons.  With patients who have undergone sub muscular placement of implants, the pectoralis major muscle may undergo spasm in the early post-operative period.  This may force the implant in an upward direction and lead to malposition. When this situation arises we utilize compression to force the implant in a downward direction. An underwire bra would have the opposite effect.
Another reason for avoiding an underwire bra in the immediate postoperative period is the potential for it to irritate a fresh surgical incision. An infra mammary incision would lie directly under the underwire and this might lead to irritation of the incision.
After six to eight weeks, wound healing and muscle spasm should no longer be an issue. In most breast augmentation patients, it’s reasonable to resume the use of an underwire bra at this time.