Women’s Health: Going Braless Not Just a Trend, But Has Health Benefits

According to Healthline, women especially millennials appear to be ditching the traditional bra by buying wireless bralettes or not wearing the female undergarment at all. An article in USA Today said that the sales of female undergarments especially the bras such as Victoria's Secret are declining.

Patricia Geraghty, a nurse practitioner in California who specializes in women's health said that there is no evidence that says going braless hurts you. As a matter of fact, the fifth sibling in the Kardashian family, Kendall Jenner, has been displaying her choice on her preference to go braless. As well as Rihanna who promoted the natural freedom of not wearing a bra, this year.

Being braless instantly grows into a trend and has made multiple debates about whether or not wearing a bra has any health effects. The answer is obvious, says the nurse practitioner, it doesn't appear to make much difference whether you wear a bra or not.

According to a 15-year study completed in 2013 by Jean-Denis Rouillon, a professor in France, bras do not provide any benefits to women and appear to be harmful to breasts over time. The study involves 300 women ages 18 to 35. It has been determined that those women who did not wear bras developed more muscle tissue to give natural support.
Rouillon added that the materials of bras appear to be restrictive which means, it prevents tissue in the breasts and may encourage them to sag.

Women who have worn bras for decades are advised not to throw their bra

A 1999 study in Australia entitled An Analysis of Movement and Discomfort of the Female Breast During Exercise and the Effects of Breast Support in Three Cases involved women who wore fashion bras, sports bras, crop tops, and no bras.

However, the study tackled more comfort than any other health effects. Geraghty said that researchers would find it really hard when doing long-term studies regarding the topic as they would have to follow women for decades who wore bras and those who didn't. Also, interviewing older women on their personal histories would be in need of taking other potential risk conditions into account.

Forty-six percent of women decided not to wear a bra once a week in the name of comfort while two in five women spend more than four hours a day in discomfort due to wearing underwear. According to the Institute of Osteopathy, larger breast cups or sizes can be a contributing factor to changes in one's posture which may lead to musculoskeletal pain.

Sports bras, on the other hand, often provide too much support that prevents the ribcage from functioning properly and weakened back muscles, and overstrained the breasts' ligaments as a result, Elle reported.

Rouillon warned women who have worn bras for decades not to throw out their undergarments, stating that they would not gain any benefit from taking off their bras at such a juncture.

Bra's main function is to support the weight and structure of the breast

Although the bra helps to support both the weight and structure of the breasts. Many women have a lot of tension and stiffness when wearing a bra due to the bra strap that was constantly moving. Tight bras severely affect the ribcage and also cause neck and back pain.

Thus, many women chose not to wear a bra due to many reasons including discomfort. Hence, if women don't wear a bra, nothing will provide them any comfort and as well as support for their breasts.

However, there's also an advantage in wearing a bra as it relieves back pain. If one decides not to wear a bra, she may experience constant back pain and poor posture, Only My Health says.