What’s the difference between a compression bra and a mastectomy bra?
Mastectomy bras are designed to hold prostheses securely in place. Some compression bras, including Bellisse’s Compressure Comfort® Bra, are also designed to hold prostheses, but they do much more as well. Compression bras provide compression for patients with post-surgical swelling or truncal lymphedema, which is often the painful retention of lymphatic fluid in the torso (a common side effect of breast cancer treatments). Mastectomy bras are simply not designed to provide compression in all the areas that can be affected by truncal lymphedema, such as high in the armpit and/or on the back. In fact, depending on their design, some mastectomy bras may be contraindicated for lymphedema, because they do not provide therapeutically useful compression, may cut into tender, swollen tissue, and may even block the drainage of lymphatic fluid.
