When someone receives a breast cancer diagnosis, there is a whirlwind of emotions. Time can feel like it stops, but the reality remains: The patient (and loved ones) needs to learn about treatment options, make plans for family and work responsibilities, and determine how to navigate all that’s ahead.
Post-Op Support to Ensure as Much Comfort as Possible
Being part of a cancer patient’s support system is crucial during this time. Showing your love and hope through hugs, listening and preparing for what’s next is truly needed. When surgery is required, breast cancer bras are an important consideration. And while you need to find a post-surgery bra with the right features, you also want a comfortable option. One with the right fabric that dries quickly. With adjustability to fit right to your body. There’s also the thought of drains. Will the surgery require the use of drains for days or weeks afterward? And what about pesky straps that fall down all the time?
It was these considerations that helped us create the Larissa Post-Surgical Bra. We wanted to make it helpful by adding and refining the pattern and minimizing the headaches and stressfulness that can follow surgery.
Key Features of Breast Cancer Bras
- Drain management. We feature patented drain tabs on the base of the Larissa Bra, which was done to promote confidence, independence and comfort. With easy-to-use tabs, you can see them to know when they’re full, adjust the tubing under your clothing and securely attach them to the Velcro tabs. This helps when someone has limited mobility and pain. Plus, it keeps drains from tangling or getting pulled by safety pins that can poke, a lanyard that hangs around your neck, rings that swing, or Velcro pockets that conceal the bulbs, but loop out. (Don't have drains? The Serena Bra offers the same Larissa benefits, minus the tabs!)
- Adjustable front closure and straps. We started with a front closure using medical-grade Velcro that a patient can easily manage, but we wanted to take it a step further, widening the soft Velcro closure so that it could be adjusted based on swelling decreasing. Shapes change throughout healing, and when you can wear a bra that changes with you, it makes life easier. Additionally, one size doesn’t fit all shoulders—making straps adjustable allows the patient to pull up or loosen the straps to fit their body.
- Wide, flat band. While our heart&core Larissa Bra is a true post-surgical bra and does not have cups, the wide, flat band works in tandem with the adjustable front closure and strong fabric to deliver comfortable and effective support. This wider band also helps prevent it from rolling up.
- Pockets and puffs. Each surgical plan is different, with some patients opting for a mastectomy and reconstruction simultaneously, while others choose to stay flat and some have a waiting period between procedures. That’s where our streamlined pockets come in handy. While puffs are available for inserting into these pockets, they can also be used for ice or forms. And if not needed, they can be left alone, not impacting the wear of the bra. They are what makes the Larissa Bra covered by insurance or breast cancer related surgeries (L8015 code), so be sure and talk to your care providers to get a prescription, and contact your insurance company to get specific details. They are also HSA and FSA approved for using those funds on a purchase essential to different types of surgeries.
- Buttery soft fabric. The bra sits right on the skin, so of course it needs to be soft and comfortable. However, aside from sleeping and relaxing, it has stretch to it as well, which is essential for comfortable movement. It also needs to be cool and dry because sweat happens during treatments or when someone is not feeling great. You want to wash and be able to wear it again quickly. You want fabric that’s durable, so it lasts and doesn’t stretch out. That’s why we created a fabric blend that’s soft yet strong, wicks away moisture, dries quickly and stands up to washing.
- Strategic cut. It has been designed to prevent rubbing on incisions by coming a little lower on the base of the bra, while a higher cut under the arms provides additional structure and support after breast surgery.
- Racerback styling. Regular bra straps can be annoying when they loosen and fall. On a post-op bra, this is even worse. You want support, not irritating straps that slide down. That’s why our design uses a sporty racerback that holds straps up unlike a standard bra. That makes for one less thing to worry about during recovery!
- A wide range of sizes. We wanted to offer a premium post-surgery bra to as many women as possible, so we created a range of sizes to try and support every body. That ranges from 28" for our XS to 60" for our SQ, with eight options to choose from.
- Two colors—for now. With options in traditional white and black that doesn't show stains. People choose based on popularity of a color and practicality, so we wanted to give options. We're working on another color, to come soon!
Our features aren’t just bullet points—they’re thoughtfully selected benefits to create a one-of-a-kind bra for breast cancer patients. They were designed with our mom in mind after she had radiation and a lumpectomy and experience discomfort and could only find sports bras in small sizes when shopping for her own recovery bras.
Not Everyone Knows They Need a Post-Op Bra—So How Do You Choose One?
While trying to create bras that truly help breast cancer surgery patients, we also are trying to create awareness. Many women don’t know they’ll need a different bra. Or they’re provided one that is uncomfortable or stretches too much. Or they find out last-minute they need one and order quickly to just get something.
However, there are also the people we hear from. The husbands, daughters, mothers, sisters, friends and other loved ones who want to order bras for surgery. They’re doing research and trying to find the right style and size. They’re wanting to find something comfortable to offer support. They’re curious if they can exchange a bra if it doesn’t fit.
It’s a stressful time. We get it. That’s why we are here: to answer questions, help you get the right fit and keep building awareness about breast health and surgical recovery.
So, Your heart&core Bra Doesn’t Fit? Reach Out to Us
Although we hear from post-surgical bra customers all the time, we’re always learning. One of those lessons has been the fact that some people don’t realize they can exchange their bras. It makes them worried to try and pick one. For starters, we’re not looking to send someone a bra they can’t wear. So, we try to drive home the point to try on the bra first to determine if the size and style are right.
- Check the fit. Keep the tags attached and try on the product after showering (to avoid deodorant stains in case you need to return it). If it doesn’t fit, please email us at info@heartandcore.com to begin an exchange or return.
- Be careful when washing. Be sure to fasten ALL Velcro together before washing—this prevents it from attaching to anything else being washed at the same time!
- Contact us about exchanges or returns. We will happily accept your exchange or return, if the product hasn’t been worn, has the tags on it and doesn’t have any marks, stains or odors. Place the product(s) back in the polybag with the packing slip and email us so we can provide shipping information.
As always, contact us at info@heartandcore.com if you have any questions about your order.
You Might Not Be Doing Regular Self Breast Exams—But Starting Could Save Your Life
In October, breast cancer awareness is everywhere. Approximately every two minutes, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. In 2025, an estimated 316,950 women are projected to be diagnosed. The stats can be a real wake-up call, and it may be the time where you think you should be doing your self-exams. So, you might remember to do it when you jump out of the shower one day and maybe even the next, but many times the routine doesn’t continue. If you are doing it, amazing! But when one study showed the 99 percent of participants recognized the importance of self-exams, only 14 percent reported performing them regularly. So, if you aren’t doing it, you aren’t alone by any means.
However, like any routine, it’s not so tough to start by checking right when you’re out of the shower, using deeper pressure around your breast to know your breasts—and to feel anything out of the ordinary. While our family presents a high enough risk to warrant a mammogram, 3D ultrasound and MRI each year, we were recently reminded that the time between those exams can be long enough for a lump to appear.
“I Saved My Own Life”: One Medical Professional’s Breast Cancer Story
Recently, when talking to a healthcare professional who works every day in the world of breast cancer, she shared that she had battled breast cancer and undergone a mastectomy only a few years ago. In her story, she was the one who found the lump. With a lower risk factor, she had annual mammograms, but it was about four months after her mammogram that she found a lump. It was Stage 2 cancer, and had she not found the lump, it would have been months before her next mammogram and the progression would have continued. Her prior mammogram was completely clear, which reminds us how quickly this can happen. With the aggressive nature of the cancer, she said, “I saved my own life,” and encouraged us to share her story with others.
However, we were astounded when she told us about her experience in getting a post-surgical bra from the hospital. Initially, she was given one that stretched out over a short amount of time. She asked for another and had to battle to get a second bra. No one ever told her she could get one covered by insurance or even educated her about the prospect of ordering one. This is not to discredit one hospital or care team. It’s to remind us that we need to do more work on awareness and also that hospital staff is sometimes uninformed and often overworked, not having time to discuss post-surgery to the extent of recommending bras. Additionally, sometimes there’s not the budget for a nurse navigator to walk alongside a patient in recovery. While we can’t change all of this, we can play our role in helping patients learn about the importance post-surgical bras. We can promote our breast cancer awareness bras as part of this and show how they can help individual patients. And we can support the breast cancer patient themselves and their family as they try to find the right bra.
Support Those You Love on Their Breast Cancer Journey
As Breast Cancer Awareness Month ends, we wanted to wrap this month with a blog that shows our year-round dedication to the breast cancer community. We were able to be part of the Pink Wave to support the Hope Chest in Minnesota with a heart&core booth, and behind the scenes, we’ve been working on additional bra styles to add to our line and bring more solutions to the market. It’s our mission to give comfort to those who have been diagnosed and to help their loved ones find a way to help with breast cancer awareness bras. This is a personal journey for us, and that’s why we support you.
