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Does that new health or fitness product really do what it says it will? Let us find out for you. MSNBC.com writers and editors will periodically try out various products, devices and gadgets and report back their experiences. And experts will help us assess the evidence and spot quack claims. Have an item you'd like us to test? Send an e-mail to health@msnbc.com.



Bra's promise to firm, uplift is sort of a bust

Posted: Thursday, April 16, 2009 3:24 PM

By Anna Chan, health editor

What it is: Victoria’s Secret Beauty Secret Bust-Firming Bra ($48-$68 plus shipping from VictoriasSecret.com

What it claims to do: Give your bust a more uplifted effect by diminishing signs of aging and improving the skin’s ability to retain moisture with DermalRX HydroSeal and Dermaxyl. All you have to do is wear the bra for at least four weeks, eight hours a day, to see an 18 percent boost in skin firmness with results at a peak after eight weeks.

Image: Bust-firming Bra from Victoria's Secret
victoriassecret.com

My experience: As a woman who is not so blessed in the chest area and not interested at all in surgical enhancements, I nearly jumped for joy when two readers wrote to us in January and asked us to test this new bust-firming bra. The “more uplifted effect” promised in the product’s description means I look bigger, right? Without surgery? For less than $100? And all I have to do is wear the same bra for four to eight weeks? Well, that part’s a little icky, but still – sign me up!

I ordered the demi bra in whisper pink, then waited not so patiently for it to arrive. When it did, I ripped open the package and gazed happily at the pretty pink garment. A tag that came with the bra indicated that the garment feels just like any other and doesn’t require inserts, creams or lotions, though the strap of the bra noted that the fabric was 83 percent nylon and 17 percent spandex. (So where are DermalRX and Dermaxyl?) The bra felt incredibly cool and smooth to the touch – almost slick. I could tell right away it was going to be a comfy undergarment.

And it is, though I was a smidge disappointed when I first put it on. There isn’t any extra padding on the demi bra, which was fine with me, but most bras I have that don’t come with the extra “enhancements” still give me a little extra oomph, but this one didn’t. I looked extra small, which was disappointing for a bra that was supposed to help me look “more uplifted.” (Should’ve gone for the push-up, which I missed when submitting my order.) But that’s OK, I thought. It has four weeks to firm up the area to make it look more impressive!

Wearing the same bra for that long gets kind of gross after a while, especially when you can see the dirt start to build up in the light-colored fabric. (And yes, I did hand wash it several times. I also showered daily, if you must know.) Also, after about three weeks, the underwire on one side started to move around a bit and poked me relentlessly until I learned how to wrestle it back into place each morning. I gave it almost seven weeks before I gave up.

So did I notice any increased firmness or diminished signs of aging? Nope. Victoria’s Secret says that women who tested the product experienced on average an 18 percent boost in firmness, but honestly, I had no idea how I could even measure that in myself. A few totally unscientific tests on my own seemed to indicate that I was just as buoyant after testing the bra as before I got it. (To be fair, I’m reasonably young and am not experiencing any droopage or visible signs of aged skin, so I wasn’t expecting miracles.)

I tried to contact Victoria’s Secret to get some specifics about the tests they did so I could more accurately compare my results to theirs, but no luck. So I tracked down the company that supplied VS with the DermalRX HydroSeal. I was unable to talk to anyone at Applied DNA Sciences in a timely matter, but a press release from October 2008 about its work with Victoria’s Secret explained things a bit: DermalRX HydroSeal is a “complex of a novel yeast ferment, soy proteins and soy peptides.” The ingredients allegedly repair damaged skin and restore the skin surface to refine texture and radiance, and the effect promotes a youthful skin appearance and contributes to skin health, according to the press release.

What the expert says: “It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me,” said Dr. Anthony Youn, a Michigan-based board certified plastic surgeon who has not tested the bust-firming bra. “It sounds like they’re thinking combining [Dermaxyl] with nylons and spandex might help thicken the skin,” he continued. “I can’t explain how they put [Dermaxyl] in the fabric.”

Youn noted that Dermaxyl is a peptide used in makeup and some anti-aging creams, and that some believe it could be an alternative to Retin-A, a prescription-strength anti-wrinkle cream scientifically proven to increase the collagen in the skin and tighten it, which is why in some people, it can firm up the skin and decrease wrinkles. He is not familiar with DermalRX HydroSeal.

So why wouldn’t the Dermaxyl in the bra – however they get it in there – help increase breast firmness? He explained that breasts droop with age and become less firm because of changes in the tissue. “As they age, the tissue that makes up the breast turns from thick, Styrofoam-like density in an 18-year-old into fat. Fat has no strength, and that’s why breasts will droop with time. … It’s not because of the skin,” said Youn, who is also the author of the Celebrity Cosmetic Surgery Blog. He hypothesized that if the bra is very occlusive, “it’s possible that it may allow the skin to retain the moisture better, and it may feel firmer.”

Bottom line: If you’re in the market for a new bra that feels nice on your skin, go for it. Otherwise, I might skip this purchase if obvious bust-firming and uplifted effects are expected. (Keep in mind that you have to wear it for four weeks straight, so you may want to buy two or three to avoid feeling grossed out.)

Youn said that if you’re really interested in making your breasts look firmer, you’ll have to go the surgery route and get a breast lift. No anti-wrinkle, skin-firming cream on the market “is going to firm up the skin that you get a significant difference in how the breast looks and feels,” he noted.

As for this particular bra, Youn wouldn’t refute its claims, though he can’t explain how it might work. “It’s a nice idea if a company can significantly firm and lift the breast. Then I should close my practice and open a lingerie store.”

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Comments

As a man who likes the appearance of "firmness", it all sounds like a marketing scheme. Natural is always better, unless there is a physical/medical reason to enhance (ie: mastectomy). Just an opinion.
New bra report...interesting until -Washed it "several" times in 8 wks? gross - was that a joke? Didn't you ever hear of a washing machine or handwashing undies in a sink?  Even my COLLEGE AGE SON who works at a resutarant at night washes his uniform every night.  This is the health editor?
I don't think most women wash their bra after one use.
Who washes a bra after every time they wear it? Get a life!
Washing his uniform EVERY night is probably borderline obsessive-compulsive.  But washing a bra only "several times" in 8 weeks also sounds nasty.  A happy medium would be nice.
“complex of a novel yeast ferment, soy proteins and soy peptides.”

Isn't that snake oil composition?
Bras don't need to be washed often, maybe every few wearings, and any bra with underwire should ONLY be hand washed, as the fabric will shrink but the underwire will not, causing it to pop out.
Judy, with a good bra costing upwards of $40, and the average woman I know owning 3 bras they wear on a regular basis, do you really expect people to wash their bra's every night?  Give me a break.
get some self esteem! there is nothing wrong with small breasts!  more than a mouthful is a waste anyway!
at least that person wasnt stupid enough to get implants, that is really low self esteem.
sure!
I read this artical because I was looking for a bra to fit my breasts good. I would buy the bra by the description on comfort. Btw, to the comment refering to low self esteem if you have implants, I have implants. I'm not scared to tell people I meet or talk about them. I got them because I love curvy figgures and I always had a very skinny top and large, curvy bottom. If you want to say people are stupid to get implants and low self esteem that's fine. I'm sure you felt like changing something, losing weigh or even putting makeup on. Because even putting makeup on is changing your apperance and might show an example of low self esteem because you might not be comfortable with your skin or the color of you lips. Don't be afriad to do what you want with your life/body.
I am just as disgusted as Judy.  I've never heard of a person wearing a bra more than once before washing it.  Hmmmmm.  Do what you will people.
I have about 50 bras. Different styles,colors etc. Some are for work- washed daily,some for special occasion ( hollidays etc)-washed after 2-3 wearings, some for working out-washed after each use and if I go just to the store why should I wash it,it can be worn again next time. I have t-shirts, jeans etc. that I wear more than once. Is there people outhere that really wash everything after just one use? I even use towel more than once.Face cloth just once thou. After all, you wash yourself every day w/soap and water.
P.S. I do change my undies every day, just in case someone asks.
When I see women with breasts that have obviously been surgically enhanced - I can't help but visualize the gel-filled balloons that have been inserted.

It's kind of like looking at a store mannekin. How can any man really respond to this plastic-look? Perhaps some plastic surgeries are better than others - but to elect such a life threatening risk for the purpose of looking unnaturally modified...I guess I just don't  see the value.

Maybe if we could ban toddler beauty pageants, young girls could grow up to LIKE their own unique bodies instead of feeling so judged that they must surgically alter their appearance to conform.
My bras range in price from $50 to $70 (a few cost even more), and the industry recommends wearing them once, letting the fabric "rest", and then wearing again.  I alternate between several bras over the course of a week, but I wear them about 3 times before handwashing them in a special wash.  The only time I've washed after one wearing is when I've gotten extremely sweaty, say, after a really hard workout.  You can throw your $10-bras in a machine after one wearing if you want to, but I didn't buy mine at Target: I bought them online, from England and France.  They're a well-made and highly functional garment, and I want to keep them looking good and doing their job well.
This is absolute snake oil and the Doctor isn't that knowledgeable either. (Face creams are snake oil as well) Skin and underlying elements of the physique are maintained by diet and exercise, not topicals. If you smoke, the skin will age and look prunish because you are drying your skin from the inside out. Etc. What goes into the body determines how the package will look like. Topicals etc are just quick, non-lasting fixits. As for bra washing, I wear once and wash. It depends upon the person, where you live, etc. In Los Angeles, there is much polution and it gets into the body, causing odor. Some people perspire a lot, others not at all. There is also what you eat. I challenge any woman to have a garlicky lunch meal and wear the same garment the next day to work. Personally, I can't wear any garment more than once without washing, since my body temp runs high during the day. Moral: don't judge what others do or don't do and don't compare yourself to others.
Well, I wear my bras more than once before washing, but I shower every day. It's not like they are filthy and stinking, or even "dirty".  I don't think it is disgusting and bras wear out fast enough as it is.  I think some people are way too obsessive about their laundry or else have tons of money. Or maybe they are just stinkier than me! :D
I remember being in a luxury clothes store, and I picked up a very decorated, delicate bra, and I mused 'How do you wash it?'. The sales assistant looked horrified and said 'You don't WASH it. Its dryclean only - you only ever wash SPORTS bras.' Sure enough, the bra said 'dryclean only.'  Now truly, I'm sure that even women who are buying $500 bras do not dryclean them every day. Perhaps if you are overly sweaty or active perhaps, but it would be excessive like washing jeans daily, or coats and jackets.

However adamant I am that washing an expensive bra with hidden RX ingredients several times (and remember there is a large range in the word 'several') is adequate - I'm sure the writer did not write this piece to have us criticize her hygiene.
Bra washing?  This is what you all picked up as the most important thing in that article?  You all have the attention span of gnats.
To "Disgusting": I've never heard of a person washing a bra after wearing it only one day except in the case of very sweaty day. They're too expensive and delicate to wash so often and cause to wear out quickly.
Personally, I find the subject of bra washing to be more interesting than reading about yet another silly gimmick that will cheat people out of their money by playing upon their insecurities.
To "John Doe" and "fusseltier, My sister and I both have had cosmetic surgery and nobody would ever consider us insecure. She chose to because an abnormality in her developement caused only one breast to develope. I have had a tummy tuck and breast augmentation. I happen to be under 5 feet tall and before my pregnancies I was a respectable 34B. While pregnant with my daughter I went up to a 38DD, and almost 185 pounds. Due to complications I had an emergency c-section. After losing 80 pounds I was left with a pocket of fat, loose skin and saggy 34A's that no amount of exercise could eliminate. At 33 I chose not to reclaim my past, but to embrace my future. I decided that to not do something I wanted because of how people might judge me was not the way I wanted to live my life. I am smart. I am strong. I am a woman. There is nothing wrong with wanting to improve yourself. If I had taken extra classes because I didn't feel confident at work you wouldn't think anything of it. I chose to have surgery and because of it I stand a little staighter and I hold my head a little higher. They say that knowlege is power and I know who I am. I always have, but that doesn't mean I will stop reading, learning, or trying to be the best me possible. I try not to judge others who do the same. I hope you will too.
When it comes to thinking up new and exciting ways to separate consumers from their money, this is just further proof that Madison Avenue has no shame whatsoever.  As the much stated maxim says, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
This is an awful review written by an inept editor. The reviewer makes a pretty bizarre assumption from the product's description (read the description on the product's website):

"The “more uplifted effect” promised in the product’s description means I look bigger, right?"

No. The claims of the product were firming of sagging skin and mosturizing the skin. On the product's website there are no claims in the description about enhancing breast size. Also, the uplifted effect described seems to be targeted towards counteracting sagging and perhaps lack of fullness due to moisture loss, not via breast enlargement. Meaning if you have young and perky breasts, this probably won't make them perkier.

Otherwise, the parts of the article that deal with how this could possibly work as described (let alone the reviewer's assumption of breast enlarging) is almost halfway decent (Only one reviewer? Only one expert consultation?).
People need to relax about wearing a bra more than once before washing it.  I always have, and trust me when I say I'm a squeaky clean person.  I love a nice, hot, scrubby shower first thing EVERY morning, and up to four days a week I also shower in the evening after a workout.  I also both wash my hair and shave daily with that shower (which I never realized is not the norm for many people, either.  People skip washing hair and shaving for up to three days.  Who knew?)  But I wear most of my clothing, bras included, up to three times (maybe even four depending on the item, like a sweater) before washing it.  Oh my god no!  Please.  The only thing I change daily, sometimes twice as well, is underwear (again, underpants NOT the bras) and socks/hose/knee highs.  It's not just bras that fall apart from too much washing; MOST clothes can't withstand that kind of abuse for long.  I'm always amazed by people who feel so dirty that they freak that their OWN clothes touched their OWN bodies more than one day.  Do you really feel that dirty, really?  Or is it I just shower more than the average person?  I'm really starting to wonder which it is.
Why in the WORLD would you wash your bra after every single use?  Talk about a freakishly ridiculous waste of water, aside from the fact that bras aren't subjected to much human grime, given you shower daily.  Additionally, washing after every single use would drastically reduce the life of your bra.  Call me crazy, but I prefer to be a bit more careful with my water and new-clothing consumption.
DUMB, DUMB DUMB, BRA WASHING? THATS WHAT REALLY MATTERS?, WHAT A BUNCH OF IDIOTS!
interestingly, in all this talk about washing/not washing the bra, no one has wondered what effect washing could have on the Dermaxyl.  even if the company found a way to get it in the fabric, if Dermaxyl is a peptide, then it likely gets washed out of the bra on the first wash, unless they have found a way to actually crosslink it to the nylon and increase it's stability at room temperature indefinitely (highly unlikely!).
To: Anna Chan, health editor:
  i admire a lady who is always trying to enhance her appearance, especially with what GOD has already given her. trying or testing new clothing is the best way to "dress-up" your assets.
  whether a lady is an "A" or an "D" size, i find both attractive. its the personallity that makes both atractive.
 hey, wash your bra whenever u feel necessary! no matter what opinion other have. they missed the point of your article. keep up the good work, dear.
Ummm...ok. Review had nothing to do with breast implants, but the comments went there. (And, no, I don't wash my bras after every use.)

To those (or that) short-sighted poster who cringes whenever he sees someone with obvious implants...how are they obvious? I'm a natural 36 triple D. Yup, I naturally have stripper boobies. I'm 40, but they still sit up where they belong, and they are in proportion with my hips.

When my boobies become 36 long, I'll get the puppies wheeled back up and pinned in place where they  belong. If I'm ever unlucky enough to need a mastectomy, my first stop will be to a plastic surgeon. We'll take pictures of what I have, so that surgeon can give it back to me. (He can make them evenly sized, though; that'd be cool.)

Do what you want with your body, people. It is your body after all. And stop judging others when you have no clue how they came to be or came to look how they look.
I am highly amused by the bra-washing debate, especially since I have often wondered about it.  I do think it is nuts to wash a bra every time you wear it...do the smell test!
I know! What is up with the bra washing? I certainly don't wash my bras after each wearing. And I definitely handwash and line-dry them when I do.
Finally at sixty seven I'm reached that "I don't give a rat's ass stage".  Being healthy and happy is the way to go..........I'm told by many people...."what are you doing?, you look great"  My answer.... enjoy aging because you can't stop it.
To the person who thinks no one should get implants, do you also believe people should forgo braces on their teeth?  Not wear dentures or get dental implants?  How about coloring out gray hair if you want to?  Were you born perfect?  Maybe, but not really if you are so ready to judge other people's appearances without knowing their circumstances.  And whether natural is better or not, well, who would say otherwise.  But sometimes, you're not born with straight teeth.  Or if you were once "blessed" with them, and you were in an accident and they got knocked out, wouldn't you gladly change your "after" appearance to more closely resemble the "you" you once knew?  After having children, my body didn't remember what it used to look like and took on the qualities found in stretched out balloons.  I'm very slim on top, and I am looking into regaining the me I remember.
Need to go to one of those bras that get fitted to you. From 27AAA to54N. They get all that extra breast tissue from the sides, underneath, etc. bring you up and forward. Cameo is one of these brands. It does not have underwire and the straps are cotton. The band is not straight but curves and does the supporting. Inside the bra is fabric that is folded over for the first week(?) to help shape things up. There is another brand but it has more Lycra and over time stretches out. They are not those pretty dainty and often useless things and can be used for breastfeeding as the cups can unclip. Wearing the bra actually makes one look a little thinner as it uplifts and defines. No, I am not a distributor but a customer at age 15 and am now 59. (Except when I lost tract of the supplier and had to depend on underwires- I was horribly bruised when I again found a supplier and then made the switch)
To Tara in WI - Amen sister!!  I too had augmentation b/c I am the same - breasts went up quite a bit during 3 pregnancies and wow what happened after breast feeding...  No bra gave me that lift or firmness so I went the surgical route.  I am extremely natural and very comfortable.  Just restored to normal position.  There is nothing wrong or insecure about fixing areas with surgical procedures.  Yes some folks go over-board but don't put me in that category.  And there are many masectomy patients who are thankful for surgical procedures to restore breast tissue.  We don't all have "balloons".  Cohesive gel is out there too!
Does it have formahledyde in it lilke the others?!
I agree with Another Sensible Bra-Wearer...a good bra costs at least $50, so if you wash it everyday, you're looking to be buying a new bra by the end of the month. Now is that really necessary?? I think not.
I wear my bra only once before washing. My panties, too. Any item that comes in direct contact with areas near sweat glands should be washed after every wearing.
I only wash my bra like every 8 weeks, it's like 10 years old, and it gives me a yeast skin infection on my right breast, but I can't afford a new one.
What a hoot! I've read each response and have gotten a few good giggles. I HATE BRAS!!! When one is very young, a bra is a girls bragging rights. However, the newness wore off way too soon for me. Those tah, tahs, aren't meant to be bound up all day! They need to breathe and to relax! And unless someone is scrubbing "the girls" with soap all the time, they don't lose too much moisture. I am here to report that at age 55, they do begin to droop and they actually get a bit bigger because of the fat. It's the perks of getting older. Ah, isn't life good!!
My estimate... I think "several times" in eight weeks could be anywhere between once a week(for a total of 8 times) to twice or 3 times a week(for a total of 16 or 24 times) I wouldn't say Ms. Health Editor was un-hygienic; We simply don't know how many times "several times" denotes...
I don't wash my bra every day, I usually wear it 2-3 times before machine washing it unless it's summer or I get really sweaty. I also only wear my bra when I'm out and about, not when I'm home. I am not a neat freak, but I shower every day and not washing my bra every day doesn't make me a pig!
I never knew that people hand washed their bras so they'd last longer! I always wondered why my $50 bras had the underwire pop out eventually. Now I'm going to hand wash my bras instead and keep washing them after 2-3 wears!
So thank you to all the opinions! I did learn some things! And thank you Ms. Editor for going where no woman had gone before(At least admittedly)!
I wear my bras (both underwire and no wire) once, pop them all in a mesh bag that I bought at Target, and when I go to the laundromat, the bag and the two weeks worth of bras inside them go into the wash. I don't hand wash any of my bras. They don't come out clean when you hand wash them. I smell sweat and Woolite at the same time. At least in the machine )permanent press), the bras come out clean, the underwires are intact, the hooks are not damaged, and smell and feel great. Oh, and I wear the Playtex bras that are about $15.00, not the pricey ones.
Holy cow.  I reall learned  something.  I had no idea people wore underwear more than 1 day before washing it.  I wear it once -- I wash it once.  All my bras tell me not to put it in the washing machine.  But I do.  I wash on delicate in cold water.  That day's perspiration gets washed out.  If you don't wash it every day, dirt gets into the fabric and spandex and shortens the life.  My bras last for years.  


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