19-08-2010, 08:36 AM
Brava advice regarding wear time - good to know
June 1 2007 at 3:10 PM lexy (Login lexy1983)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
so, i emailed brava about the safety of very long sesions. here is what they replyed:
It is recommended to wear only for 10-11 hrs for the first 2 weeks of wear, for a few different reasons.
One, to allow your skin & the surrounding bone structure on your chest to become accustomed to the continual pressure and contact to the skin. If not allowed to adjust gradually to the constant contact, it may cause potential clogging of the pores of the skin. This may lead to a rash, even worse, dermatitis. If this occurs, you must completely stop use of the system until it is totally resolved & restart, having lost all the time you invested up to that point.
Once the initial 2 week period is past, you may then wear for more extended hours. However, it is not recommended to wear more than 18 hrs daily. Your skin needs to breathe and your system needs to rest & have sufficient time to dry out inside the Smart Box before the next wear session.
Also, in the initial 2 weeks, we offer a 2 week grace period for correct sizing and to see how you are responding. You will be seeing an unrealistic amount of swelling to best determine the proper size for you by wearing so many hours too quickly.
There is also some benefit in the relaxing of the tissue as well that contributes to the "growth" of new tissue. While certainly more hours is beneficial for greater results, there are still some guidelines. The more useful treatment will be to add some extra hours daily as well as some extra weeks of wear. Up to a year of wear can actually enhance the results and at that point it is then recommend to take a 3-4 month rest period to break any potential plateaus your body may experience. The you can consider another session if you wish.
There is no added benefit of wearing beyond the18th hour. A certain amount of swelling will obviously convert to growth in time but beyond that, it will just be absorbed by the body and will just dissipate daily and be an added risk for skin breakdown or bone tenderness that may force you into a long break meaning lost time or therapy. The sternum between the breasts and the ribs below the breasts can become tender to touch which indicates there is swelling around the bone lining and cartilage. This may cause calcifications if ignored. The only remedy is to rest completely until resolved and again restart. You can contact your coach to discuss this further.
With the recommended and sensible use, the Brava system will perform the necessary treatment to the breast tissue without causing unnecessary problems. It is written that more wear is more beneficial, however, this should be done correctly and within limits.
Keep in mind that if you are wearing Brava for 10 hrs., you will have a 14 hr. recoil period (shrinkage time). If you are wearing it for 14 hrs, you have a 10 hr recoil but if you wear it for 23-24 hrs., you have no time to recoil therefore you are not seeing the realistic remaining swelling or growth. However, what you are seeing is all swelling at this point. Once you stop or rest, you will see a huge reduction in the swelling. There is no actual growth until the 30-45th day of wear for anyone, not matter how many hours you wear it. Everything you see up to that point is only swelling and would not be permanent. However, beyond that period of time, the body finally begins to multiply breast fat cells, slowly but continually, just like gaining weight and continues to do so throughout the program. You must still wear Brava for the minimal 10 week period no matter how many hours you wore it during the initial weeks. It is the extended length of time in weeks that encourages more growth.
Please contact Darlene, one of the coaches by calling 1-800-407-5304 , Ext#226, to further discuss your wear time to avoid any unnecessary setbacks in your program or unnecessary issues with skin and bone structure.
THANK YOU
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
BRAVA LLC
Author Reply
diana
(Login Diana1978)
SENIOR MEMBER Re: Brava advice regarding wear time - good to know June 2 2007, 12:06 AM
thanx 4 posting this. so i could have gotten way better growth had i kept on wearing it, ugh. so, maybe i will start again religiously when the weather starts cooling off in a couple months. thanks
Edit Message Delete Message
lexy
(no login) funny June 2 2007, 1:02 AM
i got it just the day my sternum got a bit swollen from wearing it alomost non stop. thank god i can still wear them and not touch that area until it heals. they replyed pretty fast and gave me the number for a coach. pretty cool.
Edit Message Delete Message
lexy
(no login) Re: Brava advice regarding wear time - good to know June 2 2007, 1:06 AM
they say that after 30-45 weeks the body starts mutiplying fat cells. fat cells? on the site they advertise for the growth of breast cells. this kinda sucks since u can lose everything if u lose a lil weight.
Edit Message Delete Message
Seri_Flamehair
(Login Seri_Flamehair)
SENIOR MEMBER Growth time June 2 2007, 7:19 AM
Not 30-45 weeks said 30-45 days but give it a rest after a year for a few months to break plateau your body may develop.
I can agree that to long of wear consistantly is bad but i do the 72 hour stints about once a month or for very special outings like diana does for that extra omph.
Takes a very long time for the swelling to go down after having em on for over 30 hours.
But i do clean the domes and do an air clean cycle on the smart box for 30 minutes after 20-24 hours so i can get a shower and clean everything up.
I can't imagine a year of wearing this thing. But if i can't touch the insides of my domes in the next few weeks i may just see that. Only time will tell.
Good luck in your endevor all.
Edit Message Delete Message
lexy
(no login) oups June 2 2007, 11:02 AM
yea i was thinking days, typed weeks
Edit Message Delete Message
minhina
(Login minhina) rib calcification June 5 2007, 9:52 PM
thanks really for posting this info..
it was of great value to me, especially since I had ribs pain and skin redness and bruisers..
the thing is i have half ignored it, half tried to cope with it, as i have explained in other posts, with different results (from having to stop wearing the device for a couple of days, to coping with the pay, or this one becoming better and less...)
anyway as i touched my ribs today i felt a strange solid little mole, over the rib, something that was not there before, as if my rib was far more protuberant...nothing ugly in the sense of suddenly a massive thing there under my breast but big enough for me to notice and somehow worry..I wonder whether that is one of the calcifications that were mentioned in your email...
it is very sad, coz given that I only have one more week to go to achieve the 10 weeks and then 6 to achieve the 15 that i originally wanted to go for, i do not want to drop..but again it makes me wonder what is that I am exactly doing and why...i am trying to work hard in making up my mind to that my breasts were lovely just as they were and nothing is worth the pain i have had because of the device..but as i walked in the street today (lovely day) with my C cup (I used to be a B cup) i feel so happy...
bizarre stuff...
Edit Message Delete Message
diana
(Login Diana1978)
SENIOR MEMBER hi June 5 2007, 11:24 PM
Like i said in the other post, i am one of the stubborn ones that still use the extra pressure, whenever i put it on. i had x-rays taken yesterday, and i will most definately share my results , good or bad. good luck to you.
Edit Message Delete Message
lexy
(no login) to minhina June 6 2007, 3:51 AM
it doesn't have to be calcification yet unless it's been there for a while and u kept pressing it with the domes. so i think at least.
my sternum has a bump on one side. it looks exactly like a bump on the head so i figured if i don't press on it it will go away. i'm placing the domes so i can protect the area. hope it will be fine.
try doing the same thing if u can. find a position that will alow u to wear the domes without pressing on that. that would be an optimistic opinion. good luck
Edit Message Delete Message
minhina
(Login minhina) Re: Brava advice regarding wear time - good to know June 6 2007, 8:46 AM
yep lexy, this is what i try to do
i guess unsuccessfully coz that area is exactly under my breast, so the dome lays exactly over it..
But i hope it is nothing too serious, same for your sternum...
Edit Message Delete Message
Nicole
(no login) to Minhina June 7 2007, 1:52 AM
I had the exactly same thing! I wore the system for 30 weeks, and at about week 12, i started to notice a little lump under my left breast, it's painful every time i put the dome up because it would press right against it. But i persisted, and just like you, tried to half ignore it. sleeping with them was very hard and often woke up a few times in the middle of night from great chest pain
. I tried slept on the side to reduce pressure and it actually helped me to get thru 18 more weeks!!
The good news for you is that, about a month after stopping Brava, the lump went away by itself. So i guess if you could find a way to continue, it's better to do a few more weeks. I am pretty confident your lump will go away just like mine after you stop.
But i am no doctor, i am just telling my own experience, you will have to listen to your body and decide for urself.
best of luck!
Nicole
Edit Message Delete Message
minhina
(Login minhina) Re: Brava advice regarding wear time - good to know June 8 2007, 11:19 AM
funny that you mention sleeping on a side because this is what I have been doing and it does help a little...i am trying to persist, regardless of it..It is only that as you mention on occasions it is so painful, and you make a bad move in bed and that piercing pain in my ribs wakes me up...
I am glad that it might well be that the lump goes..i thought so..i think the area is irritated/sore and has created hard tissue to protect it, but when pressure goes, hope lump get dissolved..
So, any significant gain???
You did 30 weeks, what was your result???
Edit Message Delete Message
Nicole
(no login) Re: Brava advice regarding wear time - good to know June 9 2007, 1:36 AM
I gained 2 inches,I am pretty happy about the result. After taking a 2 months break, i started a second round, now i am 12 weeks into it, and things seem to be better this time around, i dont always have pain from my ribs and no lump yet.
Edit Message Delete Message
livinonaprayer
(no login) Some Honest Advice on Brava System June 11 2007, 4:02 PM
I just finished an 11-week cycle without missing any days. I wore anywhere from 10 - 16 hours per day. I had the sport system so I kept track on paper. The average hours per day was about 13.5 if you add up all my hours divide by the 77 days I wore it. My swelling after removing the system was the same from day 1 through the end of the 11 weeks except that it would last slightly longer throughout the day as the weeks went on but most would be gone after about 10 hours. I was a small 34B but would be a full 34C after removing the domes. I don't think many people end up looking like they do when they first take it off. It looked liked two grapefruits! You gradually "deflate" throughout the day so whatever bra you start with in the morning will be probably gap later in the day. I've been done for 3 days now and I seem to be about a full 34B. Measured 33.5" when I started, 37" when first taking off domes, and am about 35" now. I know I may lose a little more as it stablizes. I am not a lot larger - just fuller and perkier which is great for me because after nursing two children my breasts were pretty sad looking. I am happy with the results though and plan on starting another cycle in January after summer is over to hopefully get more results. I am going on vacation and don't want to drag it along otherwise I'd continue for more weeks. It became really easy to wear and put on as the weeks went by. I can only speak from my experience and everyone is different, but here's some background on my body type and some advice from my experience. I am about 5'4", 120 lbs., age 40, nursed 2 children, measured 29.5" under the crease and 33.5" over the nipples, and about 35" bending over leaning forward which is a measurement Brava asks for when sizing your domes. Very little upper body fat, small waist, most fat concentrated on the bottom half (pear shape), dense breast tissue (this may make me a slower responder than some even though I had two children). The size you actually purchase will seem very large at first, but it is based on your measurements and is accurate. My suggested size was wide-large domes and an extra large bra which normally would seem too big to me but worked fine and I never needed to move up a size in domes. Brava makes extra-large domes although it is not shown on their website when you go to the size estimator. I bought the sport system direct from Brava. I am glad I did because of the warranty and ability to purchase additional skin care direct from them.
ADVICE FROM MY EXPERIENCE IS BELOW:
The first week I felt a bit overwhelmed and wanted to quit, but I quickly was able to adjust. I had my husband help me getting everything in place for the first week and then I was easily able to do it myself. Don't get discouraged if you don't see the results you want when putting the system on again each day as the weeks go by. My growth didn't exactly follow the Brava graphs. Take pictures because at the end of your treatment, even if you don't think you got a lot of lasting growth, you'll be surprised where you started and how far you actually came. Try to at least complete a cycle. Compliance is the key.
I would not suggest wearing outside your home as the domes are very large even under a baggy shirt. You cannnot hide them from your family or when wearing them around the house. I wore an extra large men's T-shirt over my domes. The domes are bigger than the model shown on the website or in the instruction manual because you need the room for your breasts to grow while wearing the system. My family got used to seeing me every evening walking around the house with my big T-shirt and I wore them to bed and took them off sometime in the morning or early afternoon depending on how much time I had available. My initial plan was to put them on before bed and "hide" in the morning so my teenager wouldn't see me, but once I saw how huge the domes were, I realized that was not possible.
Also, wearing this may be cumbersome for women with infants and toddlers as it would be difficult to carry a child with domes on. Also, you probably do not want to wear any low-cut shirts for several hours after you remove the system as I found that the “footprint/mark” or "outline" from the domes remains for quite some time during the day. You will want to buy a larger size bra to put on after you remove the system because your breasts are very large (even after the first day of wear) and you don’t want to compress your breasts. You want to keep the swelling as long as possible. Your larger bra will seem too big by the end of the day when you put the system on again for the next session because you "deflate" throughout the non-wear hours.
Sleeping on my back during the first week was difficult. Brava suggests placing pillows under your legs and arms to relieve pressure points and prevent you from turning over. The pillows worked well and I never rolled over or lost the seal. You feel as if you are in a hammock with the pillows. I used small travel size pillow under my head and arms and a standard pillow under each leg.
Also, from speaking with the Brava coach, I learned you can substitute plain baby shampoo for the Brava skin cleanser and Eucerin Calming Cream for the Brava lotion, but you must use the No-Sting Prep Wipes and Brava Antiseptic Dome Cleaner as there are not substitutions available for those.
Don't press too hard on the domes to try to get a seal. The sides are where you may have trouble with air escaping but once the pump is on a few minutes, the sides will hug against your ribs and when the pump shuts off, the domes stay put. Be patient. I had my husband lightly press against the sides and hold them in place the first week.
Use the orientation checklist when you buy the system. It has great advice and instructions. The only skin problems I had were some redness near the armpit area.
Good luck!
June 1 2007 at 3:10 PM lexy (Login lexy1983)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
so, i emailed brava about the safety of very long sesions. here is what they replyed:
It is recommended to wear only for 10-11 hrs for the first 2 weeks of wear, for a few different reasons.
One, to allow your skin & the surrounding bone structure on your chest to become accustomed to the continual pressure and contact to the skin. If not allowed to adjust gradually to the constant contact, it may cause potential clogging of the pores of the skin. This may lead to a rash, even worse, dermatitis. If this occurs, you must completely stop use of the system until it is totally resolved & restart, having lost all the time you invested up to that point.
Once the initial 2 week period is past, you may then wear for more extended hours. However, it is not recommended to wear more than 18 hrs daily. Your skin needs to breathe and your system needs to rest & have sufficient time to dry out inside the Smart Box before the next wear session.
Also, in the initial 2 weeks, we offer a 2 week grace period for correct sizing and to see how you are responding. You will be seeing an unrealistic amount of swelling to best determine the proper size for you by wearing so many hours too quickly.
There is also some benefit in the relaxing of the tissue as well that contributes to the "growth" of new tissue. While certainly more hours is beneficial for greater results, there are still some guidelines. The more useful treatment will be to add some extra hours daily as well as some extra weeks of wear. Up to a year of wear can actually enhance the results and at that point it is then recommend to take a 3-4 month rest period to break any potential plateaus your body may experience. The you can consider another session if you wish.
There is no added benefit of wearing beyond the18th hour. A certain amount of swelling will obviously convert to growth in time but beyond that, it will just be absorbed by the body and will just dissipate daily and be an added risk for skin breakdown or bone tenderness that may force you into a long break meaning lost time or therapy. The sternum between the breasts and the ribs below the breasts can become tender to touch which indicates there is swelling around the bone lining and cartilage. This may cause calcifications if ignored. The only remedy is to rest completely until resolved and again restart. You can contact your coach to discuss this further.
With the recommended and sensible use, the Brava system will perform the necessary treatment to the breast tissue without causing unnecessary problems. It is written that more wear is more beneficial, however, this should be done correctly and within limits.
Keep in mind that if you are wearing Brava for 10 hrs., you will have a 14 hr. recoil period (shrinkage time). If you are wearing it for 14 hrs, you have a 10 hr recoil but if you wear it for 23-24 hrs., you have no time to recoil therefore you are not seeing the realistic remaining swelling or growth. However, what you are seeing is all swelling at this point. Once you stop or rest, you will see a huge reduction in the swelling. There is no actual growth until the 30-45th day of wear for anyone, not matter how many hours you wear it. Everything you see up to that point is only swelling and would not be permanent. However, beyond that period of time, the body finally begins to multiply breast fat cells, slowly but continually, just like gaining weight and continues to do so throughout the program. You must still wear Brava for the minimal 10 week period no matter how many hours you wore it during the initial weeks. It is the extended length of time in weeks that encourages more growth.
Please contact Darlene, one of the coaches by calling 1-800-407-5304 , Ext#226, to further discuss your wear time to avoid any unnecessary setbacks in your program or unnecessary issues with skin and bone structure.
THANK YOU
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
BRAVA LLC
Author Reply
diana
(Login Diana1978)
SENIOR MEMBER Re: Brava advice regarding wear time - good to know June 2 2007, 12:06 AM
thanx 4 posting this. so i could have gotten way better growth had i kept on wearing it, ugh. so, maybe i will start again religiously when the weather starts cooling off in a couple months. thanks
Edit Message Delete Message
lexy
(no login) funny June 2 2007, 1:02 AM
i got it just the day my sternum got a bit swollen from wearing it alomost non stop. thank god i can still wear them and not touch that area until it heals. they replyed pretty fast and gave me the number for a coach. pretty cool.
Edit Message Delete Message
lexy
(no login) Re: Brava advice regarding wear time - good to know June 2 2007, 1:06 AM
they say that after 30-45 weeks the body starts mutiplying fat cells. fat cells? on the site they advertise for the growth of breast cells. this kinda sucks since u can lose everything if u lose a lil weight.
Edit Message Delete Message
Seri_Flamehair
(Login Seri_Flamehair)
SENIOR MEMBER Growth time June 2 2007, 7:19 AM
Not 30-45 weeks said 30-45 days but give it a rest after a year for a few months to break plateau your body may develop.
I can agree that to long of wear consistantly is bad but i do the 72 hour stints about once a month or for very special outings like diana does for that extra omph.
Takes a very long time for the swelling to go down after having em on for over 30 hours.
But i do clean the domes and do an air clean cycle on the smart box for 30 minutes after 20-24 hours so i can get a shower and clean everything up.
I can't imagine a year of wearing this thing. But if i can't touch the insides of my domes in the next few weeks i may just see that. Only time will tell.
Good luck in your endevor all.
Edit Message Delete Message
lexy
(no login) oups June 2 2007, 11:02 AM
yea i was thinking days, typed weeks
Edit Message Delete Message
minhina
(Login minhina) rib calcification June 5 2007, 9:52 PM
thanks really for posting this info..
it was of great value to me, especially since I had ribs pain and skin redness and bruisers..
the thing is i have half ignored it, half tried to cope with it, as i have explained in other posts, with different results (from having to stop wearing the device for a couple of days, to coping with the pay, or this one becoming better and less...)
anyway as i touched my ribs today i felt a strange solid little mole, over the rib, something that was not there before, as if my rib was far more protuberant...nothing ugly in the sense of suddenly a massive thing there under my breast but big enough for me to notice and somehow worry..I wonder whether that is one of the calcifications that were mentioned in your email...
it is very sad, coz given that I only have one more week to go to achieve the 10 weeks and then 6 to achieve the 15 that i originally wanted to go for, i do not want to drop..but again it makes me wonder what is that I am exactly doing and why...i am trying to work hard in making up my mind to that my breasts were lovely just as they were and nothing is worth the pain i have had because of the device..but as i walked in the street today (lovely day) with my C cup (I used to be a B cup) i feel so happy...
bizarre stuff...
Edit Message Delete Message
diana
(Login Diana1978)
SENIOR MEMBER hi June 5 2007, 11:24 PM
Like i said in the other post, i am one of the stubborn ones that still use the extra pressure, whenever i put it on. i had x-rays taken yesterday, and i will most definately share my results , good or bad.
good luck to you. Edit Message Delete Message
lexy
(no login) to minhina June 6 2007, 3:51 AM
it doesn't have to be calcification yet unless it's been there for a while and u kept pressing it with the domes. so i think at least.
my sternum has a bump on one side. it looks exactly like a bump on the head so i figured if i don't press on it it will go away. i'm placing the domes so i can protect the area. hope it will be fine.
try doing the same thing if u can. find a position that will alow u to wear the domes without pressing on that. that would be an optimistic opinion. good luck
Edit Message Delete Message
minhina
(Login minhina) Re: Brava advice regarding wear time - good to know June 6 2007, 8:46 AM
yep lexy, this is what i try to do
i guess unsuccessfully coz that area is exactly under my breast, so the dome lays exactly over it..
But i hope it is nothing too serious, same for your sternum...
Edit Message Delete Message
Nicole
(no login) to Minhina June 7 2007, 1:52 AM
I had the exactly same thing! I wore the system for 30 weeks, and at about week 12, i started to notice a little lump under my left breast, it's painful every time i put the dome up because it would press right against it. But i persisted, and just like you, tried to half ignore it. sleeping with them was very hard and often woke up a few times in the middle of night from great chest pain
. I tried slept on the side to reduce pressure and it actually helped me to get thru 18 more weeks!!The good news for you is that, about a month after stopping Brava, the lump went away by itself. So i guess if you could find a way to continue, it's better to do a few more weeks. I am pretty confident your lump will go away just like mine after you stop.
But i am no doctor, i am just telling my own experience, you will have to listen to your body and decide for urself.
best of luck!
Nicole
Edit Message Delete Message
minhina
(Login minhina) Re: Brava advice regarding wear time - good to know June 8 2007, 11:19 AM
funny that you mention sleeping on a side because this is what I have been doing and it does help a little...i am trying to persist, regardless of it..It is only that as you mention on occasions it is so painful, and you make a bad move in bed and that piercing pain in my ribs wakes me up...
I am glad that it might well be that the lump goes..i thought so..i think the area is irritated/sore and has created hard tissue to protect it, but when pressure goes, hope lump get dissolved..
So, any significant gain???
You did 30 weeks, what was your result???
Edit Message Delete Message
Nicole
(no login) Re: Brava advice regarding wear time - good to know June 9 2007, 1:36 AM
I gained 2 inches,I am pretty happy about the result. After taking a 2 months break, i started a second round, now i am 12 weeks into it, and things seem to be better this time around, i dont always have pain from my ribs and no lump yet.
Edit Message Delete Message
livinonaprayer
(no login) Some Honest Advice on Brava System June 11 2007, 4:02 PM
I just finished an 11-week cycle without missing any days. I wore anywhere from 10 - 16 hours per day. I had the sport system so I kept track on paper. The average hours per day was about 13.5 if you add up all my hours divide by the 77 days I wore it. My swelling after removing the system was the same from day 1 through the end of the 11 weeks except that it would last slightly longer throughout the day as the weeks went on but most would be gone after about 10 hours. I was a small 34B but would be a full 34C after removing the domes. I don't think many people end up looking like they do when they first take it off. It looked liked two grapefruits! You gradually "deflate" throughout the day so whatever bra you start with in the morning will be probably gap later in the day. I've been done for 3 days now and I seem to be about a full 34B. Measured 33.5" when I started, 37" when first taking off domes, and am about 35" now. I know I may lose a little more as it stablizes. I am not a lot larger - just fuller and perkier which is great for me because after nursing two children my breasts were pretty sad looking. I am happy with the results though and plan on starting another cycle in January after summer is over to hopefully get more results. I am going on vacation and don't want to drag it along otherwise I'd continue for more weeks. It became really easy to wear and put on as the weeks went by. I can only speak from my experience and everyone is different, but here's some background on my body type and some advice from my experience. I am about 5'4", 120 lbs., age 40, nursed 2 children, measured 29.5" under the crease and 33.5" over the nipples, and about 35" bending over leaning forward which is a measurement Brava asks for when sizing your domes. Very little upper body fat, small waist, most fat concentrated on the bottom half (pear shape), dense breast tissue (this may make me a slower responder than some even though I had two children). The size you actually purchase will seem very large at first, but it is based on your measurements and is accurate. My suggested size was wide-large domes and an extra large bra which normally would seem too big to me but worked fine and I never needed to move up a size in domes. Brava makes extra-large domes although it is not shown on their website when you go to the size estimator. I bought the sport system direct from Brava. I am glad I did because of the warranty and ability to purchase additional skin care direct from them.
ADVICE FROM MY EXPERIENCE IS BELOW:
The first week I felt a bit overwhelmed and wanted to quit, but I quickly was able to adjust. I had my husband help me getting everything in place for the first week and then I was easily able to do it myself. Don't get discouraged if you don't see the results you want when putting the system on again each day as the weeks go by. My growth didn't exactly follow the Brava graphs. Take pictures because at the end of your treatment, even if you don't think you got a lot of lasting growth, you'll be surprised where you started and how far you actually came. Try to at least complete a cycle. Compliance is the key.
I would not suggest wearing outside your home as the domes are very large even under a baggy shirt. You cannnot hide them from your family or when wearing them around the house. I wore an extra large men's T-shirt over my domes. The domes are bigger than the model shown on the website or in the instruction manual because you need the room for your breasts to grow while wearing the system. My family got used to seeing me every evening walking around the house with my big T-shirt and I wore them to bed and took them off sometime in the morning or early afternoon depending on how much time I had available. My initial plan was to put them on before bed and "hide" in the morning so my teenager wouldn't see me, but once I saw how huge the domes were, I realized that was not possible.
Also, wearing this may be cumbersome for women with infants and toddlers as it would be difficult to carry a child with domes on. Also, you probably do not want to wear any low-cut shirts for several hours after you remove the system as I found that the “footprint/mark” or "outline" from the domes remains for quite some time during the day. You will want to buy a larger size bra to put on after you remove the system because your breasts are very large (even after the first day of wear) and you don’t want to compress your breasts. You want to keep the swelling as long as possible. Your larger bra will seem too big by the end of the day when you put the system on again for the next session because you "deflate" throughout the non-wear hours.
Sleeping on my back during the first week was difficult. Brava suggests placing pillows under your legs and arms to relieve pressure points and prevent you from turning over. The pillows worked well and I never rolled over or lost the seal. You feel as if you are in a hammock with the pillows. I used small travel size pillow under my head and arms and a standard pillow under each leg.
Also, from speaking with the Brava coach, I learned you can substitute plain baby shampoo for the Brava skin cleanser and Eucerin Calming Cream for the Brava lotion, but you must use the No-Sting Prep Wipes and Brava Antiseptic Dome Cleaner as there are not substitutions available for those.
Don't press too hard on the domes to try to get a seal. The sides are where you may have trouble with air escaping but once the pump is on a few minutes, the sides will hug against your ribs and when the pump shuts off, the domes stay put. Be patient. I had my husband lightly press against the sides and hold them in place the first week.
Use the orientation checklist when you buy the system. It has great advice and instructions. The only skin problems I had were some redness near the armpit area.
Good luck!