What are the Best Bras for breast asymmetry ?
What is breast asymmetry? Basically, it is a difference in the volume of breast tissue from the right breast to the left breast. Most women, once their breasts are completely developed, have a slight amount of asymmetry. Sometimes it’s so subtle that only a plastic surgeon would be able to see it. Other times, it can be very significant, and surgery is required to make the difference less noticeable. The human body has slight asymmetry from one side to the other and the breasts are no exception.
How does breast asymmetry manifest? Typically, a young woman notices this once the breasts are fully developed. In more severe cases, it may be noticeable when puberty starts. Sometimes one breast grows a lot more rapidly than the other. Either breast can be slightly or significantly larger than the other. Sometimes it is because there is a larger proportion of fatty tissue to breast tissue in the larger side. Other times it is just that there is more breast tissue itself on one side. Either way, it’s a benign finding and a small difference between the two sides is very, very common.
Padded bra or not?
How do you treat breast asymmetry? If the asymmetry is subtle, a good bra can camouflage this nicely. Typically, it needs to be a cup size or less of difference for a bra to help. The best bras to look for have a bit of padding on the inferior aspect, and they also tend to be a bit of a pushup bra. This means you need underwire in the bra. A bra that has no padding at all will make the difference look more noticeable.
Non padded bra
The reason the padded pushup bra helps is that it has some form to it. So, if you buy this type of bra to fit and support the larger breast, it will help hide the small volume difference in the smaller breast. The bra itself adds form to the breast and pushes the tissue that you have up-words and towards the middle. Therefore, your cleavage looks more symmetric, and the smaller breast is filled out by the padding in the bra. What about sports bras? Typically, you need some padding in these bras as well to help hide the subtle asymmetry.
Padded bra
Bra shopping can be laborious even for those without a notable difference between their breasts. If you have mild asymmetry and are hoping to correct it with a bra, plan to try on a lot of bras. When it comes to torso size (the number on the bra) and cup size (the letter on the bra), try different combinations to see which one fits best. Usually if you go up on the number size by one, you need to go down on the letter size by one. For example, a 34 D bra size might fit your larger side and make the smaller size look symmetric. But then a 36 C bra size might also fit your larger side but not make the asymmetry any better. Through trial and error, you can often land on something that looks very good. Another trick is to tighten the bra strap on the larger side a bit more than the smaller side. Sometimes the larger breast sits a bit lower and so if you tighten the bra strap it helps to correct the asymmetry as well.
When should I consider surgery?
If the breast asymmetry is significant, surgery may be needed to help you feel better in clothing and bathing suits. There are several different options for surgery. If you are happy with the size of the smaller breast, sometimes a reduction which includes a lift can be done on the larger breast to make it match the smaller one. If you prefer the size of the larger breast, an implant can be placed in the smaller breast to help even things out. In this situation, sometimes the larger breast will also need a lift to help balance it to the augmented smaller breast. The final option is to place an implant in both breasts if you feel that they are both too small. This is another great option to correct the asymmetry. You can learn more in my deeper discussion of breast asymmetry surgery here.
When is the best time for surgery? Sometimes, young girls with significant asymmetry who are not completely developed can also be good candidates for surgery as the asymmetry can be very psychologically challenging. An experienced plastic surgeon who has seen young children and adolescents can help determine if surgery might be the best option for a girl who is not fully developed. Sometimes tissue expansion can be an option that helps bridge the gap during development. If you are completely developed (which typically means it’s been 4-5 years since the onset of your menstrual cycles), then it’s a good time to think about surgery. If you are thinking about taking care of asymmetry that’s been present for a longer time, you want to make sure you are at your ideal weight. It’s best to get as healthy as you can prior to surgery rather than having the surgery and then doing the latter.
What can I expect from a bra or surgery? One thing to keep in mind is that no one is perfectly symmetric. A bra nor surgery can get you to perfect symmetry and in fact what often makes us beautiful in the eye of the onlooker is subtle asymmetry. Models who are studied who make the covers of the most prestigious magazines often have subtle asymmetries that make them more attractive. Surgery is a safe and effective option to correct significant asymmetry and can really make you much more comfortable in bathing suits and clothing. It will improve your self esteem and make you feel much more confident.