Bras for small busts.

[CoraBear]

I was looking for some underwear advice and thought this was the best place to start.

My friend recently had both of her breasts removed and has been left with no real breast tissue so she will need an AA or A cup bra. Having previously been a DD she is finding the limited choice of bras for a woman very frustrating.

She has a 30 inch measurement but every AA bra in that size has cups that look absolutely tiny on her body. She is very petite - a small size 8 - but the cups still look tiny, as if they are for young girls. She tried M&S but they only had "My first bra" in AA and she couldn't bear to try it on.

Does anybody know any on-line shops that stock pretty, womanly AA/small sized bras? This is really impacting her self-image and she wants to wear women's underwear, not teenagers.

Thanks.

this site looks quite nice

Hi sorry to hear about your friend. The best place to go for any bra advice is Rigby and Peller. Is there a branch near her?

They do a different sort of fitting where they actually look at the size and shape of your breast tissue rather than just going on measurements which can be misleading especially for the smaller breast. I got measured at M&s my whole life and came out and AA and struggled with tiny cups that never fit my frame.

Rigby and Peller took 4inches off my back measurement and put me up 2 cups and suddenly everything fit perfectly. It was a revelation! She deserves a proper, careful fitting and some lovely underwear after her troubles. They aslo have a dedicated post surgery fitting service.

Thanks a million, the website looks lovely, that's the sort of thing she means. Small sizes for women, not girls.

I'm not sure there's a Rigby and Peller near her, we're in Ireland, but I'll tell her how they measure differently. She hasn't been for a fitting yet because she can't face some sales assistant seeing her scars and then being indiscreet about them.

Ah I really feel for her. If she wants to go for a fitting Are you or another friend able to go with her to just try lots of different sizes up and down cup and back? I think it's helpful for her confidence, to have a mate outside supporting her. Good luck to her.

She won't let us near her, which is understandable, she won't even allow her husband of ten years see her scars so everything needs to be on her terms. I think what you said about the different way of measuring her will make a difference but she needs to seen by a professional for that and that will be hard for her.

We'll do whatever she wants, I cannot even begin to imagine how hard it is for her so I'm just giving her information and letting her do with it as she sees fit. Thanks for all your help.

Princesse Tam Tam A-cups are cut very small.

There are various online companies which cater for women wo have had mastectomies- and I also think M&S and J Lewis have fitters if she can bear to go and see them. Would she consider prothesis so she can wear larger bra size?

She won't consider prosthesis, I think she's hoping for reconstruction at some point in the future. She's terrified of being the topic of discussion in the changing room, some people can be so blunt it upsets her. Lots of people have literally looked her up and down and said "Jesus there's nothing left at all" to her face. Yes she looks different from before but it's not like she doesn't know. I think this experience have really put her off.

M&S only had "My first bra" in aa cup size, no other styles and she couldn't bear trying that on.

Try damaris / mimi holiday.

YES they ARE expensive. BUT they do frequent sales if she is prepared to wait - so you can get bras at a price thats perhaps a little more but isn't horrendous (usually they drop lines to half price - sometimes lower). Theres a few retailers that stock them - John Lewis occasionally has a few lines in - or you can buy direct. They start at 28AA (and go all the way up to GG cups and 40 backs). So in that sense, she'd be buying a bra thats made for a 'normal' woman, not a specialist group.

They are definitely not little girls bras and they are sexy. Quality is excellent. If she's after boosting her self esteem, it maybe worth the little extra investment.