As I've written before, post-mastectomy bra styles continue to change to meet evolving breast cancer therapies and surgeries. Because breast cancer patients may or may not have any reconstructive surgery, or often undergo several procedures over many years.
Today we're sharing a post-mastectomy bra review of a UK lingerie brand. Royce Lingerie has been in the business of meeting women's intimate apparel needs for 25 years. But the Caress line of post-surgical bras isn't all they offer. They specialize in producing beautiful high-quality, supportive but lightweight wire free bras for everyday, sports, nursing, and post-mastectomy wear. (Look for a future article on these other Royce Lingerie styles, coming soon.)
Full disclosure: both myself and our post-mastectomy bra reviewer received Royce bras free of charge. All opinions are our own.
This post-mastectomy bra review is from Marie, age 63. She had a mastectomy & reconstructive surgery 14 years ago, followed by radiation. A side effect of the radiation was pulling on the breast tissue or muscle, which has gotten worse over time and makes her quite uneven. Here is Camille's experience wearing the Royce Chloe Bra:
Chloe Wire Free Bra Available in Band Sizes 32-40, Cups A-DD via Royce LingerieI was very excited when my bra arrived, and when I opened the package and felt the fabric, I actually sighed. The material is soft and less like the "industrial strength" bras that are usually available at stores. It is comfortable to wear and -- this was a pleasant surprise -- has much better lift than my other bras. It made me feel much more attractive and I like the lace. Also, it fit like a glove against my breast bone, giving more definition, which is nice and something my other mastectomy bras don't do.
There is a little problem with the fit. It pulls up a little on one side if I lift my arms over my head, like to try something on---you know, pulls up to show a little of the underside of my bigger breast. I haven't noticed it as a problem most of the time when I'm wearing it, though. It may be that I am just difficult to fit.
I am so uneven because of the pulling from radiation, which has gotten worse over time (to the point that I hope to have surgery to correct), that I'm not sure I can blame it on the bra. It fits the other side (where I use the prosthetic pad) perfectly. I think that measuring with a measuring tape doesn't reveal that---it's just something you have to know about yourself. I'm afraid if I got a bigger cup, it wouldn't fit the other side. In any event, though my other bras don't do that, this one is comfortable enough and flattering enough that it is a minor problem, from my point of view.
So overall, I would buy another bra from Royce.
Here are some other post-mastectomy, and post-surgical wire free pocketed bra styles from the Royce Caress line:
Rosie Lace Bra Available in Bands 34-40, Cups A-DD via Royce LingerieWhat do you think of this Royce Lingerie post-mastectomy bra review? What are the most important design elements in a post-surgical bra?