How Long Does it Take to Move Migrated Breast Tissue?

One of the most common side effects of wearing the wrong bra size (or style) for a long period of time is migrated breast tissue. Migrated breast tissue is fatty breast tissue that gets displaced from the main mass of fatty breast tissue into the area around your armpit. This is usually caused by the edge of a cup that is too small or positioned in the wrong place due to a band that rides up and tilts the cups forward. The edge of a cup that's in the wrong place bisects the breast tissue forcing some fatty tissue outside the cup into your armpit.

You can move this tissue back into your cup by getting good bra fit which essentially stops the pressure that bisects your breast tissue. The time it takes to move tissue back into your cups depends on a few things:

1. How much tissue has been displaced
2. How long the tissue has been displaced
3. The density of the breast tissue

1. It's not uncommon for a cup size or more of tissue to be displaced. I have helped a lot of Butterfly Collection clients move their migrated breast tissue back into their cups and on average a cup of displaced tissue takes 6-12 months to migrate back into the cup.

2. If your breast tissue has been displaced for 15+ years it can take longer for the tissue to be repositioned back into the cup. The skin that bisects the main breast tissue mass and the displaced tissue can become toughened from the daily pressure of an ill fitting bra. In a well-fitting bra the pressure is relieved and over time the bisect tissue will soften and the tissue migration back into the cup can begin. My clients with 15+ years of migrated tissue find that it takes about 18 months to migrate tissue back into the cups.

3. In my experience dense breast tissue migrates back into the cup faster than soft breast tissue. I have tried to find the medical reason for this but as of yet I'm still not 100% sure why. I'm assuming that the connective tissue between the fat cells are closer together so as one cell is moved back into the cup the adjoining cells follow on quickly. As the fat cells in soft breast tissue are farther apart this may explain why migrating soft breast tissue back into the cups takes a little longer.

If you are attempting to migrate tissue back into your cups then remember to be prepared for an increase in cup volume or a change in breast shape. It's probably a good idea to invest in just two or three well-fitting bras while you migrate your breast tissue and wait to assess any size or shape change before going to town on an array of lovely well-fitting bras! xx

Are You Wearing Your Bra Too Low?

When your cup isn't filled at the bottom you're probably wearing your bra too low on your body

I see a lot of women wearing their bras too low on their body. This is something that can make you uncomfortable and leave you wondering why no bras ever fit you. With this simple piece of information you can check whether your bras actually fit you much better than you thought.

Finding a bra that is the right size and style for you is fantastic but if you put your bra on too low then you may never know you have the right bra. Your bra is on too low if you have empty bra at the bottom of your cup. The easiest way to check this is to stand side-on to a mirror and look for unfilled bra cup underneath your breast.  By ensuring that your wires are flush with the bottom of your breast you are making the most of your cup volume and can prevent your boobs from spilling out of the top of your cups.

FERN BRA Left: The breast is bubbling over because the cup isn't completely full. Right: The breast is encased and the cup is full

The Curse of the Front Fasteners
One of the most common causes of wearing your bra too low is if you're a front fastener. If you fasten your bra at your front and swizzle the bra around your body then you have to pull the bra up your body and many women don't pull their bra up high enough so part of their bra is left literally unfulfilled!

How to Fill Your Cup When You're A Front Fastener
Once you have twisted your bra around to the front and pulled the straps onto your shoulders get hold of the ends of the wires of one cup (left or right it doesn't matter) and pull upwards until you feel or see that your breast is at the bottom of the cup. Repeat on the other side. You may need to adjust your straps. Don't forget to sweep your breasts away from your armpits to ensure that all your breast tissue is inside the cups.

How to Fill Your Cup When You're A Back Fastener
As you lean forward to lower your breasts into the cups pull the band towards the bottom of your breasts before fastening your bra to ensure your breasts are right at the bottom of the cups. When you stand back up check that your breasts are filling the bottom of the cup.

Exception to the Rule
Some women have one breast higher than the other (the bottom of the breasts is literally higher on one side of the body than the other) and this causes the bottom of your cup to be empty on one side but not the other. This is totally normal. The most important thing is that your breasts are encased at the top so if you find you get spillage on your higher side it's worth going up in your cup size and padding your lower side. If you don't like padding then you can have your lower side tailored to fit.

I hope this helps you discover that some of your bras actually fit you - it's always a nice surprise! xx

Do You Have Breast Migration?

You may not have heard about breast tissue migration before but it is one of the most common conditions caused by wearing the wrong bra size. Breast migration refers to breast tissue that starts to move into the armpit and towards your back after long periods of wearing the wrong bra size and style. This can affect the fit of your clothes and make you look heavier than you are. The good news is, the situation is reversible.

You see breast migration so often we've come to think of it as normal. All these pictures show women who have tissue migration or are wearing a bra that will cause breast tissue migration.

 

The Cause
The most common cause of breast tissue migration is wearing a cup that is too small for you. Women with large breasts have breast tissue all the way to their armpit and all this tissue needs to be inside your cup. If you wear a bra with a cup that is too small for you the wire of the cup rests on your breast tissue. The pressure of the wire divides your breast tissue pushing some inside your cup and the rest is forced back into the armpit area.

Your bra cup should enclose all the breast tissue right under your armpit (Melody Bra)

What to Look For
If you have excess flesh around your armpit then it's worth reviewing your bra size because it could be that the excess flesh is actually breast tissue that needs to be inside your bra. It's easy to mistake wrinkling at the armpit for tissue migration. Most women get some wrinkling or folds at the armpit where your breast tissue rises to meet you armpit - this happen when you're in the right bra! 

What Can Be Done?
By getting your breast tissue into the right cup size you can gradually reverse the tissue migration by training the tissue back into the cup. There is no proven health problem linked to breast tissue migration, however, it can be painful and unsightly so it's worth ensuring that all of your boobs are inside your bra. If you need help working out your bra size you can use our Free Size Consultation or book a Skype fitting with one of our fitters. Have you experienced breast tissue migration and managed to rectify it over time with the right bra? xx

5 Fit Tips to Check When Putting On Your Bra

Chances are you’ve been putting on bras for a long time now and you do it without thinking. Well, perhaps it’s time to think about it again because you can develop bad habits that mean you’re not maximizing the fabulous curves you’ve been blessed with. Here are 5 tips to check when putting on your bra.

1.    When you put on your bra always lean forward so that all of your breast tissue falls inside your cup and you get maximum curve appeal. The most common places for breast tissue to get trapped is under the bottom of the cup and behind the wire under your armpit. 

2. Run you hands inside your cups to ensure that you have swept the tissue away from your armpit and into your cups. This will reduce your risk of breast tissue migration and let you know if your cups are too small. 

3. Look at yourself side on in the mirror and check if you have any spillage at the front of your cups. If you've done steps one and two correctly then you'll know that the spillage means you need a larger cup size.

4.    Check that your straps are adjusted so that your cups are smooth and you have the right lift. Your straps will move with every wear so they'll need to be adjusted every few wears. Check out this video for more information on straps. 

5.    Lift your arms up over your head. If your band moves up your body (sometimes revealing your breasts escaping underneath your cups) then your band is too loose. Either tighten your band or if you're on the tightest hooks then it's time for a new bra.

Having the right bra is only going to make you look and feel your best if you put it on correctly so it's worth checking these fit tips every day xx