Brassiere for holding only one breast of a person that has undergone single-sided mastectomy

Abstract

Brassiere for holding only one breast of a person that has undergone a single-sided mastectomy, following which no breast reconstruction has been performed. The brassiere comprises a front panel, a back panel and a first and a second shoulder strap. The front panel comprises a substantially convex-shaped cup configured to hold said one breast and, on a mastectomy side of the front panel, a substantially flat, flexible piece of fabric connected to the cup. The back panel is connected to both the cup and the substantially flat, flexible piece of fabric. The first and the second shoulder strap are connected to respectively the cup and the piece of fabric, as well as to the back panel. The piece of fabric is a band-like element, has a height dimension such that the part of the body of the person where the mastectomy was performed is fully covered, and is configured to follow said part of the body close-fittingly.

Description

[0001] Brassiere for holding only one breast of a person that has undergone single-sided mastectomy

[0002] The present invention relates to a brassiere for holding only one breast of a person that has undergone a single-sided mastectomy, following which no breast reconstruction has been performed.

[0003] Brassieres for persons having undergone a single-sided mastectomy are known from the prior art. Although such brassieres were designed to support only one breast, the treated persons regularly experience an unpleasant sensation, for example in the form of irritation or pain, when wearing them.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a brassiere wherein the above stated drawback is at least partially obviated.

[0005] For this purpose the present invention provides a brassiere of the above stated type, wherein the brassiere comprises a front panel, a back panel and a first and a second shoulder strap. The front panel comprises a substantially convex-shaped cup configured to hold said one breast and, on a mastectomy side of the front panel, a substantially flat, flexible piece of fabric connected to the cup. The back panel is connected to both the cup and the substantially flat, flexible piece of fabric. The first shoulder strap and the second shoulder strap have respective first outer ends which are connected to respectively the cup and the piece of fabric, and respective second outer ends which are each connected to the back panel. The piece of fabric is a band-like element, has a height dimension such that the part of the body of the person where the mastectomy was performed is fully covered, and is configured to follow said part of the body close-fittingly.

[0006] Because the piece of fabric is configured to fully cover said part of the body, i.e. where scar tissue is located, an outer edge of the piece of fabric is situated outside said part of the body. This prevents an unpleasant sensation, for example in the form of irritation or pain. This increases the wearer comfort of the brassiere.

[0007] The body of the treated person being followed close-fittingly additionally has the result that the piece of fabric remains in place better and moves less relative to the body of the treated person, as this could be a cause of irritation.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment of the brassiere according to the present invention the height dimension of the back panel is substantially the same as the piece of fabric forming part of the front panel on the mastectomy side of the brassiere. Owing to the identical height dimension of the back panel, the forces resulting from movement by the treated person during use of the brassiere are distributed more uniformly. Owing to the identical height dimension of the back panel and the piece of fabric, the forces will also occur more in the longitudinal direction of the band-like element, whereby the piece of fabric will be less inclined to slide in the height direction and so cause irritation to the scar from the mastectomy. In a preferred embodiment the band-like element comprises in addition to the front panel on the mastectomy side also the back panel and the cup. The height dimension of the band-like element is substantially the same over its whole length. In addition, the band-like element forms a continuous whole which encloses the body of the treated person during use. This provides the advantage that the brassiere moves less as a whole, and less irritation to the scar therefore occurs. This preferred embodiment is also advantageous in the case that the treated person, who may also have undergone axillary lymph node dissection in combination with the mastectomy, experiences loss of sensation in and under the armpit on the side of the body where the mastectomy was performed, this being a common effect of the mastectomy. A uniform and sufficiently large height dimension results in fewer pressure points and welts, inter aha in the area of the armpit, this resulting in more comfort for the treated person.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment the material of the piece of fabric on the mastectomy side is manufactured at least partially from an elastic material. This provides the advantage that the piece of fabric remains in place better and moves less due to any movements by the treated person during use of the brassiere. This reduces irritation to the mastectomy scar and increases the wearer comfort of the brassiere for the treated person.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment the piece of fabric is manufactured from natural fibres and / or the piece of fabric is porous. The natural fibres or the porous piece of fabric provide the advantage that air is able to move through the piece of fabric. This air can entrain and discharge moisture present in the area between the piece of fabric and the body, and resulting inter alia from perspiration, during use of the brassiere by the treated person.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment the piece of fabric on the mastectomy side, the cup and the back panel comprise at least two layers of material with a layer with elastic material therebetween, wherein the elastic material preferably does not cover the part of the body of the treated person where the mastectomy was performed. This provides the advantage that the brassiere will follow the body of the treated person close -fittingly in improved manner during use and will move less relative to the body of the treated person as a result of movements by the treated person. The elastic material thereby increases the wearer comfort of the brassiere for the treated person. Because the elastic material is present between the two layers of material, it is not in direct contact with the body, this enhancing the wearer comfort of the brassiere. The elastic material will also have a force component which exerts a pressing force on the body of the treated person, this making it preferable for the elastic material not to be situated on the part of the body of the treated person where the mastectomy was performed.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment the elastic material is arranged in at least two separate elastic bands. This provides the advantage that the portion between the two elastic bands can be held in place better. In addition, the forces of the elastic material are in this way distributed more evenly over the body of the treated person. In a preferred embodiment the two separate bands are arranged in the vicinity of the lower edge and the upper edge of the front panel and the back panel. This provides the advantage that the largest portion of the front panel and the back panel is situated between the two bands. Hereby, the whole front panel and the whole back panel remain in place better on the body of the treated person and the piece of fabric moves less over the mastectomy scar of the treated person. The piece of fabric thus causes less irritation to the scar.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment the back panel comprises a first and a second segment which each connect with a first outer end to a different longitudinal side of the front panel, wherein the second outer end of the first shoulder strap is connected to the first segment and the second outer end of the second shoulder strap is connected to the second segment, wherein the back panel further comprises a connecting device which is configured to connect the first and second segment of the back panel in the vicinity of their second outer ends. This facilitates putting on and taking off of the brassiere for the treated person in that the brassiere no longer encloses the whole body of the person if the connecting device has not connected the first segment of the back panel and the second segment of the back panel to each other.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment the connecting device comprises on the first segment of the back panel at least one male connecting member and on the second segment of the back panel at least one female connecting member, wherein the male connecting member and the female connecting member are configured to connect to each other. This provides the advantage that opening and closing of the connecting device is easier and takes little time, this being important since the treated person will put on and take off the brassiere regularly.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment the connecting device comprises in the longitudinal direction of the back panel a plurality of mutually adjacent male connecting members on the first segment and / or a plurality of mutually adjacent female connecting members on the second segment. Together, the male and female connecting members are configured to adjust the length dimension of the back panel. This provides the advantage for the treated person that the periphery of the brassiere can be adjusted. This is desirable in the case of a person having undergone a mastectomy, since fluid accumulations around the armpit on the mastectomy side and in the part of the body where the mastectomy was performed are a common effect of the mastectomy. It is therefore desirable to be able to vary the peripheral length of the brassiere.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment the connecting device of the back panel comprises a plurality of male connecting members lying one above the other on the first segment and a plurality of female connecting members lying one above the other on the second segment. Owing to the presence of a plurality of connecting devices one above the other, the force caused by the closed connecting device is distributed over the height of the back panel and the brassiere continues to follow the body of the treated person close -fittingly in improved manner. In a preferred embodiment the at least one male connecting member and the at least one female connecting member comprise respectively a hook element and an eye element. This provides the advantage that closing and opening of the connecting device is easy and intuitive for the treated person, since a closure with hook and eye elements is the most common form of closure in brassieres.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment the front panel of the brassiere is manufactured such that at least no seam is present on the inward-directed side of the piece of fabric. A seam may be present on the brassiere due to stitching together of pieces of fabric which together form the brassiere. Because there is no seam on the part of the body where the mastectomy was performed, there is less irritation of the scar during movement of the piece of fabric due to movements of the treated person during use of the brassiere.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment at least one of the back panel, the portion of the front panel besides the piece of fabric, and the first and the second shoulder strap are manufactured such that no seam is present on the inward -directed side of the brassiere. This increases the overall wearer comfort of the brassiere, since seams that come into contact with the body of the treated person may cause irritation during use of the brassiere.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment the cup for accommodating the one breast comprises a support element. This support element supports the one breast. This provides the advantage that part of the weight of the breast is supported via the shoulder straps by the shoulders of the treated person by means of the brassiere. The wearer comfort of the brassiere is therefore higher with the support element.

[0020] The present invention will be further elucidated with reference to the following figures, which show preferred embodiments of the brassiere according to the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the invention in any way, wherein: figure 1 is a front view of a preferred embodiment of a brassiere according to the present invention; figure 2 is a cross-section of a portion of the brassiere shown in figure 1 ; figure 3 is a rear view of a preferred embodiment of a brassiere according to the present invention.

[0021] Figure 1 shows a brassiere 1. The brassiere 1 has been designed to create a high wearer comfort for treated persons who have undergone a mastectomy but wherein reconstruction of the removed breast has not taken place. At the location on the body where the surgery was performed the body is substantially flat and the body is scarred due to surgery. The scar is generally very sensitive, which can make wearing a brassiere 1 with one cup but having a conventional design uncomfortable. The brassiere 1 comprises a front panel 2 and a back panel 3, these together enclosing the body of the treated person and so forming a band -like element 8. The front panel 2 comprises the cup 4, which holds and supports the remaining breast. The cup 4 has a convex form in order to accommodate the remaining breast as well and as comfortably as possible. To support the one remaining breast a support element 14 in the form of an iron underwire is arranged in the lower half of cup 4. At the location on the body where the mastectomy was performed the front panel 2 comprises a flat, flexible piece of fabric 5 which follows the body of the treated person as well as possible. This results in as little movement as possible of the piece of fabric 5 relative to the body of the treated person, as this could be a source of irritation to the scar. Brassiere 1 further comprises a first shoulder strap 6 and a second shoulder strap 7 which support on the shoulders of the person. The shoulder straps are configured to hold the brassiere 1 firmly in place and to partially carry the weight of the one remaining breast. The two shoulder straps are connected with their respective first outer ends to the front panel 2 and with their respective second outer ends to the back panel 3. Hereby, the treated person can place their arms through the two resulting loops and the shoulder straps rest on the shoulders of the person.

[0022] The brassiere 1 according to the preferred embodiment shown in figure 1 has a band-like element 8 which runs around the whole body of the treated person. The band-like element 8 is a continuous whole and has over its whole length the same height dimension, this being such that the scar is sufficiently covered and no edges of the brassiere 1 rest on the scar. Because the height dimension remains the same over the whole length of band -like element 8, brassiere 1 will not pull upward or downward anywhere and the band-like element 8 will remain in place better on the body of the treated person. An axillary lymph node dissection, wherein the lymph nodes are removed in case they contain metastases of the cancer cells, is often performed in the armpits of the persons having undergone a mastectomy. The axillary lymph node dissection may result in loss of sensation. The band-like element 8 also has the same, great, height dimension under the shoulders, in and under the armpits of the treated person. The large surface area of the band-like element 8 will result less easily in pressure points, which cause welts, on the body of the treated person, which is particularly important at locations experiencing loss of sensation. This increases the wearer comfort of the brassiere 1. The band-like element 8 consists of a continuous whole without holes. Owing to this measure, there are no edges, particularly on the part of the body where the mastectomy was performed and under the armpit on the mastectomy side, which can be a source of irritation. The band-like element 8 is also made of an elastic material in order to enable it to follow the body of the treated person close-fittingly.

[0023] An additional advantage of the shown brassiere 1 is that, owing to the great height dimension of the band-like element 8 and to the body being followed close-fittingly, there is no space between the body of the treated person and the brassiere 1. This makes looking in impossible.

[0024] The band-like element 8 consists of two layers of material between which a layer with elastic material is arranged, as shown in figure 2. Figure 2 is a cross-section of the front panel 2 of figure 1. It is mainly the inner layer of material that is woven with a high fibre density. The high fibre density has the result that the material feels softer to the treated person and therefore causes less irritation to the scar. In addition, the two layers of material are woven with natural fibres and / or woven in a loose weave, making the material porous to some extent. This enables air to move freely through the fabric and enables the air to thus entrain sweat occurring between brassiere 1 and the body of the treated person, this further enhancing the wearer comfort of the brassiere 1 for the treated person. The elastic material is placed in two elastic bands 9 situated on respectively the upper edge and lower edge of the band-like element 8 of brassiere 1. The elastic bands 9 have for their object to hold brassiere 1 in place around the body of the treated person in improved manner. This is achieved in that the elastic bands 9 press the band-like element 8 against the body. The placing of the two elastic bands 9 on the upper edge and the lower edge of the band-like element 8 avoids contact with the mastectomy scar by running above and below the scar. The placing at the outer ends of the band-like element 8 is also the best way of holding the greatest possible portion of the band -like element 8 in place, since this portion is then situated between the two elastic bands 9.

[0025] Figure 3 shows a rear view of the brassiere 1 with a focus on the back panel 3. The back panel 3 is divided into a first segment 12 and a second segment 13. The first shoulder strap 6 is connected to the first segment 12 of the back panel 3 and the second shoulder strap 7 is connected to the second segment 13 of the back panel 3. The first segment 12 and the second segment 13 can be connected to each other using a connecting device. The connecting device comprises a plurality of hook elements 10 on the first segment 12 and a plurality of eye elements 11 on the second segment. The hook elements 10 and the eye elements 11 are configured such that they engage in each other easily and can be released from each other again easily by the treated person, but do not come loose accidentally during movements by the treated person while wearing brassiere 1. Dividing the back panel 3 into two segments enables the treated person to put on and take off the brassiere 1 easily, since the band-like element 8 forms a continuous, close-fitting whole which can be parted as desired.

[0026] A plurality of hooks elements 10 and eye elements 11 are arranged one above the other on back panel 3. This distributes the force caused by the connecting device over the whole height of the back panel in improved manner. The connecting device hereby does not cause any forces having a component not in the longitudinal direction of the back panel 3 which pull the back panel upward or downward, this being a potential source of irritation to the scar. Multiple sets of eye elements 11 are also arranged adjacently of each other on back panel 3 in the longitudinal direction of back panel 3. This allows the treated person to adjust the length of back panel 3 as desired. This is desirable for persons having undergone treatment, since fluid may accumulate around the armpit and the amputation site due to the mastectomy. Due to this fluid accumulation, the close-fitting, band-like element 8 must be adjustable in its (peripheral) length dimension in order to keep the wearer comfort of brassiere 1 at the desired level. The present invention is not limited to the shown embodiments but also extends to other embodiments falling within the scope of the claims.

Claims

Claims1. Brassiere for holding only one breast of a person that has undergone a single-sided mastectomy, following which no breast reconstruction has been performed, wherein the brassiere comprises: a front panel, comprising: a substantially convex-shaped cup which is configured to hold said one breast, and on a mastectomy side of the front panel a substantially flat, flexible piece of fabric connected to the cup, a back panel which is connected to both the cup and the substantially flat, flexible piece of fabric; and a first shoulder strap and a second shoulder strap with respective first outer ends which are connected to respectively the cup and the piece of fabric, and respective second outer ends which are each connected to the back panel, wherein the piece of fabric is a band-like element, has a height dimension such that the part of the body of the person where the mastectomy was performed is fully covered, and is configured to follow said part of the body close-fittingly.

2. Brassiere according to claim 1, wherein the back panel has substantially the same height dimension as the piece of fabric of the front panel on the mastectomy side.

3. Brassiere according to claim 2, wherein the band -like element further comprises the back panel and the cup and the height dimension of the band -like element is substantially the same over the whole length of the band-like element, wherein the band-like element forms a continuous whole and encloses the body of the person during use.

4. Brassiere according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the material of the piece of fabric on the mastectomy side is manufactured at least partially from an elastic material.

5. Brassiere according to any one of the claims 1 -4, wherein the piece of fabric is manufactured from natural fibres and / or is porous.

6. Brassiere according to any one of the claims 1-5, wherein the piece of fabric on the mastectomy side, the cup and the back panel comprise at least two layers of material with a layer with elastic material therebetween, preferably wherein the elastic material does not cover the part of the body of the person where the mastectomy was performed.

7. Brassiere according to claim 6. wherein the elastic material is arranged in at least two separate bands.

8. Brassiere according to claim 7, wherein the two bands with elastic material are arranged respectively in the vicinity of the lower edge of the piece of fabric, the cup and the back panel, and in the vicinity of the upper edge of the piece of fabric, the cup and the back panel.

9. Brassiere according to any one of the claims 1-8, wherein the back panel comprises a first segment and a second segment which each connect with a first outer end to a different longitudinal side of the front panel, wherein the second outer end of the first shoulder strap is connected to the first segment and the second outer end of the second shoulder strap is connected to the second segment, wherein the back panel further comprises a connecting device which is configured to connect the first segment of the back panel and the second segment of the back panel in the vicinity of their second outer ends.

10. Brassiere according to claim 9, wherein the connecting device comprises on the first segment of the back panel at least one male connecting member and comprises on the second segment of the back panel at least one female connecting member, wherein the male connecting member and the female connecting member are configured to connect to each other.

11. Brassiere according to claim 10, wherein the connecting device comprises in the longitudinal direction of the back panel a plurality of mutually adjacent male connecting members on the first segment and / or comprises a plurality of mutually adjacent female connecting members on the second segment, which together are configured to adjust the length of the back panel.

12. Brassiere according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the connecting device of the back panel comprises a plurality of male connecting members lying one above the other on the first segment and a plurality of female connecting members lying one above the other on the second segment.

13. Brassiere according to claim 10, 11 or 12, wherein the at least one male connecting member and the at least one female connecting member comprise respectively a hook element and an eye element.

14. Brassiere according to any one of the claims 1-13, wherein the front panel is manufactured such that at least no seam is present on the inward-directed side of the piece of fabric.

15. Brassiere according to claim 14, wherein at least one of the back panel, the portion of the front panel besides the piece of fabric, and the first and the second shoulder strap are manufactured such that no seam is present on the inward-directed side of the brassiere.

16. Brassiere according to any one of the claims 1-15, wherein the substantially convex-shaped cup comprises a support element which is configured to support the one breast.

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