This article is exclusively authorized to be reprinted by “Lilac Mom”.
Doctor, is it good to wear bras (also known as underwear)? Can I get breast cancer if I wear it too long? Is it bad to have a steel ring?
Today, I can finally tell those who are still lost in the “bra cancer theory” that all aspects of bras, including cup size, newness, time of day, steel brace or age of first wear, etc., have nothing to do with any kind of breast cancer. Zhang Zheng, Department of Breast Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University
In fact, not only breast cancer, bras are not the culprit of those common breast diseases, but only in some cases, they can make your symptoms worse, delay recovery or less comfortable. The human breast shape is most related to genetics and development, bras are always just an auxiliary tool, don’t be superstitious.
I. The love affair between bras and breast
1. Bras and breast cancer
The usual reasoning process of “bra cancer theory” is that bras, especially bras with steel brackets, will stop the flow of lymphatic fluid to a certain area under the armpit where bacteria and other wastes from the chest are usually removed, and so breast cancer occurs.
This is actually a misconception; they see two conditions happening at the same time and assume that one is causing the other. It’s like falling at dinner today and blaming it on the meal. This is a temporal order and there is no inherent causal connection.
Because there are so many similar rumors on the Internet, there was a study on the relationship between bra wearing and breast cancer back in 1991, when it was concluded that women who did not wear bras had less breast cancer, but the difference was not statistically significant, meaning that the hypothesis was not valid.
Later, when researchers analyzed the results, they considered that it might be because those women were thinner, and obesity is known to be a risk factor for breast cancer.
Recently, the geezers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle got a little more serious, taking a scientific look at the issue and publishing the results of this meticulous study in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), which concluded that
Bras are not associated with the development of any type of breast cancer.
Therefore, the idea that wearing a bra causes breast cancer is absurd and has now been validated by evidence-based medicine, which has proven that there is no relationship between the two.
2. Bras and lobular hyperplasia
Lobular hyperplasia is not caused by the type of bra you wear or how long you wear underwear, but by an imbalance or fluctuation of hormone levels in your body that causes incomplete replenishment of the mammary glands, so there is no absolute causal relationship between the two.
Why do we associate the two together?
In fact, lobular hyperplasia is there whether you have pain or not, it is there, not increasing, not decreasing; when the breast is not swollen and painful, the patient is not aware of the presence of lobular hyperplasia. It is only when we are aware of the existence of this disease because of changes in hormone levels before menstruation, or when the pain threshold decreases due to poor physical condition, or when we are emotionally distressed, resulting in a pronounced feeling of breast swelling and pain.
At this time, too tight underwear or wearing underwear for too long will make the time and degree of breast compression increase, which will aggravate the painful feeling of lobular hyperplasia, so we will blame the pain caused by lobular hyperplasia on the underwear.
Therefore, patients with lobular growths who are experiencing the pain it causes are advised to choose soft, loose-fitting underwear that is slightly larger than usual to reduce the amount of time they are worn, which can promote recovery.
But remember, it is not the culprit of your lobular enlargement.
3. Bras and fibroadenoma of the breast
Again, the cause of fibroadenoma has nothing to do with underwear.
Here I would like to say that for patients who have undergone fibroadenoma surgery, if the incision happens to be at the edge of the underwear, please do not wear excessive shapewear or underwear containing wire underwire. The pressure of these hard objects on the fresh scars will affect the blood supply needed for skin healing, and at the same time will easily cause scar growth, affecting the appearance and leaving regrets.
Second, what is special about breastfeeding bras?
During the breastfeeding period, you should choose soft and convenient breastfeeding underwear (available online, or consult with the lingerie counter specialist). In the first three days after delivery, when physiological milk swelling occurs, overly tight underwear with steel rings will increase the discomfort and impede the lymphatic fluid flow, delaying the edema of the breast, as well as compressing the spurt reflex innervated by the fourth intercostal nerve, resulting in a shortage of maternal milk.
At the same time, special attention should be paid to the cleanliness of underwear at this time, as any possible pathogenic infection may affect the health of the child through skin-to-skin contact while breastfeeding. And at this time the baby has not yet established a mature immune system, the resistance to pathogenic bacteria is far weaker than that of adults.
Third, how to wear a bra is appropriate for ordinary people?
1. Is the role of bras only to change the appearance?
In fact, for bras, women are free to wear or not to wear, more for the consideration of appearance.
For adolescent girls, choosing the right size underwear is good for the support of breast tissue and reduces the risk of sagging.
Do not choose a corset because of shyness, which can affect the normal development of the mammary glands.
Women with larger breast size or obvious post-menopausal breast sagging, wearing a bra is more appropriate: gravity, the sagging mammary gland is also a sweet “burden” that can cause shoulder and back pain, and some patients even need surgery to reduce the breast to reduce the strain on the cervical and thoracic spine.
2. Can I wear a bra to bed at night?
There are no special studies on the issue of whether to wear underwear at night, but it is recommended not to do so from the perspective of human comfort, especially when the physiological swelling of the breast before menstruation will aggravate edema due to compression, and the human body is more sensitive to pain at night, which will affect sleep.
3. Can bras play a role in correcting the shape of the chest?
It is also important to wear the right underwear. Excessive squeezing of the mammary glands in pursuit of “cleavage” will aggravate breast discomfort. However, the breast shape, including the flare, sagging, size, etc., just like the human height and weight factors, is mainly related to genetics and their own development, the inappropriateness of underwear can only be said to have a slight impact, but by no means sorry to determine the role.
For the fat accumulation caused by obesity flare (many people think it is “side breast”), some people hope that through the so-called adjustable underwear to treat, but this kind of underwear can only temporarily change the shape, and treatment has nothing to do with it, it is impossible to wear after the eradication of fat accumulation, or to rely on exercise or even plastic surgery to change.
Fourth, how to choose the correct bra?
We suggest that
1. choose comfortable material
The material of the lingerie is natural and breathable cotton, mainly because of the adaptability of the skin. Chemical fiber and other fabrics are easy to trigger allergic discomfort of the skin on the surface of the breast, light itching, heavy eczema that repeatedly does not heal. 2.
2. Choose a lighter color
We also recommend choosing light-colored underwear. Light-colored underwear makes it easier for us to observe clearly the color and amount of nipple discharge, and sometimes easier to detect specific diseases.
3. Choose comfortable straps
Choosing wider straps can reduce the pressure on the shoulders and improve comfort.
4. Don’t expect to “eradicate” parasthesia through bras
For real parastomal patients, the so-called parastomal adjustment underwear is often empty to transfer the great law, but only to squeeze the parastomal breast to the right position, for the eradication of parastomal gland is completely ineffective, it is not recommended to choose.
In short, we should not believe in lingerie advertising, “wear it and become a goddess,” and do not blame their own development on the lingerie.
After all, she is just a supporting role.