When is It Safe to Wear a Wireless Bra After Breast Reduction?

"Get two plastic surgeons in a room, you'll have three opinions."

Each surgeon has a different opinion on bra use following breast surgery. As long as the garment is not painful, ill-fitting or irritating to the healing incision, there is no wrong answer.

Following breast surgery of any kind, I place a sterile surgical bra in the operating room that remains in place for the first 48 hours. This prevents unsterile garments from entering the operating room, and may therefore decrease the incidence of infection. After 48 hours, I recommended that a soft cotton sports bra be used for the following month. I prefer a sports bra because it is comfortable yet supportive, and prevents excess breast weight from resting on the fresh incisions. The sports bra is also used to support breast implants from the same process following breast augmentation.

Some physicians specifically use an underwire bra to help "set the fold" under the breast following breast surgery. My opinion is that this anatomical landmark is set in the operating room, and can not be effectively changed through external pressure. I also feel that the wire can apply undue pressure on the healing incisions.

Conversely, other physicians use a bandeau or breast strap placed on the upper portion of the chest following breast augmentation. This is used to apply pressure to the top of the breast implant and help to drop the implant into a more ideal location.

In general, if a garment is tight and painful, it can harm the blood flow to the breast and potentially cause adverse results. Another old adage in plastic surgery: "never ruin a good operation with a bad dressing." Accordingly, I recommend a soft, comfortably fitting sports bra for the first month following surgery.

Every doctor has different post op instructions so you should ask your surgeon what would work for you. The dressings vary from patient to patient. Some patients may be placed in a sports bra; others will wear a stabilizing elastic support strap. Your doctor will decide after surgery and in subsequent weeks, which dressing will suit your needs and how long you would need to wear them.

Management of bra use in my post-surgical patients is very straightforward. Following breast reduction, I put patients into a surgical bra for about four weeks. Alternatively, they may wear a sports bra that fits snugly and is comfortable. After four weeks, patients may switch over to a regular underwire bra so long as their incisions are healing appropriately.

I recommend my patients to wear the surgical bra for at least a month and I wireless bra for at least 2 month’s after surgery because it will help with the quality of the scar and also the comfort of the patient, after this period I recommend to switch to a more supportive type of bra.
You are doing just fine by wearing a wireless bra as log that it gives proper support for your day by day activities. The support will guarantee you a much longer and better result.

Your plastic surgeon will you be your best guide when it comes to the use of garments after breast reduction surgery.   Best wishes; hopefully you will be very please with the long-term outcome of the procedure performed.

It is most important you to wear a bra that supports your breasts for the first 6 weeks.  There is generally nothing magical about the post surgical bra.  I would advise my patients to find any bra that is comfortable and does not cause irritation to the incisions. 

I would suggest that you ask your plastic surgeon what bra to use. I traditionally allow my patient to wear a fitted bra of their choosing at 1 month. However, if the surgical bra is irritating, you might find a sports bra comfortable and supporting.