Tops are one of the hardest things to do well post mastectomy and the area that I personally found the most difficult to address. There are two areas I’ll discuss below – remaining flat without wearing your prosthesis and wearing a prosthesis.
No Prosthesis
If you are choosing to remain flat without wearing your prosthesis, the best tops to wear are loose fitting, patterned or frilled. The fabric is also really important. No longer do the tight fitting stretchy fabrics work. This doesn’t mean they have to be super baggy, just enough off the outline of the chest not to accentuate the scar line. You also need to make sure they don’t gape too much under the arms and are high enough not to gape open at the front. Here are some tops that have worked well for me.
With a Prothesis
Wearing a prosthesis is obviously very similar to having your breasts back. The difference I found however is that they sit differently from your original chest and still require some attention.
Tighter tops are able to be worn but it is important to make sure you have had the right prosthesis fitting and that you are wearing a quality bra. This will always make the prosthesis sit nicely. The most important thing when wearing a prosthesis is that you feel comfortable and that the tops you choose don’t gape too much under the arm as this could make your scar line visible.
I personally feel more comfortable without my prosthesis. Even though it fits perfectly, it can be quite heavy and hot but as far as appearance goes, no one would know (except they’re a bit bigger than my original set). Here is one top I have successfully pulled off with my prosthesis in. It is the same top I wore without a prosthesis so it is good to choose a top that can go both ways so you have options depending on what you feel like wearing.
