hmmmm....a little baffled?!?!

susanturtle7 · 10-06-2006, 02:57 PM

So i just looked at the measure thing for sizing...as most of you know, my breast augmentation is oct 19th.....well i measured what my band size should be and i am puzzled....i measured around my ribcage and got about 31inches so i added 5 to that so my band size should be 36???? why do i wear a 32 or 34 bra????mind you, when i wear a 34, its on either the smallest or medium hook????? now i am lost hahaha......HELP PLEASE

JACQELINERT · 10-06-2006, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by susanturtle7

So i just looked at the measure thing for sizing...as most of you know, my breast augmentation is oct 19th.....well i measured what my band size should be and i am puzzled....i measured around my ribcage and got about 31inches so i added 5 to that so my band size should be 36???? why do i wear a 32 or 34 bra????mind you, when i wear a 34, its on either the smallest or medium hook????? now i am lost hahaha......HELP PLEASE

I am in exactly the same boat! I also have a 31" ribcage, so by the measure thing I am supposedly 36. Yet I have always worn a 34 A or B. The 36 bras are always too big.

Now I also have wondered if I am measuring my ribcage differently although I am not stupid because nearly all the girls here say they have 26-29" ribcages and 31" is supposedly huge. Yet my PS said I have a ribcage on the narrow end.

The difference is not due to fat or anything because I am quite lean.

In the end, I know I will just try on bras when I drop and fluff and not worry too much about it.

But I am glad you asked because this has been puzzling me for WEEKS!

HockeyBabe17 · 10-06-2006, 03:19 PM

Yea I know hahah it's confusing, but that's the way it works :P I just buy whatever feels comfortable. According to sizing methods I should be a "36" too, but that's close to impossible because I'm extremely petite. I can ONLY wear a 32 or 34, 36's are massive on me!

Jiggle · 10-06-2006, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by susanturtle7

So i just looked at the measure thing for sizing...as most of you know, my breast augmentation is oct 19th.....well i measured what my band size should be and i am puzzled....i measured around my ribcage and got about 31inches so i added 5 to that so my band size should be 36???? why do i wear a 32 or 34 bra????mind you, when i wear a 34, its on either the smallest or medium hook????? now i am lost hahaha......HELP PLEASE

I'm not sure how you're measuring but I measure 32 inches... so that makes me a 36. I KNOW I'm a 36 band... possibly even a 38 now. So if you think that's dramatically off, then it may be possible that you measured differently.

Are you measuring where your bra band would be? Right below your boobs and straight around? If you truly are a 36, don't fret b/c it doesn't mean you're "fat".

I'm sure you'll get this straightened out.

susanturtle7 · 10-06-2006, 03:45 PM

i dont think a 36 makes me fat but it just seems weird.....like i have never bought a 36 bra because they always feel too big...maybe i just wear my bras wrong...i like them to kinda feel tight enough around me.....hmmmm... maybe i should go get measured before my breast augmentation so i can compare with after

Jiggle · 10-06-2006, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by susanturtle7

i dont think a 36 makes me fat but it just seems weird.....like i have never bought a 36 bra because they always feel too big...maybe i just wear my bras wrong...i like them to kinda feel tight enough around me.....hmmmm... maybe i should go get measured before my breast augmentation so i can compare with after

I've heard that lots of women aren't wearing the right sized bras. So I guess it's possible that you were wearing the wrong size. I know that pre-breast augmentation, I could fit into a 34 band... but where the underwires sat were way too narrow for my build. So that's why I always wore 36. Some women wear their bras so that the back clasp is way too high (they should be level with the front band).

Try getting measured.... that might help put your mind at ease.

HTH!

JACQELINERT · 10-06-2006, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joyful

I've heard that lots of women aren't wearing the right sized bras. So I guess it's possible that you were wearing the wrong size. I know that pre-breast augmentation, I could fit into a 34 band... but where the underwires sat were way too narrow for my build. So that's why I always wore 36. Some women wear their bras so that the back clasp is way too high (they should be level with the front band).

Try getting measured.... that might help put your mind at ease.

HTH!

Well, Joyful it's a good try but I think there must be something a bit more random going on here. As the justbreastimplants measuring thing says "even this system doesn't work for everyone" so maybe Susan and I are just some of those people it doesn't apply to.

All my life I have been told to get band size by measuring around the torso across the fullest part of the bust. For me, that was 34".

Why would anyone invent a sizing method that got the size by adding FIVE inches to EVERYONE's ribcage? That's so random. If you're going to use under-the-bust ribcage measurement, it would be simpler to just say "if you're an odd number round up an inch."

For whatever reason, I have been wearing 34 As or Bs for thirty years and except when I was pregnant and nursing I never was comfortable in 32s or 36s. When I tried 36s the cups would ride up my breasts rather than staying put at the crease, even at the tightest setting.

The 34bras have never ridden up in back, and the underwires have always sat perfectly -- I would know if they didn't because I am hypersensitive to anything tugging or digging into my skin the least bit.

Anyway, all this still doesn't explain why my PS thinks my 31" ribcage is narrow when 90 percent of the ladies on this forum have smaller ribcages.

I guess a little mystery is what keeps life interesting

mrsfuda · 10-06-2006, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JACQELINERT

I am in exactly the same boat! I also have a 31" ribcage, so by the measure thing I am supposedly 36. Yet I have always worn a 34 A or B. The 36 bras are always too big.

Now I also have wondered if I am measuring my ribcage differently although I am not stupid because nearly all the girls here say they have 26-29" ribcages and 31" is supposedly huge. Yet my PS said I have a ribcage on the narrow end.

The difference is not due to fat or anything because I am quite lean.

In the end, I know I will just try on bras when I drop and fluff and not worry too much about it.

But I am glad you asked because this has been puzzling me for WEEKS!

I measure 31" around my ribcage as well, and wear a 36DD bra. My ps told me that I have a large ribcage, long and wide, and that's why it took so many cc's to look right...I "ate" the implant.

Maybe your ps works on amazons. lol

JACQELINERT · 10-06-2006, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrsfuda

I measure 31" around my ribcage as well, and wear a 36DD bra. My ps told me that I have a large ribcage, long and wide, and that's why it took so many cc's to look right...I "ate" the implant.

Maybe your ps works on amazons. lol

I guess you and I are a similar body plan. I would be 5'6" too if not for my scoliosis.

Do you know what your breast diameter is? It's possible my PS was referring to that -- mine is 12 cm., which would be on the narrow end, because I believe the usual range is 11-15 cm.

My PS said he would not use an implant wider than my breast diameter, so out of all the Mentor and Inamed styles, the most ccs I could get, even with HPs, was 450.

My bustline now is only 37" but my hips are 39". With 600 ccs and a DD, I would still only have looked "proportional" or "balanced" rather than "big." So I know what you mean when you say your body "ate" the implants! LOL!

jodyt · 10-06-2006, 07:18 PM

susan,
if a bra feels comfortable and gives good support then it fits,dont fret to much about band size you have to go with what feels right.
just so you know the reason why bra's have 2 or 3 hook placements is to allow for fabric streach or give due to washing wear ect. when a bra is brand new it should fit well on the first hooks (the loosest ones) when youve washed and worn it for a while if it has devolped a bit of give then you go down to the 2nd hook then if it continues to streach go to the 3rd hook (the tightest one)

sam8581 · 10-09-2006, 11:52 AM

When I measured myself I came out as a 36 also bandwise. I have always worn a 34 and a 36 would be way too big on me. I am on the smallest/tightest hook already on the 34. When I went and got measured at Nordstoms they told me 34, so I think somehow I am just measuring wrong. Either way the 34 fits best, so I will continue to wear them!

Jiggle · 10-09-2006, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JACQELINERT

Well, Joyful it's a good try but I think there must be something a bit more random going on here. As the justbreastimplants measuring thing says "even this system doesn't work for everyone" so maybe Susan and I are just some of those people it doesn't apply to.

All my life I have been told to get band size by measuring around the torso across the fullest part of the bust. For me, that was 34".

Why would anyone invent a sizing method that got the size by adding FIVE inches to EVERYONE's ribcage? That's so random. If you're going to use under-the-bust ribcage measurement, it would be simpler to just say "if you're an odd number round up an inch."

For whatever reason, I have been wearing 34 As or Bs for thirty years and except when I was pregnant and nursing I never was comfortable in 32s or 36s. When I tried 36s the cups would ride up my breasts rather than staying put at the crease, even at the tightest setting.

The 34bras have never ridden up in back, and the underwires have always sat perfectly -- I would know if they didn't because I am hypersensitive to anything tugging or digging into my skin the least bit.

Anyway, all this still doesn't explain why my PS thinks my 31" ribcage is narrow when 90 percent of the ladies on this forum have smaller ribcages.

I guess a little mystery is what keeps life interesting

I really have no idea why it doesn't work. I guess it's like cc's and how they work differently for everyone. But if I do the measurement under my breast, I'm at 32. And there's no way I wear a 32 band. So adding that 4 inches on makes sense in my case. I also don't think you should be measuring at the fullest part of your breast for a band measurement. That's usually for a cup measurement.

Ina · 10-09-2006, 01:15 PM

In my part of the world you actually only measure under bust and use that measurement (in cm) as the bra band size. In US sizes however you indeed do measure under bust and then add 4 or 5 inches. And it does make sense only differently.

By standard, when you measure a cup size you measure under breasts for the band size, then add the 4-5 for your band size and THEN you measure OVER BUST at the fullest part. And the difference between this measurement and your band size determines your cup size. Here's the "official" size chart:

0 to 1/2 inch AA
1/2 to 1 inch A
1 to 2 1/2 inches B
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches C
3 1/2 to 4 1/2 inches D
4 1/2 to 6 inches DD (E)
6 to 7 inches DDD (F)
7 to 8 inches G
etc., etc.

Others just state that every inch more you measure over bust than below means one cup size, so if you've got a 29" ribcage you + 5" and get a band size of 34. Then if you measure 36 inches over bust you're a B cup.

So that explains the band size measurement - basically, you need a 4-5 inch difference below breast to the over bust measurement to even be on the scale.

This is why the main site has a different way to measure it because especially with augmented breasts, breast shape and width can change the situation an awfully lot too.

In Finland we have a different measuring system, we measure in centimetres and the measurement below bust is your band size, but you need to take the 4-5 inch difference into account when determining the cup size.

I'm not good at explaining it but I do hope this sheds at least some light into the situation!

10-06-2006, 02:57 PM	#1
susanturtle7 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Madison Wisconsin Posts: 314 Thanks: 0 Thanked 6 Times in 6 Posts	hmmmm....a little baffled?!?! So i just looked at the measure thing for sizing...as most of you know, my breast augmentation is oct 19th.....well i measured what my band size should be and i am puzzled....i measured around my ribcage and got about 31inches so i added 5 to that so my band size should be 36???? why do i wear a 32 or 34 bra????mind you, when i wear a 34, its on either the smallest or medium hook????? now i am lost hahaha......HELP PLEASE

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10-06-2006, 03:19 PM	#3
HockeyBabe17 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: California Posts: 649 Thanks: 259 Thanked 238 Times in 190 Posts	Yea I know hahah it's confusing, but that's the way it works :P I just buy whatever feels comfortable. According to sizing methods I should be a "36" too, but that's close to impossible because I'm extremely petite. I can ONLY wear a 32 or 34, 36's are massive on me!

10-06-2006, 03:45 PM	#5
susanturtle7 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Madison Wisconsin Posts: 314 Thanks: 0 Thanked 6 Times in 6 Posts	i dont think a 36 makes me fat but it just seems weird.....like i have never bought a 36 bra because they always feel too big...maybe i just wear my bras wrong...i like them to kinda feel tight enough around me.....hmmmm... maybe i should go get measured before my breast augmentation so i can compare with after

10-06-2006, 07:18 PM	#10
jodyt Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: salisbury,england Posts: 1,343 Thanks: 424 Thanked 327 Times in 232 Posts	susan, if a bra feels comfortable and gives good support then it fits,dont fret to much about band size you have to go with what feels right. just so you know the reason why bra's have 2 or 3 hook placements is to allow for fabric streach or give due to washing wear ect. when a bra is brand new it should fit well on the first hooks (the loosest ones) when youve washed and worn it for a while if it has devolped a bit of give then you go down to the 2nd hook then if it continues to streach go to the 3rd hook (the tightest one)

10-09-2006, 11:52 AM	#11
sam8581 Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 16 Thanks: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts	When I measured myself I came out as a 36 also bandwise. I have always worn a 34 and a 36 would be way too big on me. I am on the smallest/tightest hook already on the 34. When I went and got measured at Nordstoms they told me 34, so I think somehow I am just measuring wrong. Either way the 34 fits best, so I will continue to wear them!

10-09-2006, 01:15 PM	#13
Ina Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 2,002 Thanks: 546 Thanked 923 Times in 579 Posts	In my part of the world you actually only measure under bust and use that measurement (in cm) as the bra band size. In US sizes however you indeed do measure under bust and then add 4 or 5 inches. And it does make sense only differently. By standard, when you measure a cup size you measure under breasts for the band size, then add the 4-5 for your band size and THEN you measure OVER BUST at the fullest part. And the difference between this measurement and your band size determines your cup size. Here's the "official" size chart: 0 to 1/2 inch AA 1/2 to 1 inch A 1 to 2 1/2 inches B 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches C 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 inches D 4 1/2 to 6 inches DD (E) 6 to 7 inches DDD (F) 7 to 8 inches G etc., etc. Others just state that every inch more you measure over bust than below means one cup size, so if you've got a 29" ribcage you + 5" and get a band size of 34. Then if you measure 36 inches over bust you're a B cup. So that explains the band size measurement - basically, you need a 4-5 inch difference below breast to the over bust measurement to even be on the scale. This is why the main site has a different way to measure it because especially with augmented breasts, breast shape and width can change the situation an awfully lot too. In Finland we have a different measuring system, we measure in centimetres and the measurement below bust is your band size, but you need to take the 4-5 inch difference into account when determining the cup size. I'm not good at explaining it but I do hope this sheds at least some light into the situation!