I’m going to have breast reduction surgery in about six weeks and have a question for those that have gone through it. What kind of bra did you wear after the doc took your ace bandages off after those first 2-3 days after surgery?
Thanks in advance,
Lorie
I’ve never had it done, nor know anyone who has so I can’t be of any help to you. However, I do have a couple questions (if I’m being too nosey, I’ll understand if you don’t answer).
Do you have back/shoulder problems? Pinched nerves, etc?
What’s your bra size now & your goal size? REALLY personal. Sorry
Are you at all worried about loss of sensitivity?
I do wish you the best of luck, and I hope any pain you have is bearable and fleeting.
You’ll need a sports bra. When I was in the business they recommended a particular sports bra that had 2 hooks in the front.
I’m sure you can still find one at a larger department store. Ask a sales clerk, they are usually pretty up to date on these things.
A friend of mine got breast reduction surgery this summer. She wore her old bras with ice packs stuffed in the cups. 
(after that, I really have no idea)
If your surgery is like mine was, you won’t actually need a bra for support.
My breasts weren’t humongous before surgery, so I was able to wear an old beat-up bra, just adjusted tighter. I also had a sports bra with a zipper up the front that was pretty handy.
So far it has been about seven years and I haven’t worn an underwire bra since, except when I was trying to be fashionable.
In both of my BR’s (I had to have a full revision a year later), I wore a sports bra that zipped up the front.
But your doctor will probably have their own preference, so that’s a good question for him/her.
Here’s a website that I strongly recommend: www.breasthealthonline.com. Every question you might have about your surgery will be answered there. (And I do mean everything.) I wish I had found it before my first BR. If I had, I likely would have avoided having to do the whole thing over.
It also has a wealth of information on breast reconstruction and breast enlargement. It’s a great site. Check it out.
I don’t think you’re being too nosy. I’m telling 'bout everyone I know that I’m having this surgery.
I’ve had big boobs since I was a teen (I’m 31 now). In my late teens, I was a DD. I refrained from measuring myself again (I guess I didn’t want to know if I got bigger. Ignorance is bliss?). I’ve had back discomfort off and on for years, then last year it started getting really bad…upper back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain, headaches. I went to a bra shop and got remeasured. I was an F!. I’m only about 15 pounds overweight, so it’s not fat up there, it’s breast tissue.
I’ll end up being "C"ish after surgery. Yeah, loss of sensitivity worries me a little, but I know having this surgery is better for my health, pain issues, and self esteem in the long run.
Thanks for the link, niblet head. Sorry you had to go through all that. Why did you need a revision? What problems did you encounter?
Well, my first surgeon took me from a 38DDD to only a 38DD. (Um, hello???) Which was a problem. (And, this is a little TMI, because I was still so large, the weight of my breasts pulled my nipples into the shape of deflated footballs. Not round. And NOT pretty!)
There’s a lot more to the story, but suffice it to say that it’s a really good idea to see at least three surgeons before deciding on which one to use. I got a really bad vibe from her, and I ignored it. But after everything, I now have the best breasts ever!!! I can wear shirts I’ve never been able to wear since fifth grade. And if I don’t want to wear a bra I don’t have to!
Yay! Reduction! I went from a DD to a C, and totally totally totally love it. Did I mention that I love it?
My surgeon had me take an old underwire bra (with the wires removed) to the hospital on the day of my surgery. For the first week, while I still had all the heavy-duty bandages on and the drains, he had me wear that old bra.
After I had the drains removed and he took the bandages off, I wore a snug-fitting sports bra (that opened in the front) for quite some time.
You know what was the most fun about the reduction? Getting to go braless whenever I felt like it during the first year. 
When I was a kid, I went from nothing to a B cup seemingly overnight, and I never got to enjoy the pleasures of going braless. It was a sad day for me when the lift began wearing out, and I had to start wearing a bra all the time again.
Seriously, this was a life-changing surgery for me, and my only regret is that I hadn’t done it 15 years earlier.
My wife had reduction surgery about a year ago. Until the sutures healed, she wore what the doctor/hospital provided – a zip up the front bra that looked akin to a sports bra. After that she wore a normal sports bra until the tenderness went away and now she simply (and happily) wears normal bras.
I had it done six years ago, and wore a sports bra after the initial bandaging was removed. The bra was a B, which turned out to be a bit too big once the swelling went down (even with the swelling, it was amazing how much less of me there was) but by that point I was allowed to switch to a regular bra.
I went from a D to right on the line between A and B, normally wear As. I’m incredibly petite. And it was so worth it.
Concerning the sensitivity, the undersides of my breasts are still rather insensitive, as are the nipples, but interestingly, it hasn’t affected sex at all. On some level they seem to still work…the connection’s still there, if you know what I mean. Heh. I’m not about to complain!
Thanks for the responses!
I went from an E to a C about 7 years ago. Best damn thing I’ve ever done! I’m excited for you!
Like someone else said, 2 to 3 days after the surgery, you won’t really need a bra. I was still in bandages then. You’ll probably have a lot of seepage for awhile, so when you’re up to moving around and possibly venturing outdoors, a sportsbra is your best bet.
They’re going to be very tender for quite awhile.
I don’t really have much sensitivity anymore (but then again, before the surgery I was hyper sensitive, so it’s kind of nice now). I’ve still got some feeling though. Dr. said I’ll have a 50/50 chance of breastfeeding, it’s sort of a “wait and see what happens” type of thing. I didn’t have any feeling at all for awhile, it slowly came back over time.
I had a lot of complications with my surgery (infections, slow healing time, ect) but I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Congratulations!
I was given a post-surgical bra that had velcro up the front that I wore for quite a while after surgery, since the salves I was putting on my incisions as they healed were greasy. I also wore that bra to sleep in for at least 6 weeks. After the first 2 weeks or so, I started alternating the surgical bra with a sports bra that zipped up the front. Front closure bras are going to be your friends for a while until it stops hurting to do extreme things with your arms.
I sort of transitioned from the surgical and sports bras to soft bras (no underwires), I think they might have been by Warner, called the Friday Bra. Think stretchy in every direction and not much support (not that you’ll need it). Now that I’m fully healed (it’ll be a year in November), I tend towards VS Body by Victoria bras, at least when I leave the house…at home, I prefer none.
Good luck!