Woman left with a "hole" in the chest caused by underwired bras

One woman claims that she was left with a gaping hole in her chest after wearing a fitted underwire bra.

Lynne McConnell, 51, started wearing the fitted bra 15 years ago after being measured in a store.

She said that they always felt too tight, but many store employees told her that they were fine, and that she wore them up until she got out of bed. she notices a lump in the middle of the chest.

The size of the pea size has reached a very hard mass of 1.6 × 1.6 inches directly above the point where the middle of the bra rests on her chest in a few days – and she has asked for help from a doctor.

Lynne was diagnosed with a painful cyst that had to be cut, leaving her with an open wound that took three months to heal.

Lynne, who works in the pharmaceutical industry, says her surgeon said the wired bra put pressure on a gland, which obstructed cyst development.

Dr. Adil Sheraz, a dermatologist with the British Skincare Foundation, has confirmed that tight-fitting clothes, such as underwired bras, are known to cause cysts.

"There is a lack of awareness about these types of bras," said McConnell of Brighton, England.

"Something is clearly not going away and all I want is that people learn from what has happened. I do not want others to go through what I have. It really affected my self-esteem for a long time.

"I could not wear a bra for weeks and I'm trying to be proud of my appearance. It was not good at all.

McConnell, who has 34GG breasts, has been buying underwired bras since 2003.

She was adjusted by experts in a store, but had to come back several times over the years to complain about oppression.

The Scottish, who left Glasgow for Brighton five years ago, said she often put tissues under the bra for comfort.

But she said that when she complained, the bra fitters said the clothes were snug, so she continued to wear them.

"The staff just said that's how they are supposed to fit in," she said.

Last June, she noticed a pea-shaped hump that became very painful.

The mass grew and he was told to go to the emergency departments of Brighton and Sussex hospitals.

McConnell received antibiotics and the doctors suggested that the size was an abscess caused by an infection.

But the tablets did not work and when the 51-year-old woman went to her breast clinic on July 4, she was "agonized" and could not wear a bra.

The doctor at the Brighton's Park Breast Cancer Center said it was a cyst that was immediately removed under local anesthesia.

"It had become particularly uncomfortable to wear a bra and the size was increasing rapidly," McConnell said.

"By the time I went to the breast cancer clinic, it was really painful. I entered at 3 pm and left within 2 hours. The surgeon just cut it there and then.

"It was too tight. I always said it was too tight but they just told me that was how it had to go. It was uncomfortable but I just listened to them. The staff insisted on how good they should be. "

McConnell said the surgeon said the pressure of the bra had caused the obstruction of the gland.

"I've always been told to squeeze it very hard. I was afraid they were too tight, but I was just told that it was the size that suited me, "she said.

McConnell was left with a 1.6-inch open wound that could not be sewn, needed to be dressed every day, and took three months to heal properly.

Even now, the scar is still sensitive and she must wear wireless sports bras.

"It was absolutely horrible," she said.

"I felt miserable all the time and it really affected my self-confidence. This hole was the first and last thing I thought about every day.

McConnell wrote to the retailer to complain and was put in touch with the company's legal team, who told him last month that bras or fittings were not to blame.

But according to a dermatologist, Dr. Adil Sheraz, tight clothes – like underwired bras – are known to cause cysts.

According to the consultation of the British Skincare Foundation, bags containing a semi-fluid material, which looks like cottage cheese, can form on the skin because of the wearing of tight clothing.

"Cysts are benign growths that form under the skin," said Sheraz, spokesman for the British Skin Foundation.

"They are lined with epithelium, a layer of cells, which often forms the" bag "that will contain a semi-fluid material, which often has the appearance and consistency of cottage cheese.

"They are often defined according to their location. For example, hair cysts often form on the scalp.

"Cysts can be inherited or acquired. Cysts form when cells begin to grow inward rather than spread to the surface.

"It's not entirely clear why some people form cysts, but they can often be caused by a blockage at the level of the hair follicle opening, as a result of an obstructed pore or even d & # 39; 39, an injury to the skin.

"Pore occlusion that may result from pressure or tight clothing could potentially lead to the formation of cysts."