Wearing the Brava in preparation for my natural breast augmentation is an experience worth documenting. My hope is that as this procedure becomes more and more popular others can refer to this blog and find support in reading the thoughts of somebody who has been in their shoes.
To wear the Brava you must be committed to wear it every day for prolonged periods of time. If you’re informed about the best and easiest way to get through this crucial part of your breast augmentation through fat transfer procedure, it will be a lot easier to stay focused and committed.In this post I discuss a couple of things I learned this past week while using the Brava and my light at the end of the tunnel.
Week 2 Setbacks
When I started Cycling in week 2 I tried to do too much, too quick. Instead of just introducing ONE new thing to my Brava routine, I introduced TWO. That was a mistake.
My first night Cycling, instead of going to bed with just sportbox pressure, I pumped the black ball 3-5 times for added pressure. You probably guessed it: I had more tiny blisters in the morning.
The Brava coach suggested I lay off the cycling the following night and that I treat my blisters like before. I had been wearing the Brava for 10 hours and she scaled me back to 9 hours for one night. She also suggested a couple more products to help with my sensitive skin.
- Band-Aid Advanced Healing Blister Cushions– these are multi-day use and you have to wait for them to fall off. It stayed on for 6 days before it started lifting. It did a great job at protecting my skin from further damage.
- Sesame Seed Oil- the regular one that you cook with. It really helps to keep your skin hydrated during the day. You could add it to the cream or lotion you use.
- Aloe Life Skin Gel– to replace the No Skin Wipes. The added benefit of the Aloe gel is it’s healing properties. I was so grateful for this gel! It really helped my skin and I have not gotten anymore blisters.
The next night I cycled but only kept the Brava on for 9 hours, just to be safe. The night after that I cycled and increased the time to 10 hours. By the end of week 2 I was up to 12 hours, cycling in the evening before bed and in the morning when I woke up.
Another Lesson Learned – Week 3
Although the blistering had stopped I still had red marks all around the top outer edge where the domes landed. It would start from the center of my chest, around the top, up to my underarms. When I asked the coach we discovered that I could do a better job of placing the domes to avoid this.
If you’re a woman using the Brava or contemplating using the Brava you’ll want to read this:
When putting on the domes I always start from the bottom up, flaring out the gel ring before contact. Then I lean my body forward, let my breast fall into the dome, flare the sides, attach the entire dome, and then I stand up straight.
The problem was that by attaching the top part of the dome while leaning forward it was grabbing skin from much higher on my chest than it should. So then when I would stand up it was dragging that skin down and pulling it resulting in the irritation I described above. So I made the changes and curled out the top gel ring better and the irritation reduced drastically. Phew!
The Light At The End of the Tunnel
As I finish up my 3rd week using the Brava I can’t believe the changes I’m starting to notice. My breasts are noticeably larger. They are at their largest in the morning, right after I remove the Brava, almost a C cup. And after a long day of activity, when I get home and settle down, they are at least a B cup, which is still one cup size larger than what I started with a couple of weeks ago.
They don’t feel empty nor saggy. They feel full and heavy. I have been using the Brava no more than 12 hours per day. I’m about to increase it to 14 hours. From what I’m told, most people experience a huge swelling of their breasts when wearing the Brava 14+ hours. My surgery is in 11 days so I’m really going to pump up the pressure and time wearing it.
How Large Will My Breasts Get?
Dr. Khouri tells me that every patient’s body is different. It depends on how much a person’s breasts’ swell or stretch. Your final breast size will be approximately 70-80% of the largest size achieved with Brava. A six year study was just published last month, in the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, confirming the success of this procedure. So I’m estimating that if my breasts stretch to a D cup with Brava, my final size will be a C cup. I’m more than happy with that!
I haven’t been wearing a bra as recommended. I normally would look pretty flat-chested without one. But that’s not the case because of the swelling caused by Brava. I can’t wait to go clothes and bra shopping after my breasts are filled with my fat!
My fat transfer procedure is just around the corner. I’m staying focused on wearing the Brava as much as possible in order to achieve the best results.
I’ll keep you posted with my progress.
Getting excited,
Jackie