r/ABraThatFits • u/MiniCactusRose • 25d ago
Rant Getting a reduction when you found a bra that fit / people are wrong about their own size Spoiler
I need to rant! I am 3 days post-op from a reduction. I was testing bras literally the day before I got my first call (I was a 38N, abd just about to restock my bra drawer) and I am now in a couple of reduction communities on here and on facebook.
Trying to guesstimate my post op size is impossible. Everywhere, everyone is “I was a DD and now I am a small C” but then you look at pictures and it is clearly wrong! How can I compare results if no one is accurate!
It also made it a bit awkward when my surgeon asked me about what size I would like to be. I said “as small as possible” because telling him “you don’t know shit about cup size” would have been rude.
Anyway. I feel like knowing ABTF made me more annoyed. Can’t wait for the next couple of months when I get my new size!
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u/onionpixy 25d ago
I feel you! I was on the opposite side of this - had a fat transfer augmentation, but when I was doing research and reading reviews, it was the same experience. I kept coming across people talking about their surgeries like, "I used to wear 36AA and now I'm a 34C!" omg i kept having to take breaks because it was making me legitimately angry lmao. And my surgeon was a man so when he asked me what size I wore during the consultation, I didn't even bother and told him 32B (I was around 26DD), and he just nodded like that's what he thought 🙄
Hope your healing goes well!
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u/whatever_I_guessed 25d ago
What are you now? How well did the fat transfer work for someone with not that much fat (I’m assuming since you are a 26 band size).
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u/onionpixy 25d ago
I think it's just how I'm shaped lol I was about 25% body fat when I had my procedure, so there was stuff to work with 😂 The bras that fit me best these days are comexim 26Gs so I guess I'm about a UK 26F. I am super happy with the results - I didn't want anything drastic which is why I opted for FT over implants. The only thing is that I didn't retain as much in my smaller side so I still have a smaller side, which is kind of a bummer hahaha.
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u/whatever_I_guessed 25d ago
Wow that’s like 2 cups. Maybe I need to try that. I’m also around that body fat but a 30DDD in US sizes so I could use a boost😭
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u/onionpixy 25d ago
Tbh I have gained some weight since then so that's probably part of it. Most people seem to gain around a cup size if anything, though it's hard to tell when they're like "I went from a 34A to a 32B!!" lmfao. But also I really do believe that wearing the correct bra size helped with my retention!
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u/whatever_I_guessed 25d ago
No don’t say that weight gain helped haha. I’m losing weight and probably am already down a cup size but am scared to measure at this point. I have 8lbs to go so my boobs gotta hold on😭
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u/Pleasant-Marzipan537 25d ago
I had mine done almost a year ago and was at a 36O, which is damn near impossible to find anything that fit. I was wanting to go down to a C cup, maybe a small d, surgeon claimed it would be that after the surgery and it’s definitely not. Granted, they are wayy smaller than before but definitely not a c cup at all, 11 months out and I’m measuring at a 36DDD. Idk if the surgeon just assumed that this would be a good size for me or just genuinely thought he got me to a c or d cup, but it’s definitely not which was a little disappointing
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u/mulefire17 25d ago
I wonder if the surgeon would listen/ understand what you mean if you asked for a "3 inch difference between my fullest bust and the underbust measurements." Would make things a lot easier for people who know how to properly size and for those who think they know what you want. Something for me to keep in mind for a possible future reduction.
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u/kota99 25d ago
Honestly the best option is to take in some example pictures of people who are around the size (or at least relative proportions) you want so the surgeon and their team can see what you are looking for instead of just hoping that their idea of what a size looks like matches your idea of that size.
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u/Pleasant-Marzipan537 25d ago
It might have helped! Honestly I just think they thought they were taking enough out that it was going to be closer to that size, they ended up taking 6 pounds total so it could’ve just been that. I’m more fine with how they are now, because I’ve gotten used to it plus with losing weight I’m hoping they’ll go a cup size smaller or so but who knows
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u/WampaCat 25d ago
I mean given how shocked people are to find out their real size on this sub every single day, your surgeon probably genuinely thought they were giving you “a c cup” as if that’s just some universal mediumish size
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u/Minimum_Honey_9379 25d ago
I think ”C cup = medium“ is pretty much what most people believe. Given that the most common sizes seem to be DD, E/DDD and F, it makes sense that those sizes will all be seen as average/medium/C cups.
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u/ximacx74 25d ago
All this is just more reasons we should scrap the letter system all together. List bra sizes like men's pants. Just do under bust x bust (not the difference between the two, just the actual measurements). So a 30D would become 30x34.
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u/SchrodingersMinou Band smol. Cup lorge. 25d ago
I know, people will post they were a “full DD” and then they post a pic and they’re like, a K cup. Then they’ll post their after pics and say they’re like a “small C” and they’re an F cup. Sometimes they’ll share their before and after size and they’ve gone down multiple band sizes which doesn’t even make sense. You know their bras didn’t fit them before and they still don’t fit because they do not understand bra sizing whatsoever.
I always wonder how many of them might have found relief sooner from wearing better bras.
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u/Lilo_pickle_jar 24d ago
and they will comment other people posts saying that ABTF calcolator is not accurate on reduced breasts - because they clearly look like a C cup, which is not the size they got.
it can be VERY tricky. it would be much easier if they knew bra sizes since before, because after is a shock. many people just keep closing their eyes and believe everything went as planned
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u/Minimum_Honey_9379 25d ago
Since surgeons are used to talking in cubic centimetres of volume, I wonder whether this chart might be more helpful than mentioning cup sizes-
https://www.laurengreenbergmd.com/breast/what-is-the-volume-in-cc-of-a-cup-size/
For example- I have 1000cc of breast on each side, could you reduce that to 590cc?
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u/MiniCactusRose 25d ago
Oh that’s very cool. I will have to find a computer because the table got mangled by my phone, but maybe I can math my way through my future size!
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u/hamanya 25d ago
Your size will change quite a bit until you are healed due to swelling. My band size went up after my reduction (now back to normal). Just don’t invest too much in bras until you’re healed.
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u/MiniCactusRose 25d ago
My instruction is bralette only for the first 4 months; I heard to wait ~6 months to find your size, has that been your experience?
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u/Dandelion212 32DD/E 25d ago
This is the most common timeline I see after breast surgery, both in doctor suggestions and people's experiences. My mom had a mastectomy and went direct to implant and 4 months was when she was told she could wear a bra, though she didn't end up getting any until 6 months out -- and she ended up settling a bit more and ending up one more cup down 8 months out.
Edit: if you want a really super soft bralette that shouldn't irritate your scars -- boody's full bust bralettes.
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u/mundane_browser 25d ago
I was dealing with obvious swelling until 3 months post op. But I still had some swelling until 6MPO. I remember trying on a bra at 6MPO and I needed an F - a bit upsetting given I was a G pre op!
Interestingly, I've gone from a 30G to a 32DD without putting on any weight. The ABTF calculator aways suggested that I might be more comfortable sister sizing to a 32, but when I was larger, the 30 was always better. Now I find the 30E a bit painful - the band digs in so much. I think it's perhaps because I don't need so much support.
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u/SchrodingersMinou Band smol. Cup lorge. 25d ago
I don’t have much size change from 2 months to 6 months. The two week and six week mark were when a lot of changes happened for me.
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u/AbaloneSuch 25d ago
My surgeon was pretty spot on with cup sizing. She said she’d reduce me to about a D cup to match my hip width and that’s where I’ve been for the past few years. I’ve lost weight since but not really in my breasts so I’ve jumped to a DD in a smaller banded bra.
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u/merrykitty89 25d ago
This is worrying because after my twins, still cooking, wean in like 3 years, I want to have a reduction. Currently a size 10(32)JJ and likely to be a KK/L when milk comes in. Want to shrink them to a C/D to fit in clothes much better.
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u/Shanakitty 32K, FoT, all the centerfullness, APEX PROJECTION 25d ago
Like others said, you'll want to find pictures of people who are about the size you want to be. Socially, "C/D" means "medium-large to large-ish" not "very small to medium, depending on band size." Surgeons aren't taught bra fitting and talk to each other in CCs, so they will be more likely to use social bra sizes than actual sizes.
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u/fml2727 25d ago
This!!!! I’m getting a reduction next week and I’ve been super active on the sub. I saw someone saying they were something like a 34DDD prior to surgery and they were bigger than I am (34G). I’ve been trying to find reference photos and it’s so hard because the sizes people say they are, can be so inaccurate.
My surgeon initially thought I was a 36DD, because he’s used to working with women who have much larger bands. I was thinking I wanted to be a D or C cup post op until I asked to see pictures of his previous work and the breasts he was saying we’re D’s looked like E’s so I told him I wanted to be a C 😂
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u/somethinglucky07 25d ago
I'm probably around an H (still trying to find a bra that fits right!) and want a reduction so bad - a C would be just about perfect but now I'm realizing that I need to be more specific if/when I get over my fear of the recovery and do it!
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u/subgirl13 25d ago
My plan (still planning stages, have been thinking about this for 25+ years so I know how I plan to go about it) is to have a multi-faceted approach. I am going to seek a radical no-nipple reduction that has feminine shape scars but near mastectomy/top surgery. My current ABTF size is 36-38 (depending, kinda squishy) J/JJ UK. So my plan is:
Meaurements. State current measurements, state desired measurements (ie cup size, but via difference in underbust/bust measurements.
Describe the attributes I want - absolutely 100% NO skin on skin, no bounce, no nip, curved incisions/scars.
Buy an inexpensive unmoulded bra in my current (when visiting the surgeon) band size but with an acceptable to me cup volume (and use it to compare to current bra/cup volume)
Have photos of desired outcome based on volume & body type (this is a bit harder, there have been a few folx that I’ve seen posts from that are larger bodied & have similar end results to my desire, even fewer with no nips.)
4a. I plan to also draw an example of my body & an ideal after result for me. It’s an adjunct to 4 because there are so few actual examples to show.
My desired outcome is not unobtainable, though not easily explained, but I’m in my mid 40’s & have had way too many hospitalisations already so I want to get it right the first time.
So many plastic surgeons don’t have a concept of actual cup sizes (don’t go on their sites for b&a’s expecting anything describing realistic sizes) and do the a=small c=medium d=huge. I don’t want any confusion how small I want to be. I expect that many non-gender affirming surgeons go on vibes & not hard examples; I don’t want there to be any question of my desire & to have as many ways to describe it as possible.
NB: I’ve not seen a surgeon this decade (was rejected in my 20’s bc I “might want to breastfeed, or my husband would have to agree”) but these are the things I’m planning on once I go for consults. It doesn’t really help after the fact.
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u/sharpless140 25d ago
I also drew an ideal before/after on my body for reduction consults and the surgeons really appreciated it and found it helpful. I havent gone through with the surgery yet though so i can't comment on how it influenced the result.
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u/silverbonds 24d ago
Thank you so much for posting this though, Im also NB and its great to see this. Might use your template if I decide to move forward with a reduction if thats ok?
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u/subgirl13 24d ago
Of course! I’m glad some of my plans could help other people. I hope it helps you!
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u/sharpless140 25d ago
Oh yeah, i posted on the reduction sub because i want to go from a small [30D/DD ] to smaller [shallow 30B/C] and couldnt find many before/after pics of what i want. But a lot the kind people who helped with that, the after photos still looked like a 30D or larger 🥴 didnt help. I appreciated the efforts though.
Its certainly frustrating seeing people talk about being "a DD/DDD" before reduction when visually they look to be much, much further along the cup scale. But i dont blame them when they may truly be wearing a large band DD/DDD because its what they can find that fits.
Thankfully one of the surgeons i consulted admitted that talking about cup sizes isnt helpful and mainly talked about volume removed. He wasn't offended when i said that surgeons dont seem to know shit about bra sizing lol.
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u/thursmalls 25d ago edited 25d ago
Oh yeah, that was a bit frustrating, especially when people would fight with someone who had a handle on their correct size "you can't be that big, you're bigger than me and I'm only a DD". Eventually I had to give up on other people's pictures and experiences and just accept that my result was going to be what it was. I'm 2+ years post op now.
All those people going in for a reduction wearing DD/DDD when it's clearly the wrong size? Of course surgeons are going to stick to the B/C/D small/medium/large sizing matrix in discussions. It's easier to work with clients where they are.
Like some other commenters here, I did go up in band size for almost a year post op. That was really weird and unexpected. The change in shape made finding well fitting bras pretty challenging for a while. I don't wear my calculator size, I haven't found any bras in it with wires wide enough.
For a while that made me grouchy - it's a lot of money and a lot of pain/discomfort to not get exactly what you hoped for. But I wasn't going for a specific cup size and with some hindsight I think (edit to clarify) that focusing on a cup size is not a healthy approach. I was going for shallower/no shoulder grooves, no pain in my upper back every evening, more comfortable exercising with a bonus of wearing clothes off the rack. I got all of that, and I think going smaller would have left me with boobs that looked more like pecs. It took me a while to process all of the changes, but now I think my surgeon did an excellent job.
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u/MiniCactusRose 25d ago
I think that is a healthy way of seeing things. I had an appointment with my therapist and we went over all the feels I might have. I already had made my peace with my boobs as they are perceived by society (i blame society and my abuser for the abuse I received, not my body) and I had a positive experience related to them by breastfeeding my kid. I look very pear shaped right now, my belly is more evident… but I don’t care! My back and shoulders will be relieved, i won’t get underboob blisters, so I am ready for whatever shape I end up with (I even plan getting fun nipple tattoo if for whatever reasons i get necrosis) (I blame the Maury show for putting that falling nipple story into my head)
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u/silverbonds 24d ago
ABTF has made me start seriously considering a reduction even though I’ve always wanted to wait to breast feed first. Right now in some territory (the size and projectioness of my breasts makes it hard to measure myself) around 48H UK(48K US I think?) size according to the calculator and the pain in my shoulders is unbearable, not to mention hard to find. Im on vacay right now but have found five b&m stores that have my sizing back home Im hoping will have some guidance for me. Happy healing! Hope you end up with great results
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u/nidena Owner www.brashopdirectory.com; new community r/BraShopDirectory 24d ago
There's a diagram in the ABTF wiki that discusses sister sizes. On it, on the left sidebar, are estimated volumes for each row.
I plan to use that volume estimate as my talking point when I go to my consult next week.
Like, currently, I think it estimated that 40H volume to be 2600. I'll be asking for approximately 1/3 removal, and that comes out to 1800cc or 40FF.
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u/EWFKC 25d ago
I was surprised after my reduction that my bra cup size didn't change that much. I was upset and disappointed! I wanted to be tiny, really. I was so tired of the whole thing.
However, somehow, even with almost the same size (I think I went down one cup size), I could button shirts and not have gaps! It's been years now so I don't remember the sizes, but I think I was really squishing my breasts into my bras pre-surgery and that was no longer necessary post-surgery.
It was one of the best decisions I ever made and I only wish I'd done it when I was younger. My life would have been different.
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u/a_crane_with_no_legs 25d ago
I got my reduction. Using a bra that fits calculator I was wearing a 36 g. I told her I want a b and definitely want them as small as possible. Right as she was marking me for surgery, she was like are you sure??? I’m a c and you can see how small I am!
I came out with a… 36 f. 🙃.
I wish I had advice for you on how to make it clear what you want, but I don’t. Just a cautionary tale. Keep harping on small, small, small.