By Aasra Editorial Team | India's First Adaptive Clothing Brand
Aasra has served thousands of patients and caregivers across India since 2020, providing adaptive clothing that makes dressing independent and dignified for people recovering from surgery, dealing with disability, or facing the challenges of old age.
Almost every woman who has had a mastectomy describes the same surprise. She was prepared for the surgery. She was prepared for the diagnosis conversation, the anaesthesia, the pathology report. Nobody prepared her for the fact that she would not be able to put on a shirt.
This guide covers what to wear after a mastectomy, lumpectomy or breast reconstruction in India, what to buy before you go into hospital, and how clothing needs change across the first three months.
The three problems ordinary clothing cannot solve
Arm movement is restricted. Most surgeons limit shoulder abduction and overhead reach for two to six weeks, especially if lymph nodes were removed. Every ordinary t-shirt, kurti and salwar top in the cupboard has to be pulled over the head, which means raising both arms above shoulder height. It is painful, and in the early days it risks the surgical repair.
There are drains. Most patients go home with one or two surgical drains still in place, each ending in a bulb that has to be emptied and measured a few times a day. Ordinary clothing has nowhere to put them. Women end up safety-pinning bulbs to their nightwear or carrying them in one hand, which makes every trip to the bathroom a two-person job.
The chest is numb and sensitive at the same time. Nerve damage from surgery leaves large patches of skin numb, while incision lines and the area under the arm stay sharply tender. This combination means you often cannot feel a seam digging in until it has already caused a mark.
What to wear in the first two weeks, while the drains are in
This is the phase where clothing matters most, and where the right garment makes the biggest difference to whether you can manage alone.
Look for tops that open fully at the front or the side so the garment wraps around the body instead of going over the head. A side-opening t-shirt lets you put the affected arm through the sleeve first, then wrap the rest around and close it, which is the sequence occupational therapists teach. No arm lifting is involved at any point.
For nightwear, a front-open patient nighty is the single most useful thing to own during this phase. It opens from neck to hem, so drains can be brought out and emptied without undressing, and it can be changed while lying in bed. Look for one with pockets, which is where most women end up keeping the drain bulbs so they are not dangling.
Skip bras entirely unless your surgeon has given you a specific post-surgical compression garment to wear. Nothing with an underwire, and nothing that has to be pulled over the head.
Weeks two to six
Once drains are out, the priority shifts from access to comfort. Arm movement is usually still limited, so front-opening tops remain the practical choice, but you can start wearing things that are less obviously medical.
This is where an adaptive front-open kurti earns its place. It looks like an ordinary kurti, so you can wear it to a follow-up appointment or when relatives visit, but it opens fully at the front with velcro so no arm raising is needed. For many of our customers this is the garment that marks the point where recovery stops feeling like being a patient.
Fabric matters throughout. Choose 100% cotton. Synthetics trap heat against skin that is already reactive, and radiotherapy, if it is part of your treatment, makes the skin in the treated area significantly more sensitive to friction and heat for several weeks.
If you are having chemotherapy
If a chemotherapy port has been placed in your chest, you will need clothing that gives access to it every two or three weeks without undressing in a waiting room. Front-opening and side-opening tops solve this too. A garment that opens at the front means the nurse can access the port while you stay dressed from the waist down and keep a blanket over your legs, which matters more than it sounds like it should on a long infusion day.
What to buy before you go into hospital
Buy these before the operation, not after. Nobody wants to be ordering clothes in the week they come home.
- Two front-opening nighties, so one can be washed while the other is worn
- Two front or side-opening tops for daytime
- Loose, soft trousers with an elastic waist
- Slip-on footwear, because bending to fasten shoes is uncomfortable when your chest is healing
Order one size larger than usual. Swelling in the chest wall and under the arm is normal for several weeks, and adaptive clothing is designed to be loose in any case. Our size guide has full measurements.
A note on timing
Most women find they need adaptive clothing for four to eight weeks. Reconstruction, bilateral surgery and node clearance all extend that. Radiotherapy can extend it further, because the skin stays sensitive throughout treatment and for some weeks afterwards. There is no prize for going back to ordinary clothes early.
Our full mastectomy recovery collection brings together the garments that work for this specific recovery. Everything is 100% cotton, shipping is free across India, and cash on delivery is available. If you are unsure what to order, message us on WhatsApp and we will help you work it out.