I regularly see patients wearing the wrong size bra. Unfortunately, this often means that they have inadequate support for their breasts, and so gravity is dragging them down! There are a lot of bra size calculators online, but this is not an exact science. Each bra brand is different. Fortunately, this can be simplified.
The most important part of supporting your breasts, is to have a bra band that is snug and supporting everything from below.
Find bras that have a band firmly encircling your chest at the level just below your breasts. Then find the cup size that provides coverage for your volume of breast tissue. You may have to try on a few different cup sizes for different brands and styles of bras, but you should keep the band size the same.
You can rely on that snug band size to keep you lifted. If your bra band is gently snug along your chest wall, then it will not be shifting and chafing from your movements.
The bra should not be so tight that it is cutting into your skin. If needed, you can sometimes use the rows of clasps for finer adjustment. Sweat reduction under that band by applying antiperspirant underneath each breast also helps ease the distraction from wearing the snug band.
Why should you rely on the band to provide the most lift and support? Using the shoulder straps to keep you lifted, instead of the band, can cause problems like the cup sliding upward over your breast or straps digging into your shoulders to cause indentations.
Please don’t skimp when paying for your bras. High quality bras will last longer and support you better. Sports-bras also should be snug so that your breasts are not bouncing significantly while moving. I recommend Under Armor, because it’s like a shield sucking you in, protecting your breasts from galloping erratically while working out.
A few more thoughts:
If you are on your feet, then wear a bra.
Time in an itsy-bitsy bathing suit is time for gravity to let you down.
Since I became a plastic surgeon, the women with the best non-drooping breasts have worn a bra to bed starting at puberty.
