Breast surgery, be it a mastectomy, lumpectomy, or reconstruction, is a significant medical procedure that often necessitates a period of physical and emotional recovery. For many women, this recovery also involves rethinking their wardrobe, particularly when it comes to choosing dresses that are not only comfortable but also help in regaining confidence in their appearance. Let’s dive into the opportunity to get a whole new wardrobe that will make you look and feel good!
Understanding Your New Needs
After the surgery, your body will experience several changes. You will notice some swelling and sensitivity around the area where the surgery was done. Adjusting to a new body shape will definitely be a consideration when choosing dresses. As we go through our options, remember that although comfort and ease of wearing the dress are important factors, don’t get too strict in a way that it sacrifices your personal style.
- Prioritize Soft and Stretchable Fabrics
The choice of fabric is especially important. You will want to choose dresses made from soft, stretchable and light materials that are gentle on your sensitive skin. Fabrics such as cotton, modal, jersey and soft blends offer comfort and flexibility which are helpful in accommodating temporary changes in your body shape. They are also breathable which, trust me, is an important factor for keeping your surgery area comfortable.
- Easy-To-Wear Designs are a Must
Not everyone will have someone to assist them during dressing up. Especially if you do prefer to feel like you are able to do your own dressing up, you will want to look for dress features that allow easy to wear without doing a whole lot of range of movements. That kind of easy wear means front access features will be helpful. Whether it is buttons up front, or loose necklines, ideally you want a dress that is easy to wear AND remove. Avoid complex closing mechanisms which can get frustrating.
- Embrace the Adjustable Features
As mentioned above, your body will still have temporary changes. Just because you are going to experience these changes, doesn’t mean you should hold off from buying a dress. Look for dresses that can be adjusted without any sewing. Adjustable straps or even options for a loose belt wrap would definitely help.
- Layering for Confidence and Style
Here’s where you can get creative. Layering can be stylish and practical. Scarves, cardigans or even shawls can be layered over dresses to provide additional coverage, warmth or even just to add a fashionable element to your whole look. Not only do they look nice, it helps if you’re a bit conscious about your chest area being noticed by other people. Shift the attention to beautiful accessories.
- Flattering Lengths and Cuts
Choose a dress length and cut that makes you feel comfortable and confident. Post-surgery, you may find that certain styles you previously enjoyed no longer feel right. It’s okay to experiment with different lengths and cuts until you find what works best for your new body.
- Color and Pattern Choices
Colors and patterns can significantly impact how you feel in a dress. You will want to dress how you want to feel. Bright, cheerful colors or patterns may boost your mood, while subdued, solid colors can offer a classic, elegant look. Choose colors and patterns that uplift your spirits and complement your skin tone. Of course you don’t need to submit to the ideal image of cheerfulness and joy. Whatever color you choose, choose ones that make you feel good.
- Match Your Bras and Dresses
After breast surgery, it’s not simply dresses you need to be choosing for your wardrobe. There will be specialized mastectomy bras that are important for your healing process. Select bras that go well with your dress so that you won’t feel like the bra sticks out or is conspicuous under your new light dress.
How to match bras and dresses after breast surgery.
- Comfort Above All
We can’t stress enough about how important comfort is when it comes to dressing up after a surgery. You don’t need to sacrifice comfort to look good, you CAN look good and FEEL good at the same time. Don’t be discouraged about not achieving a specific look. Dressing up is about getting creative and even breaking a few rules in fashion. Just remember that this is about you and your recovery process so enjoy the dress selection without the pressure of conforming to the preferences of others.