How Do I Select Breast Forms?
(links verified 1/17/11)

Davita in denim romperI am not an expert, but what I can do is send you to just a few sites that are selling breasts. As I have not bought or done any business with those listed here, I cannot comment on the quality of the products. What I can say is that I like how they presented their information and that tells me they are trying to do good.

So for me, I can tell you that I took the lazy girl's way out. I went to a mastectomy boutique and was fitted by a professional. *smile* No--I did not go dressed--I wasn't out just yet. I may have paid for the privilege of going to the lady, but I wanted to be sure my bias did not influence what was to be my long term look. I wanted to pass inconspicuously.

12/30/2003 -- Just a quick update on buying those boobs. This comes from one of my trips and I happened to walk into a Lady Grace store in New Hampshire. I was mastectomy bra hunting again. You know, you get fat and well nothing fits *sigh* Anyway. I was DRAB, but that never stops me. I started the conversation a bit vague but as we continued to talk, I eventually told the person helping me, I was looking for me. There wasn't even a pause in the conversation. Anyway, we decided on a brand and style, but for the price, I wasn't ready to buy. We wrote all the key info down in a catalog the manager (I think) gave me. The conversation also covered the silicone breasts. I happened to mention that my last bra I recently got had my old breasts with plenty of room to roam. Yeah, roaming boobs can be an odd sight so don't be looking for that in a proper fit.

The simple answer to the breast size issue is that size matters. Quite simply, my original breasts were proportioned for a smaller (less fat) person. They were a very good match for my size -- then. However, as you grow, your breasts had they been real, would have grown too. DDUUUUHHHH how's that for missing the obvious? Well I did. That's why my old, ungrowing boobs roamed in my new bra.

A couple more things about silicone. Since I bought mine ummmm a few million years ago, there is one technological improvement. They are now "whipped." This makes them lighter and more comfortable. They have better color and they last just as long as the old heavier ones. While talking with the Lady Grace person, she told me absolutely keep them clean, following the form's instructions. That will help them last that much longer. In addition, she said never poke a hole or tear them. They bleed the silicone guts out. If you do happen to get a tear or hole, the lady suggested a bandage or tape. You need to close the hole as soon as you can do a correct job of it.

And finally, somewhere in on this web page I said silicone breasts can last ten years. The Lady Grace person said the silicone breasts are really designed to last just a couple years assuming continuous wear. However, if you take real good care of them, including replacing them back into their form holders, it may be possible to get them to last the ten years. She was skeptical since she never heard about it before. I mentioned the form holders. Hopefully when you bought your forms, they were boxed or packaged such that they had a little tray/cup shaped as they are. I guess this helps them from losing their shape when you store them and helps from getting tears from sagging and stretching from being malformed.

[A 10/28/2000 note: I have been going out dressed for a year. I have several friends that know and so I can get feedback now and then. Well "L" is one of the recent souls I have opened to. She's a long time friend and so she feels okay to tell me what she thinks. She has only seen me dressed once, but she apparently was looking me over pretty good. She told me for a 47+ year old woman, my boobs were just too perfect *smile* She said they didn't have any droop. I said maybe I need to lower them some by adjusting my bra. She concurred. Just thought this little update would be useful for those wanting to be an average girl. *smile*]

It took us awhile to link up with our two schedules, but we succeeded. When she first saw me, she was surprised--expecting a shorter person. Height has a bit to do with what size breasts look right too; not just weight. After we got passed our mutual awkwardness, we got started quickly. She asked what I was planning on, like activities and such. She asked what I was expecting size-wise. To that I told her I just wanted to be average or even a little smaller rather than larger and that I was not going to be very active when I wore them. Armed with the information, she described what she was going to do and as she was doing it. The first step was being fitted for a bra. With that, we moved to the forms. She looked, selected a couple sizes (she had already decided on the shape--triangular). She loaded the bra, showed me how to do it and then looked me over. She tried the other size and did the same. We (well me) practiced putting the bra on and loading the breast forms. When she was reasonably sure and I was sure, we settled the tab. No--I will not say *blush*.

My silicones are Discrene Systems size six. I also got a mastectomy bra and, of all the bras I have, it is the most comfortable. [Another 10/28/2000 note: Now that I am getting out and had that comment about my boobs being maybe a little big and definitely setting to perfect, I realized that maybe it was the padding in the bra that added a little too much size. This is something to think about if you buy one. In addition, I really like the confidence I get wearing it. I never worry about my boobs "going south" or taking their own tour of my blouse. I highly recommend a mastectomy bra.]

Oh and just a note, if you treat your forms properly and they are of decent quality, they will last years. Supposedly, mine can be up to ten years. Your breasts are going to be one of your better investments both for how you feel about yourself and how they add to your overall appearance. Even an expensive pair taking into account how long they should last, means they are worth getting. However, as they will cost and they are a long term venture, do not short yourself rushing to get just anything unless you intend to shop for forms again.

[2/24/2005] I just wanted to mention that during one of my outings I stopped in a lingerie shop in New Hampshire. I learned about the latest silicone forms. They are "whipped" and weigh a lot less than mine do. They have the same life expectancy and price (well maybe a bit more) so the question is, when will the older type of breast forms like mine will drop in price to be phased out. Trust me, old heavy ones can be gotten used to especially if you're ummmm... a heavy girl to start with.

And one other note. *giggle* I know full well you are going to "cop a feel." You just can't help it. They do feel real and once you have worn them a bit, they warm up to your body temperature and feel that much better.

[January 2010] Let's talk bras for a moment. I touched on them above, but let me get a bit deeper into the subject. You girls have been out there drooling over some really cute and pretty ones. You have been trying to decide what will work and what won't with respect to your fake boobs. I'm going to talk about the bras in context of silicone boobs. I can't say what holds a water balloon or socks or anything else. To start, darn near any bra will hold silicone boobs. The question is will the bra hold them no matter what you do. It may be funny to everyone else if a boob escapes, but you are going to just die.

Basically all the rules you have heard about fitting a women's boobs and body to her bra apply to us girls. We don't really need spillage top or bottom of the bra. We don't need baggy cups, straps that fall down or a back that crawls up to our shoulders. For all the different styles of bras out there, the rules all apply. The exception may be the demi-cup bras where the bra just provides more or less of a shelf for the girls to rest in/on. So get a cup size that best fits the girls so they don't roam but also don't have it very easy to jump out. With the lower cut cups, you can try sticking the boobs to you with whatever you use. Myself, I work with double stick tape. This tape stuff is not reliable for a full day, however. My boobs are triangular allowing me to put them in my bra a couple ways and they can be on either side. I've worn mastectomy bras, wireless and underwire. I've worn strapless and I've tried going without but using a shape wear top. Shape wear tops that aren't underwired won't work -- nice try but just not a long term solution. Maybe a long line girdle will work, but not one of those stretchy cami type tops. Back to bras -- the one thing I have noticed about the high tech bras that are "pre-shaped" -- those that are formed already before you even get your boobs in them and they are somewhat stiff -- they don't do a good job of holding the girls in place. if there is any room to roam, the boobs are going to be traveling. This might be a case where you want a smaller cup size that you would get ordinarily. My personal preference for bras wind up being the cute pretty ones with soft cups, but they are still underwired. I feel the underwire is more likely to hold up my heavy silicones and not allow them to slip under the band. Having said this, my mastectomy bras are not underwired; they don't need to be and they are best if you intend to be pretty active moving about. Still, you must be sure the cups are not too big. the girls won't be escaping, but they will roam in the cups. In conclusion, enjoy your shopping, get the right fit and get help if you need to. Don't be included in that 70 to 90 percent of women with bad fitting bras.