A mastectomy bra is an important part of a breast cancer recovery patient as it not only helps position her breast forms properly, but also drain the healing scars after a mastectomy surgery. Physical hygiene is of the essence to ensure that the scars on your chest heal fast, and without any additional health complications.
One of the hygiene measures a mastectomy patient is expected to incorporate in her cleaning routine is proper maintenance of her mastectomy gear, especially the mastectomy bras.
Mastectomy bras usually come in direct contact with the patient’s scars, and often collect discharge and sweat. Therefore, if the bras are not properly maintained, they can pose a risk of re-infection.
Various practices are recommended when maintaining your mastectomy bras, some of which are discussed I details throughout this article.
Washing Your Bras
Generally, the simplest way to ensure that your mastectomy bras stay clean is to wash them with water and detergent, just as you would wash any other type of clothes. However, washing mastectomy bras involves a different routine, which is completely different from washing regular bras.
Hand washing your mastectomy bras is the simplest method of washing because you can control the amount of frictional force involved in the scrubbing process.
Seeing that most of your mastectomy bras are pocketed to accommodate your breast forms, you must remove the breast forms from the bra and store them in a safe place. Washing the mastectomy bra together with the breast forms will rupture or deform the breast forms.
You should use gentle detergents and wash the bras in a warm water bath. A combination of the two (warm water and mild detergent) will help dissolve any accumulated dirt and discharge from the scar. However, if a harder scrubbing is required, you should ensure that you use a brush with very soft bristles.
If your scar is taking time to heal, you can wash your bras with a washing machine. Nonetheless, you need to be very cautious when machine-washing to protect your bras against shrinking or stretching.
Keep Your Bras and Breast Forms Safe
The overall lifespan of your mastectomy bras and breast forms is determined by how well you keep them. It has been observed that most of the patients who seek replacement for their bras and breast forms would have avoided the additional replacement costs if they had kept them well.
The silicone gel contained in the thin membrane of the breast form is subject to rapture, especially if you mishandle or fit it in a mastectomy bra too small for its size. Therefore, you should have a storage box that is padded on the inside to ensure that your breast forms are safe.
Mastectomy bras should be stored in a separate drawer from other clothes. Additionally, you should ensure that you remove the breast forms from the mastectomy bra pockets to reduce the chances of damaging the bra and the breast forms.
One is Never Enough
Buying mastectomy bras requires a significant investment, especially if you are getting lots of mastectomy bras at once. However, buying many bras at a go is a worthy investment because it will extend the lifespan of each individual bra.
How does buying multiple mastectomy bras help maintain them? Consider a situation where you only had two bras that you wash and interchange on a daily basis. Regular washing do translates to degradation of the bras’ fabric, eventually leading to tearing and frequent replacements.
Therefore, having multiple bras helps them remain usable for a long period of time.
Sun-drying Rather than Using Driers
Always put your bras outside to ‘’breathe’’ and dry by natural sunlight rather than drying them in the dryer. The main reason for sun-drying your mastectomy bras is to kill the infection-causing bacteria that accumulate on the bra from the draining scar.
Electric dryers are designed to remove excess water only, leaving bacteria on the bra, which can expose you to infections.
Conclusion
A well-maintained mastectomy bra goes a long way to ensure that you reduce the risks of infecting your scar, and that you are comfortable in the bra. By observing the maintenance practices discussed above, you will extend the lifespan of your bra while avoiding frequent replacements.
