By Lillie Shockney, R.N., M.A.S.As many as 80 percent of women are actually wearing a bra that is the wrong size for them; it doesn't fit. Why? Because they've never been professionally fitted by a certified fitter.
It's not unusual for a woman's first bra to have been purchased when she was a teen by her mother, and based on what her mother (or the teen herself, or the teen's girlfriends) considered a proper size. So there's a good chance that, from the start, you began wearing a bra that was the wrong size. And over time, perhaps even for decades, you may have continued to either buy the same size and style, or seek the same "look."
Bras are intended to enclose the greater part of your breast tissue — certainly to totally cover your breast mound. The breast's tissue goes up to your clavicle and down to about 2 inches below the band of your bra. So most women are in fact only covering about 70 percent of their breast mound at best, and they're often using their bra as a way of accentuating their cleavage. Is there anything wrong with doing this? Well, it all depends on your size.
For large-breasted women, a poorly fitting bra that allows "spillage" of breast tissue above the top of the cups can cause back problems. Instead of the bra acting as the carrier of her breast tissue (which can weigh a considerable amount), her shoulders end up doing the heavy lifting. This phenomenon is especially evident when, after someone has removed her bra, you can see marked indentations where the bra straps have cut into her shoulder areas. This is due to the weight of the breasts being out in front and pulling downward.
Another reason not to wear a too-small bra — or no bra at all — is that the Cooper's ligaments, which normally support the breast tissue and make our breasts look "perky," get stretched out — elongated, in essence. This results in breasts that droop, a condition known as "Cooper's droop," so that the nipples slowly begin to point south and the breasts feel heavier.
Even small-breasted women who decide they are small enough (or daring enough?) to go braless are subject to Cooper's droop. Thereafter, in order for their breasts to regain their old attractiveness, they must be enclosed in a bra to support them.
No matter what your age is, if you've never been properly fitted by a certified fitter, make a point of doing so. Check at your local department stores to see if they advertise having a certified fitter on hand. Many Nordstrom stores, for example, offer this service. You will be surprised by your new bra size and, even better, pleased with the way you look and feel, inside and out.
