Why not wear a bra with 3D fitting

Wearing the wrong bra, which can cause serious health problems like neck pain, back pain, headache, heartburn and shortness of breath along with simpler ones like lack of lift, bulging back-fat and chafing strap, could soon be a thing of the past with the arrival of the Optifit bra - a radical new bra which is based on sophisticated three-dimensional measuring techniques.

Tested on 10,000 women with positive results, the Optifit — developed by surgeon Atul Khanna and bra specialist Sue McDonald — supports breast tissue instead of compressing it.

It was designed using measurements similar to those required for assessing breast enlargements or reconstructions after mastectomies.

The three separate measurements are taken using a special tape measure which stretches and moulds to the body to gauge depth, as well as the length and volume of the breast.

The Optifit bra comes in more than 500 size combinations, and the sizing is very different to standard bra measurements. Body depth is related to a colour, breast height to a size and volume to number.

The Optifit also works in a different way to conventional bras. Rather than breasts being contained in underwiring and squashed to the chest wall, it hugs the body from the back, cradles the breast from underneath, lifts the breasts and lengthens the abdominals.

Tests have revealed that as well as making women appear slimmer by banishing bulges, the Optifit also eases tension headaches, neck and shoulder strain, and makes breasts look more pert by lifting them in a way that normal bras don't.

It was the brainchild of bra fitter Sue McDonald, who came to bra designing after 20 years working alongside NHS hospitals in Manchester, helping mastectomy patients and breastfeeding mums.

After resorting to cutting and stitching clients' bras to try to get them to fit properly, Sue eventually studied underwear design at university in an attempt to understand why most conventional bras are so uncomfortable.

Mr Khanna, a member of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons, explains that the breast is a complex area of the body which varies from woman to woman in volume, width, height, projection, tissue density, composition, shape and position on the chest.

Yet these differences are not taken into account with conventional bras and can lead to severe discomfort.

"Pressure on the top of the back and the bottom of the neck caused by ill-fitting bras can lead to a migraine-type headache with pain across the forehead and behind the eyes," the Daily Mail quoted Mr Khanna as saying.

"Traditional bras fix the breasts to the chest wall."

"Tightening the bra straps pulls the shoulders down, while underwires dig into the ribs.

"This creates an imbalance in posture which sets up a domino effect throughout the body, resulting in neck, shoulder and back pain," he said.

The Optifit bra went into production in South Wales and Manchester and now comes in several different designs and colours — including a sports bra and a sexy 'shades of grey' lace model.