The Importance of Wearing a Correctly Fitting Bra Medical experts agree that the importance of a properly fitting bra is grossly underestimated and that there can be health consequences to wearing the wrong bra size/type.  A badly fitting bra or one that doesn’t provide support during strenuous activities can result in backaches, neck strain, headaches and rashes.  A properly fitting bra can make all of the difference and alleviate all of these problems. 

  Health implications of a badly fitting bra

• Neck Strain
  When your bra doesn’t provide support for your breasts, they pull at the tissue in your chest. This tissue pulls from the chest wall and under your arm, resulting in neck strain.
• Headaches
  Muscles pulled in your shoulders from drooping breasts cause headaches because of reduced blood flow to the head.
• Backaches
  The extra weight from your breast area also puts more pressure on your back.
• Breast Pain
  A BUPA surgeon found that 76% of women that went to see him complaining of breast pain found that their symptoms disappeared once they had a properly fitting Bra
• Other Implications
  It has also been suggested (but not proven) that wearing a bra that is too small affects the flow of lymphatic fluid around the breast increasing the risk of breast cancer.

Avoid all these problems by using a bra size calculator to get the correct bra fit. A properly fitting bra takes the strain off your chest wall, shoulders, neck, back, and allows you to breathe and sustain proper blood flow throughout your body.

And for the Fashion Conscious
In addition to health problems, wearing the wrong bra size can result in unsightly bumps and bulges visible through your clothes, spoiling the line of your tops and dresses.

Why do people wear the wrong bra size?

• The first most obvious reason is that they have had the same bras for years and simply continue to wear them irrespective of how much elasticity the bra has lost or how much their breasts have changed.  Many ladies when looking to buy a new bra will simply buy the same size as they have always worn and don’t think to change.
• Secondly, many ladies, particularly teenage girls, are persuaded by fashion that anything above a C cup is abnormal and so someone who should be a 34D+  will squeeze into a 36C.
• Finally, particularly living in Spain you find that the bra sizes vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, even in some cases from one style to another.

So what size bra should you be wearing?

There are a number of guides available on how to measure yourself but given the different interpretations by manufacturers the best and only reliable way is to try them on and although it may be awkward to try on a bra in the tiny fitting rooms it's important to know if the bra will fit before you buy it.

• Give yourself plenty of time when you go bra shopping.
• Try on different styles and sizes of bras
• Put your blouse back on over the bra to see how it looks under clothes.
• Move around in the fitting room to see how much support the bra gives you. If you are trying a push up bra or a demi bra, lean over to make sure you won’t fall out. If you are trying on a sports bra, try jumping around or jogging on the spot

How to tell if your bra is the correct size?

• Your bra band should be reasonably tight around you (though not so tight as to be restrictive). When you buy a new bra it is usually best to have the band on the loosest fitting, to allow for stretching over time. Having established your band size, you need the right size cup, too.
• The best way of finding out your cup size is to work your way through the alphabet until you find one that is comfortable. The bra should lay flat against your breast, holding your breast inside without bulges at the top, sides or bottom, similarly it should not be cutting into the flesh. The front panel of the bra should lay flat against your breast bone, if it is not touching, gaping or cutting in look at a different cup size.
• Your shoulder straps should be adjusted if they fall off your shoulder or dig into your shoulder, they should never cause red marks