[Underwhere758]

So, I am about two weeks into this thing and have some issues I am looking for advice about:

1) I bought my system directly from Brava- when it came and I removed the plastic sheeting over the dome backs I noticed there was some excess gel on one of the domes that was sort of lumpy. Like it had pulled off the plastic sheeting and stuck in a pile on the dome.

I called Brava the next day -just out of paranoia and they had me take pictures and send them in. I never heard anything back so I just went about wearing the domes. The part where the lump was on the dome has been peeling off a bit and what is underneath is smooth and not sticky so I went ahead took more pictures and emailed them again (was a little more forceful this time).

They called back and really didn't seem to be listening to me. The coach ran through the steps of washing yourself and applying the domes and I was like yeah that's all great -but they don't seem to be sticky on this one part and sometimes when I bend over the seal breaks and all the suction leaves.

Anyway, long story short they ignored the issue of the peeling gel and said the reason they fall off when I bend over is that I need smaller domes- they are going to send me the mediums and then when they get here I return the larges (no charge).

My concern is, maybe the larges aren't too big, and I am just going to have to buy them back. They said once I make this change they won't do another free return. They based the decision to change my size on the fact that when I am wearing the domes I am not even close to filling them - even after 12+ hours of suction.
I must admit that when I am wearing the domes, I see minimal swelling and can't really feel the suction. My boobs sort of seem to be growing more triangular (haha) like enlarging from the nipple and some swilling but I wouldnt say they look normal....maybe they are right but just wanted to get the take of the more experienced people here and see what they think....

Sorry for the long drawn out question...now for a couple shorter ones

2) I am getting a rash/scrape thing in the center of my chest- anyone else have this experience-what can I put on it....If i keep going am I going to scar?

[artswife3]

Ok, when I first got my domes, 1 of them was not in perfect condition on the sticky part either with some lumping of the sticky stuff, and mine also had silicone plugging one of the air holes. I never contacted Brava, although I thought about it, and just unplugged the silicone from the hole and tried to ignore the problems with the sticky part of the dome. After 10 weeks of Brava my domes aren't very sticky, they don't even stick to my chest when I put them on, but once I add support and then the suction, I don't have an issue with losing suction.

I have the wide large domes and my measurements were 29 under the breasts and 33 inches around the breasts across the nipples. I had nursed 6 children and they were very deflated. After 10 weeks of wear I still only fill up my domes maybe halfway, and quite honestly the amount of swelling for me hasn't changed much at all from week 4 to week 10. They do swell though, but it isn't very noticeable at the beginning of the wear time, just when it is time to remove the domes after 10-11 hours of wear. At that time I swell to 36-37 inches around the breasts depending on where I am in my monthly cycle. So it seems kindof weird for them to say that you should be filling the large domes in the beginning. What are your measurements, if you don't mind me asking?

I also dealt with rashes and scapes and sores from Brava. For me part of the problem resulted when the outside edge of the dome (the thin flared plastic area with the little layer of sticky) would fold under and stick to the sticky part of the dome that was on my skin, and it would rub and irritate the skin. I found that the only way I would get those sores and scrapes to heal was to put a barrier over them to allow them to heal. What worked for me was a piece of gauze folded to cover the area that was bothered, then I would hold it in place with a piece of clear medical tape. Then I would put my domes on, and I had no problems with the domes touching the tape. It took about 5-7 days of doing that for the problem areas to heal. I had one sore that bled and hurt so much near my armpit, and I was afraid it would scar, but I can't see anything now after it has been healed for about 3 weeks.

I also found that the skin prep seemed to encourage the problems (rashes, sores, etc), and I discontinued use of it once I ran out of them. Now I just make sure my skin is freshly clean and very dry to put the domes on. Everyone is different though, so what worked for me may not for you, but this has been my experience anyway.

Another thing that helped me was as soon as I turned the smart box on, I put as much pressure on the domes, pressing them hard with my arms onto my chest all the way until the smart box achieved pressure and turned off. It creates the best seal and I don't have problems with the domes losing suction unless I really twist my body around.

Brava has definitely worked for me as I retain 35 inches even after missing a day. The breasts feel much fuller, and have greater substance.

Any other questions you have, I'll do all I can to help. We ladies need to stick together and help each other through our journey to get or recover our breasts.

[lled34aa]

wow, 2" in 10 weeks is awesome! congrats!

i'm 17 weeks in and i'm barely trying to hang on to 1" (depending on time of month). i've never had kids so i'm a slower responder.

my measurement before brava was around 27.25" under and 31.75" across. i'm now pretty much touching the end of the narrow large domes after 12 hours. so if your measurements are similar to mine, maybe medium domes would not be a good idea... but i don't know how the wide medium compares to the narrow large.

[Lostinspace]

I think you should have better luck with the smaller domes. Also, it does take a week at least for them to start molding to your body ideally. The "contact" part of the domes is not what I would describe as especially sticky, so I'm not sure that's really a problem. I did find at first that things like bending over and twisting excessively would make the seal break. I think that's just the way it is. In fact, when I'm taking mine off in the morning sometimes I can get it to fall off by itself by just leaning over and kind of flexing my chest muscles (after removing the smartbox).

You shouldn't really feel the suction very much unless you're using the hand pump a lot, and I'd only do that if your coach gives you instructions on it.

I used the system for about 7 months straight through 3 reconstructive surgeries, which included many weeks of what they call cycling (using the hand pump) and then took a break for the summer. During the four months that I was "off duty" my skin really returned completely to normal. So I wouldn't worry too much about any permanent scarring. Of course you can always check with your doctor if you think things are looking really bad.