Mary Phelps Jacobs estaba harta de hacer malabarismos para evitar que el artificioso corsé de la época asomara por el escote de su vestido. Un buen día, mientras la mujer de la alta sociedad neoyorquina se preparaba para una fiesta, cansada de la incómoda prenda, optó por quitársela y sustituirla por dos pañuelos de seda blanca atados con un cordón que se colocó en el pecho, a modo de sujeción. Así fue como, por casualidad, creó y patentó el primer sujetador de la historia. Fue en one9one3, con el nombre de backless brassiere, que significa "corsé sin parte trasera" en inglés. Aquello significó toda una liberación para la mujer, ya que los efectos para la salud de aquellos corsés eran nefastos: provocaban desde mareos hasta problemas respiratorios, pasando por hemorragias internas. Pero la historia de esta prenda de lencería, originalmente tan sencilla, cambió al vender los derechos de la patente a la Warner Brothers Corset Company, que comenzó a fabricarlos a escala industrial. Así empezó el lío.

A mess, yes, because the entrepreneurs incorporated the volume of the breasts to the owner's carving.That is, that they were the authors of the bra).These lyrics bring women to the head because, judging by statistics, it seems that we are not able to find the right size (and get rid of this garment is not a recommendation that can be done lightly).Surveys, which are often repeated (almost annually), say that between 70% and 80% of women carry a carving size size daily.But choosing the right letter is not the only obstacle that a woman must face when choosing a bra, there are other questions that are repeated less and that are equally relevant.

Are synthetic fabrics bad for the skin?

What is the ideal genre to weave the fasteners is an important issue, but it is not easy to inform themselves about this detail, since it easily lends to generate myths.The most common is the one that surrounds synthetic fabrics."It is important to knock down the belief that synthetic tissues could be harmful.This is not so, since a good bra must be composed of synthetic materials with a certain proportion of elastane, since it is necessary to offer adequate tension.The fasteners made only with cotton, for example, are not the ideals due to their rapid deformation capacity, however, they are the perfect choice in childhood and in those women who are breastfeeding or suffering allergies, "says the expert inSenology and Breast Pathology, as well as head of the Gynecology Service of Henares Hospital, Virginia Díaz Miguel.

I hardly have a chest, do I need to wear it?

Leaving aside the use of the bra as aesthetic tool and focusing on its practical use, we must know that there is no muscle inside the breast, so its entire weight falls into fabric bands known as Cooper Ligaments.If these are wearing, there is no reversal: they do not recover their original state again.The expert explains that that is why "there are women who have little chest and who decide to do without the bra, since they have no weight to hold and find no advantage carrying it (although, if they do sports, they should do it because this activity implies a displacement).For those women with a lotback pain, shoulders and even head ".

With a hoop or without it?

"The hoop is not bad, the important thing is that you are never key in the breast," explains Díaz Miguel.It is true that it has had some bad reputation, but its function has always been to contribute greater support to the chest."That is why in women with fully developed breasts, it provides greater support to the mammary gland, increasing comfort, hence many women opt for this type of fasteners, especially those with more volume".When choosing a bra with hoop we must, of course, be clear that it should be adjusted well, not compressing excessively, that the chest is not too loose, that the breast is not key or deformed."You just have to keep in mind that you should never touch the breast fabric, you should never stick and you have to completely wrap the breast, hence the importance of choosing the right size," explains the doctor.

What do I wear if I'm breastfeeding?

Fasteners manufacturers are not oblivious to this important biological moment, in which the garment must be flexible enough to assimilate the changes of the breasts."During breastfeeding, the chest experiences fluctuations in its volume due to the lactogensis process, so the ideal bra must allow regulating those size changes, in addition to having a front opening in the cup that facilitates breastfeeding," says Díaz Miguel.And he adds: "You must have the straps, the sides and the back quite wide, to prevent the increase in volume and weight damaging the contour or shoulders.There are evolutionary breastfeeding holders in the market that allow a regulation in the back to adapt to changes in chest size that are experienced during the time that breastfeeding lasts ".

In this case, the best fabric is cotton, since it is light, breathable, antialergenic and prevents delicate areas such as nipple.Precisely the fact that this material gives a lot makes it not the most suitable for non -infants women.But you have to take into account other details when choosing a bra during breastfeeding, details such as do not carry rings, since they can obstruct blood flow or press the breast milk duct system, and also that they do not carry many elementsdecorative, ornaments or ties that can come to detach and damage the baby.

It is not the same if you do yoga as athletics

"When a physical exercise is practiced with some intensity, the breast oscillates and the musculature and chest tissues can overload," explains the doctor.That is why it is necessary to use special fasteners when we practice sports.According to the Health Research Group of the University of Porsstmouth, the movement of a woman's breasts during exercise can vary from 4 centimeters during a walk to one5 centimeters when a run (although some breasts get to move up to 2one), and this multidirectional movement can cause pain.Biomechanical professor Joanna Scur.

Of course, it is not the same to practice any of the innumerable types of yoga than boxing, and the intensity of sport is the key to choosing the most appropriate garment."A good sports bra must collect and compress the breasts.The best models are those in which the strips converge in the center of the back and cannot slide down the shoulders.The seams must be imperceptible, which do not cause marks or chafing, the tissue, breathable to keep the skin dry and with normal temperature.Nor should Aro contain (it can cause internal cardinals when impacting with the chest) or other metal elements, "explains the head of gynecology of the Henares Hospital.

The degree of compression depends on the type of exercise.Low impact sports, such as a relaxed training in the gym, yoga and pilates, are usually top style and very soft materials to the touch.Disciplines such as basketball and cycling, moderate impact, need fasteners with wider straps and provide more stability.High -impact activities, such as athletics, which imply sudden and fast movements, require bras that compress the chest and reduce their movements.The complicated thing is that they do not squeeze at the same time, that the woman can feel the feeling of having her chest collected, without moving anything, but also that she can breathe comfortably.

The best solution after a mastectomy

Patients who are removed breast tissue can be rebuilt in the same surgical act or not, depending on their physical conditions, the need for radiotherapy, of their own desire..."For those in which the gland is removed and no prostheses is placed there are fasteners that have some pockets in the glasses where the external prosthesis is placed (a kind of silicone breast or other material), thisAllows you to preserve the shape of the breast, that is symmetrical and helps to balance the posture.On the other hand, in those patients with immediate reconstruction, the ideal bra must be prepared with a high cotton content, it must be breathable, with seamless glasses, padded braces and frontal opening to facilitate its placement, ”says the specialist.

How do I choose my first bra?

The expert ensures that "there is no concrete age from which it is necessary to use a bra.Breast development takes place between oneone and one5 years, and the need for its use will depend on the volume of this.Ideally, this first bra is without ring, cotton and seamless, since the mission it has is to perform a light fastening ".