So many bras, so little time! 

I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into this very special bra roundup. When you’ve had breast reconstruction, the general rule of thumb is to steer clear of underwire bras. So, I thought I’d get to the bottom of the “why” behind the no-underwire rule, as well as show you some gorgeous bras (and fun spring tops) to choose from.

Before I dive into all of the fun fashion finds, let’s see what some of my favorite experts had to say about the underwire situation.

When asking Dr. Jonathan Bank of NYBRA Plastic Surgery whether it’s safe for those of us with breast reconstruction to wear underwire bras, he explains, “I don’t think there’s a major risk if the scars are fully healed. The potential downside is if there’s significantly decreased sensation in the scar area and a malfunctioning bra wire hurts the scar, but I’ve never seen that happen.” 

Underwire bras are not an absolute “no” in any breast surgery. There is a relative “no” during immediate post-op in situations where there is an incision at the fold underneath the breast. You don’t want to challenge the closure of the skin with hard or rough material that can cause things to break down before the skin has healed. 

Dr. Ron Israeli of NYBRA Plastic Surgery also weighed in, adding that, “Patients recovering from surgery might want to have their surgeons determine that their scars are fully healed before deciding on underwire bras.”

Once the majority of healing is complete, at about six–eight weeks from surgery, Bank has no problem with women wearing any appropriately fitting bra. Even better if it’s an AnaOno bra.

With that, I saw my cue to inquire with Dana Donofree, the founder of AnaOno, on this very important topic. 

Donofree explains, “It isn’t that underwire bras are completely off limits. However, they can absolutely be ill fitting and even cause unnecessary pain. Most bra wearers are not wearing the correct bra to begin with. After breast surgery, this entire process becomes even more troublesome.”

“Depending on your surgery, underwire bras may cause pain but you may not realize it right away due to the lack of sensation in the chest area,” she continues. “I always recommend looking for bras that are made of soft materials, have soft unstructured cups and [don’t have] underwires. That may have you feeling limited to sport bras, but not at AnaOno. We live by these design features!”

So, can you wear underwire bras if you’ve had breast reconstruction? Sure. Is it the most comfortable and safest option? This depends on many of the factors mentioned above. 

That being said, I researched the finest offerings of non-underwire bras and was pleasantly surprised to see that there are some great options out there. 

Of course, I couldn’t resist pairing the bras with some really cute tops which are perfect for spring, too.