By Connor Boyd For Mailonline
Published: 12:55 BST, 22 May 2019 | Updated: 13:00 BST, 22 May 2019
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A 51-year-old woman claims tight-fitting bras have left her with a gaping hole in her chest.
Lynne McConnell had been wearing 'underwire' bras - which are fitted with a thin strip of rigid material beneath the breasts - for 15 years.
But in June last year a painful pea-sized lump formed in the middle of her chest.
Mrs McConnell, who has 34GG breasts, went to A&E when it quickly grew into a 4cm rock-hard cyst.
Lynne McConnell has been wearing underwire bras (shown) - which are fitted with a thin strip of rigid material under the breasts - for 15 years
But in June last year she noticed a 'pea-shaped' lump in the middle of her chest which grew bigger and became more painful
The Scot, who moved to Brighton five years ago, was forced to have it cut off, leaving a gaping wound in the middle of her chest
She was prescribed antibiotics when doctors mistook the cyst for an abscess caused by infection.
But the tablets didn't work and she was forced to go to her local breast clinic a month later.
She had to have the lump surgically removed, leaving her with an open wound that couldn't be stitched up, needed dressing daily and took three months to heal.
Mrs McConnell said the scar is still tender and she has to wear loose sports bras.
Surgeons told Ms McConnell the wired-bra blocked her pores and caused the cyst to develop.
She said she wanted to raise awareness about the dangers of tight-fitting bras so other women don't go through similar ordeals.
Inside the skin there are numerous tiny glands that produce sebum, the oil that helps to lubricate the skin.
The oil reaches the skin via a tiny duct, or tube, and if one of these becomes blocked, the glands can swell up, producing a cyst.
The blocking of pores may occur from pressure or tight garments pressing
