Common Options for Custom Body Briefs and Body Suits

Neckline
Regular — Neckline should be at the sternal notch.

Scoop — Neckline is dropped to below the sternal notch, from 1/2 to 3 or more inches. You specify the depth.

Turtleneck — A band is attached to the neckline in order to raise a collar from 3/4 inch to 21/2 inches high. You specify height.

NOTE: Pressure on the torso is achieved by stretching the garment across the body. A deep neckline may result in less pressure across the upper torso.

Zippers
Torso garments, such as vests, body briefs, and suits come with a zipper as a standard feature. Zippers are anterior by default for all torso garments. Many torso garment orders for toddlers and infants request a posterior zipper. Zippers for upper and lower extremities attached to torso garments would be considered optional features and should be specified on the Upper Extremity Chart or the Lower Extremity Chart, as appropriate.

Zippers on the torso, whether anterior or posterior, may be offset several inches in order to avoid a sensitive area. In “Additional Instruc-tions” specify which side to move the zipper to and how much. For example, “Offset zipper three inches left”.

Hook & Loop Zipper Stop Tab
Torso garment zippers may occasionally come open on some patients. To prevent this we can install a hook and loop tab across the zipper to hold it together.

Hook & Eye
Torso garment zippers may be very difficult to close for those with little or no hand or finger strength. You may consider requesting two or three hook & eye latches (the same hook & eye used to close a brassiere), for example, one at the bottom, one at the middle, and one at the top of a vest zipper to assist these patients. The hook & eye latches are installed inside the zipper bands so the patient can close the bottom hook & eye, then negotiate the zipper, then close the middle hook & eye, and then zip up to that level, and so on. Although most commonly requested for torso garment zippers, hook & eye closures are technically feasible for any zipper.

Expansion Panels
A panel of Insert Material, 1 – 3 inches wide, may be installed along the lateral side of a torso garment, from the bottom of the garment to the axilla. If the garment has sleeves, the expansion panel could be made continuous from the bottom of the garment to the end of the sleeve. Expansion panels may be used to allow for growth in the pediatric patient and minor fluctuations in patient measurements

Inserts
The default breast style is to construct a breast cup out of the regular material of the garment using the chest circumferences and brassiere cup size provided, however, breast panels may alternatively be constructed out of our stretchy Insert Material. Breast inserts are frequently requested for adult female patients. Sleeves that come with Sleeved Vests, Sleeved Body Briefs, and Sleeved Body Suits may have inserts in the anterior elbow crease to prevent bunching of the garment material.

Underarm Gussets
Some patients may experience discomfort and skin breakdown from the material rubbing in the axillae. A gusset is a wedge of Insert Material incorporated into the axilla. If an expansion panel has been requested, the gusset may be incorporated into the expansion panel.

Linings
Some patients find the neck band of a torso garment irritating. This may be alleviated by lining the neck band with Lining Material. We call this, “drapelining”, because the lining material is draped around the band. Similarly, zipper bands and arm holes of sleeveless torso garments may be drapelined to reduce rubbing.

Linings may be incorporated in torso garments in order to reduce the discomfort from rubbing. For a sleeved garment, axilla linings may be added.

Pubis Construction
The default pubis for a male lower torso/extremity garment is closed with a horizontal fly, while the default pubis for a female is closed with a soft crotch gusset. Specify “open pubis” and we make the garment with a large pubic opening.