Meet the Post-Op Bra That's Long Overdue

A new company led by breast cancer survivor Efrat Roman has developed a breast dressing that provides an advanced solution for the diverse post-op requirements of all breast procedures.

Efrat Roman was diagnosed with breast cancer a little more than a decade ago and underwent a total of five different surgeries due to complications. As if going through multiple breast operations weren't challenging enough, Roman was surprised to find out that the post-op breast dressing options were severely lacking.

"I realized there wasn't anything designated for the dressing of breasts post-op," Roman told MD+DI. "There are reusable bras that are post-op bras, but the fact that they are reusable is not enough because many breast cancer patients will suffer from some kind of asymmetry and with the reusable bras there is no solution for those kinds of patients. More than that, the fact that you have to wear the same bra over and over again, even if you have pads in it that you replace, it seems to be not hygienic and kind of disgusting and very humiliating."

Roman began speaking with other breast surgery patients, including those who had cosmetic surgery and others like herself who were breast cancer survivors, and it became clear that she wasn't the only patient bothered by the limited post-op dressing options.Surely there was something on the market that was disposable and designed to be an all-in-one dressing bra and dressing solution, Roman remembers thinking at the time. "When I realized there wasn't, that is when EZbra was born," she said.

Roman is now the CEO of Tel Aviv, Israel-based EZbra Advanced Wound Care, which has developed a disposable and sterile post-surgical breast dressing designed to address the challenges that commonly arise after breast surgery. The dressing is designed to address patient discomfort, to save time in the operating room, and to help decrease the risk of infection during recovery. The company made its official U.S. debut at the Aston Baker Cutting Edge Aesthetic Surgery Symposium in New York late last week.

The EZbra is designed for use after any type of breast surgery, including aesthetic, biopsy, lumpectomy, mastectomy, and reconstruction.

"Our goal is to offer a quality post-operative option while providing patients with the independence, dignity, and self-esteem they deserve during recovery," Roman said.

Earlier this month EZbra successfully raised $3 million in funding as part of the company's series A round, which will be leveraged for its U.S. commercialization.

After surgery, most patients are in a lot of pain and are unable to lift their arms, and Roman said it was important to the company during the development of the product that it be something the patient could change independently.

"Having someone else helping you change the dressing at this very sensitive time in life is really hard to deal with, so we created a device that is very easily elevated by the patient herself without having to lift her arms and then it wraps the body," she said.

Another important design consideration for the EZbra was that it be very adjustable not just for each patient but for each breast. After surgery every individual breast is in a different condition, she explained, because the amount of swelling varies from one breast to another and the incisions are not always in the same place. A video tutorial on the company's website shows how the dressing is applied.

Sherrell J. Aston, MD, a world-renowned plastic surgeon, recently joined the company's board to provide medical counsel.

"EZbra is a great new innovative post-surgical bra that adapts to the anatomy of each individual following their breast procedure," said Aston. "It was designed by a patient after her mastectomy when she realized there were no personalized and disposable bras available. The availability of a wound care solution that addresses the various needs and challenges associated with all breast procedures represents a significant development for post-op breast recovery."