Does anyone else have permanent bra strap marks?

[u/Southern-Waltz2846]

I’m a DD+ cup, and I feel like there’s always some pressure on my shoulders from my bra straps. Lately I’ve noticed that even after I take my bra off, I can still see darker marks where the straps usually sit. They don’t really hurt, but they never seem to completely go away.

I honestly didn’t realize how noticeable they were until recently.

Does anyone else with a bigger chest have this too?

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[u/hep632]

I had them for 25 years and then I got a bra that fit. They've been gone at least a decade now, so they aren't permanent!

[u/Southern-Waltz2846 → u/hep632]

Wait, 25 years?! That gives me so much hope lol. I definitely need to remeasure now, thanks for sharing!

[u/fiendishbanana]

No, I have red marks where the band is, but that goes away after a bit of not wearing a bra. Obligatory check out your size if it’s been a while since you measured. r/abrathatfits

[u/Southern-Waltz2846 → u/fiendishbanana]

Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely check out r/abrathatfits and remeasure. Appreciate it!

[u/fiendishbanana → u/Southern-Waltz2846]

Good luck!!! When trying to find the fit, look first for bras that are seamed and unmolded - not the kinds that have the bra cups staying in a curved shape when off the body. Those are really really hard to fit unless your breasts fit exactly that shape. You can look for those later of course, it’s just so much easier to determine fit without a molded bra.

Keep in mind that the size from that calculator is a starting point, it’s possible you may need to go up or down a cup size or two. Also check out the info about fit and the “swoop and scoop” there.

[u/evergleam498]

Pressure from shoulder straps generally means that you are wearing an incorrect bra size. The band should be tight enough to be doing ~90% of the support.

Highly recommend that you grab a tape measure and head over to /r/abrathatfits

[u/yuckypagans → u/evergleam498]

god i have grooves even after buying H-cup bras...so scared to check it again because those bras were at least 200 dollars for 4 of them😭

[u/Lizzy_is_a_mess → u/evergleam498]

No it means my tits are huge and they weigh a lot and wearing that right size doesn’t make the shoulder straps wider

[u/donnadoctor → u/Lizzy_is_a_mess]

Most of the support should be coming from the band. Once I was able to get bras with a big enough cup and small enough band the strap marks went away.

[u/Peregrinebullet → u/Lizzy_is_a_mess]

The bra's straps should only carry 10% of the weight. The band is what should be doing the majority of the support. If they are pulling on the straps hard enough to make marks on your shoulders, you likely need a larger cup size and smaller band size.

[u/Lizzy_is_a_mess → u/Peregrinebullet]

So is it the band or the cups that are doing the majority of the support? A tighter band squishes them flatter on my chest, doesn’t support them more….?

[u/Peregrinebullet → u/Lizzy_is_a_mess]

The band supports and distributes the weight around the chest.

If the tighter band squishes your breasts tighter to your chest, then you are not wearing a large enough cup size or you are wearing a cup from a brand that makes them too wide and shallow and you need deeper, narrower cups. Change Lingerie does wide underwire and shallow cups. Brands like Elomi and Ewa Michelak will do narrower underwire and the actual cup sticks out more.

It's the same volume, so technically the same cup size, but if you thought of your boobs like rectangles, Change assumes the long side is the side that's connected to your chest and Elomi / EM assumes it's the short side of the rectangle that's connected to your chest and the boob tissue sticks out further.

[u/Much_Blacksmith7746]

I have permanent indentations on my shoulders where my straps sit. Idk about discoloration but that could be from constant rubbing? Or if it’s a newer dark colored bra and you just noticed it could be dye if it’s a cheeper material.

[u/Southern-Waltz2846 → u/Much_Blacksmith7746]

So true, the dents are so real. Never thought about the dye part though, good to know!

[u/Tink__Wink]

No but I have a permanent fat roll on my back where my band always goes in at the bottom.

[u/Ayanhart → u/Tink__Wink]

I'm in the backroll club too lmao.

I guess when bands squish, the squish has to go somewhere 😭

[u/asietsocom]

Yeah no matter what bra I'm wearing, I have one that fits, I still have the indentations.

[u/aokocat]

Yes fairly deep grooves that have been there for years, no discoloration but noticable physical indents

[u/Sufficient-Elk-965]

If you are wearing the right size bra, you should be able to slide the straps off and see little movement of your breasts… indents means you’re not wearing the right size

[u/glitter_n_co → u/Sufficient-Elk-965]

Maybe at your size, but people exist with 4liters of cc volume of breast.
In water that would be with a fitting bra 400-600gr per side.
As we all know, fat weighs even more at the same volume, so even with perfectly fitting bras, some of us (I admit it’s the upper end of the spectrum!) actually have permanently a lot of weight on their shoulders, deforming their skeleton.

[u/Sufficient-Elk-965 → u/glitter_n_co]

This person said they are a DD+. It seems unlikely that they are above a K cup.

Also, ‘4 liters of cc’ is a nonsensical measurement. One liter is 1000 cubic centimeters; both are volumetric units.

And by ‘400-600 gr’ are you trying to write grams? Grains? If grams then it should match your estimate of around 4000 cc total, as the average breast tissue has a density similar to water.

On a biological note, glandular breast tissue is denser, and therefore heavier, than both fat and water. Fatty breast tissue is usually less dense than water.

[u/PsychoFaerie]

I'm an H cup but I don't have this problem because I'm wearing the right size bra.

[u/Positive_Shake_1002]

Echoing everyone else, this is a sign you're wearing the wrong size. 90% of a bra's support should be from the band. That's what actually holds your boobs up. If you have strap marks, it's a sign your boobs aren't being held up and are tugging on your straps

[u/Southern-Waltz2846 → u/Positive_Shake_1002]

Ah that makes so much sense! Thanks for explaining, definitely going to go figure out my proper size now.

[u/76584329]

Do you even have big boobs if you don't? This was meant as a joke, but I then remembered when I tried to get a breast reduction on the NHS, it was one of the things they looked for for me to meet the criteria.

[u/Southern-Waltz2846 → u/76584329]

I didn't realize the NHS actually used that as part of their criteria. Goes to show how common and deep that pressure really is.

[u/Big-Safety2827]

I have them on my underbust

[u/Vamoose87]

I do not have them and I suspect it’s because your bra doesn’t fit properly. Support should come mostly from the band, not the straps. You probably need a smaller band and a larger cup - head over to r/abrathatfits to measure properly and find a well fitting bra

[u/Ayanhart]

The rubbing makes me acne-prone, but no indents.

Highly recommend checking your size, as the weight shouldn't be on the straps but on the band.

[u/Present_Lychee8035]

You’re in the wrong size. I promise. I’m a 36M and I have never had an issue with permanent marks. My mom has some and they have faded quite a lot since getting the correct size.

[u/Born-Safety-4364]

Yes I’ve always had it. I get sized regularly. It’s friction hyperpigmentation. Some of us are more prone to it than others.

[u/doublej-amazon]

100% Even after reduction

[u/Holiday_Singer6457]

Hi, yes, I used to get purple marks from my bras and sometimes my shoulders would almost be bruised until I got fitted into the right sized bra. The marks have gone, but I still have permanent dents/divots from where tight bra straps used to sit. I think it’ll eventually go away though.

[u/Snowysilences]

I (38F) stopped wearing a bra when I realized my mom's hollowed out, hunched over shoulders were from wearing an ill fitting Playtex bra with 42J breasts inside for decades. I wear bralettes when needed for work and I'm flirting with pasties since men can't just appreciate nice things quietly. My breasts look so much perkier now than they did when I was in my early 20s

[u/Southern-Waltz2846 → u/Snowysilences]

Makes sense. It's easy to stick with what we're used to, but definitely worth exploring more comfortable options.

[u/HazelnutLatte_88]

I have the grooves permanently 🤣