Why Does My Bra Rub Me?

As we’ve said many a time on the Blog finding a correctly fitting bra can be tough and if you’ve never had a bra fitting or it’s a long time since you’ve had one, then you can experience some issues or discomforts with your bra and not know why.

That’s where our new series of posts comes in. The “Why does my bra…?” series is here to help you understand the niggly issues you might be having and to help to iron out the problems by giving you solutions.

This week the issue we’ll be tackling is “Why does my bra rub me".

Ok so the first thing to establish is what we mean by 'rubbing'. This can mean anything from leaving marks on your skin that are painful to causing blisters or sores that break the skin, such as below...

With anything, pain and discomfort is not ok and bras are not an exception, but somehow it seems that a lot of women have resigned themselves to the fact that their bras are 'uncomfortable'. They tend to believe that it's just a fact of life but that's just not the case, a properly fitting bra should never hurt you or be so uncomfortable that you are aware of it at all time. So what are the symptoms and how do we remedy them. Below are a list of places you bra might rub and the reasons for this...

1) The Underband

There are two reasons why your underband my be rubbing/leaving painful marks. One is it's too big and the other is it's too small. I know this sounds ridiculous but if you're in any sort of discomfort then the likelihood is that you're in the wrong size. So if your bra is leaving deep red grooves in your skin (not dissimilar to the image above) then your bra is probably too tight and you should try a larger size. If your underband is rubbing/chaffing (due to movement) then your back band is too big. The back band should be firm fitting, not so much that it hurts your skin, but so much so that it does not move around.

2) The Straps

If your straps are rubbing this could be because you're wearing a too bigger back size and the straps are being relied on to hold up your boobs. Read more about this here.

3) The Wires

If your wires are digging in and causing sores then you are in the wrong size, it could be that you just need a larger cup size as the wires are sitting on breast tissue or you could need a different a completely new back size and cups size. Remember, your bra shouldn't move, it should support your breasts and the wires should encase all your breast tissue. You should never experience your wires stabbing into breast tissue like in the image below if you're wearing the correct size.

So there you have it. The resounding advice for bras that are causing discomfort is that they are more than likely the wrong size. However do bear in mind that all boobs are different and certain styles of bras could cause discomfort just because they are not quite right for you. Ensuring you have the right size in the first place can help you find what works for you.

If you want help with fitting and finding the correct size then have a watch of our fitting video here, or contact the Bra Whisperer® where we can help point you (and your boobs) in the right direction.

Big Love x