Best Breast Form Methods for Attachment Using Adhesives

Breast form adhesives

First of all, it all begins with the right breast form adhesive. We hear time and time again about how people use unconventional adhesive on themselves that was never made or tested for human skin. This is certainly not something people should be testing out. It could cause harm to your body and ruin your expensive breast forms. The methods we recommend are all tried and tested for body safety and breast form durability. Before you consider attachment to bear in mind the following:

1. Clean Shaven is needed for optimum results
2. Really Big and heavy forms cannot be attached without some other assistance e.g. bra
3. If you have sensitive skin breast form adhesives should be tested on a small area first before use

What are the types of breast form adhesive?

There are 3 main types of breast form adhesive: liquid, spray, and tape. The liquid adhesive comes in a squeeze bottle that can be applied by means of a brush or roller.  The double sided tapes can be easily cut and applied to the body. The spray adhesive can be sprayed onto the area quickly. Some brand names that we carry and that you can often see advertised are:

HOLLISTER MEDICAL ADHESIVE that comes in a 3.2oz aerosol can

IT STAYS BODY ADHESIVE that comes in a 2oz roll-on bottle

OSTO-BOND LATEX CEMENT that comes in a 4oz can with applicator brush

‘It Stays’ is a great product….if you use it for attaching nipples to a breast form or for helping hold up hosiery etc but it is not intended for attaching breast-forms. It will even have trouble holding up a 34C sized form without the aid of a bra. The other two are both effective and medical grade so they are safe to use so long as you follow the instructions and test a small area of skin first before using.

The secret of effective attachment is in the preparation and following the instructions. There are also some convenient products and practices to increase the effectiveness of your adhesive.

Always make sure you have the correct breast forms compatible with adhesives. You need to ensure you have a breast forms made from silicone that has a thin PU protective outer layer to it – like a skin. It’s this ‘skin’ that the adhesive sticks to. Foam breast forms and the alternative gel breast forms like Pals cannot be used with adhesives or using these methods and products. We advise you use medically approved adhesives at all times.

To increase efficiency of adhesive you may also want to consider the following easy to use and convenient products that not only add to the effectiveness of adhesives but will also mean you will get a lot more uses from your adhesive thereby saving money in the long run:

• Skin Prep protective wipes for wiping on the skin area after cleaning. This ensures the area is clean and so helps with adhesive effectiveness
• Rubbing Alcohol for use with cotton wool on the skin area. To be used in place of Skin Prep before using adhesives to ensure skin surface is clean of any skin oil or soap residue
• Skin Tac Wipes form an adhesive barrier on the skin before applying breast forms with breast form adhesive and help save on adhesive use
• Uni-Solve for removing adhesive from both the skin’s surface and the breast forms after use

What’s the most effective way to attach breast forms using adhesive?

There are 3 key stages that require some maintenance and correct procedure in order to maximize the effectiveness of your adhesives when wearing with breast forms and these are Preparation, Attachment and lastly Removal.

PREPARATION: It is preferable you clean shave at least 8 hours before. This will give the skin time to recover before using adhesives etc. Try not to shave just before you are about to apply forms with adhesive. Make sure to clean the skin area with soap and water rinsing carefully to remove any soap residue. Once dry apply an alcohol rub and allow to air dry and then an optional step to have your adhesive work more effectively is to apply a Skin Tac Wipe to the skin area in question. This then forms a tacky adhesive barrier on the skin to aid adhesion of the breast form.

ATTACHMENT: In front of a mirror ensure you have the following items set out within easy reach: breast forms, adhesive, bra, paper towel etc. Now you are ready to begin:

1. Fasten bra around your tummy i.e. below the bust line
2. Spray a layer of Hollister 7730 Adhesive around the back of the first breast form and allow to sit for a few minutes until tacky
3. Position the form on your left breast and press firmly against the skin. With a firm yet careful circular motion transfer some of the adhesive to the skins surface and remove the form again, re-spraying the back and leaving to one side to get tacky. Skin Tac Wipes can be used here instead so that you only use ½ the amount of adhesive spray
4. Repeat stage 3 for the second breast form
5. Now take the first breast form which has tacky adhesive on it and place against the chest which now also has a tacky surface. Press firmly and pull up the bra to support the form
6. Take breast form number two and apply in the same manner and support with the bra
7. After 20 minutes or so remove the bra and you are good to go

If using double sided tapes follow the same preparation and do make sure you use Skin Tac Wipes that increases the adhesive ability. Skin Tac Wipes also can be used to wipe the tapes after they have been used. This brings back the adhesive quality to a ‘used’ tape allowing it to be worn more than once.

REMOVAL: Find an edge of the breast form and carefully pull away from the skin. If need be have some Walker Adhesive Remover on a cotton wool ball or cotton bud or a Uni-Solve adhesive remover wipe to help. After removal, the back of the breast form needs to be cleaned of any adhesive residue using Walker Adhesive Remover. This will not only protect your forms and ensure their life is prolonged but the adhesive will work better next time around on a clean and flat surface. If you forget to remove the adhesive from your forms and it cakes on hard then pour 1/8 inch of Walker Tape Remover on a dinner plate and place the form(s) adhesive side down in the liquid. Leave for 3 to 4 hours and the adhesive will dissolve and then just wash forms in luke-warm water with mild soap, gently towel dry and store away safely for next time.

GlamourBoutique.com strongly recommends the products in our Adhesive/Remover Saver Pack, which include both the Hollister Spray Adhesive and the Walker Adhesive Remover. There are other products like the Osto-Bond but we know a number of customers using that product and it has resulted in skin burns. If you do use it try on a small section of skin before applying forms and also use sparingly. Of the other products that increase effectiveness and life of the adhesive we would also recommend the Skin-Tac which works in conjunction with both the Hollister and the double-sided tapes.