Welcome back!  Today I’d like to cover one of the most common questions asked by women I’ve personally fitted for bras: what do you do when your breasts are not the same size?

Well, believe it or not, most women have at least a slight size difference.  I have rarely seen women with two breasts that are exactly the same size.  As if bra fitting weren’t complicated enough, right?  Different women may have asymmetrical breast sizes for different reasons.  Unfortunately, most women don’t know what to do for this manageable issue, so end up wearing bras that are not the right size and are uncomfortable for them.  Here are some tips to help you achieve your most comfortable fit so you can look and feel great in your bras!

Bra cups are too small, & should NEVER constrain your breasts.

Over the course of her lifetime, a woman’s bra size can change more than five times.  For many developing women, this is also the time when one’s breasts may not grow at the exact same rate, sometimes leaving one side noticeably bigger than the other.  Factor in body changes resulting from pregnancy, breast feeding, weight gain or loss, medication, surgery and just age, and it’s easy to see how the shape of your breasts changes over time.  You should always make sure your bras fit you and are comfortable, because if they aren’t, then you definitely are not wearing the right size or style bra for your unique body shape.

This brings me to one of the most important rules of bra fitting: if your breasts are different sizes, your bra should fit comfortably over the larger (not smaller) breast.  The cup on the larger side should fit the entirety of your breast tissue without cutting into you.  Sure, there may be a gap or a pleat in the cup where the smaller breast resides, but you can fill the space with a bra pad.  This way, the underwire will not constrain your larger breast.  NEVER, EVER buy a bra that fits only the smaller side comfortably, while the larger breast spills over the fabric of the cup or is constrained in any way by underwire or elastics.

Bra cups too big. Fabric should lie flat against the breast tissue.

So what are some available solutions to making your breasts look naturally even?  For starters, wearing a bra that at least has a lined cup will go a long way in making both sides look more similar.  It won’t help to just wear a bra that is very padded (keep in mind this will also make both sides seem larger, but the size difference will remain the same).  You can try wearing a bra that has removable pads or removable cookies; by taking them out of the larger side and inserting them into the bra pockets in the smaller cup, you help even out the difference.  This is usually a perfect little trick if your breasts are just slightly uneven in size, but if there is still a noticeable discrepancy, you might want to try to use other pads in addition to the removable cookies.

Silicone or foam pads, when added to the smaller side of your bra, can fill out the remaining gaps or spaces in your bra cup.  But if this is your plan, it would be best to use them in a lined bra or padded bra (which exist both with or without underwire), so any slight demarcations of the pad inside your bra will be minimized.  If you have a more noticeable difference in the symmetry of your breasts (close to a cup size, for example), Add-A-Size bra pads are definitely worth a try, either in silicone (see Glam silicone pads) or fabric with foam (see Add-A-Size pads).  And if you’ve had a mastectomy, Add-A-Size pads will help fill out the difference as well.

Fashion Essentials Glam silicone enhancers, available at Now That's Lingerie.com

Wire-free lined bra by Triumph, available at Now That's Lingerie.com

A few more tips before you go!  If you decide to use silicone instead of foam, don’t use more than one silicone pad inside the cup on the smaller size, because it could look and feel heavier and bulkier than the other side (if you want to walk lopsided all day, be my guest!).  Also, after inserting your bra pads, don’t forget to re-adjust your bra straps and back closure to ensure both sides look equal and you feel comfy.

Lastly– if you want more bra fitting help, contact me.  I’ve fitted women of all sorts of shapes and sizes, and I can help you find out what best suits your personal needs.  DO let me know if you have any comments or suggestions.  I’d love to hear from all of you!

Sincerely, as always,

your Bra Doctor