Bandage of the chest consists of applying confining underwear to the breasts.

These undergarments can be made up of :

1. strips of fabric,

2. elastic bandages or not

3. underwear made from elastane or polyamide fibers

4. a superposition of more or less tight t-shirts

5. or even adhesive strips (scotch tape).

Bandaging the chest is common among trans men. Androgynous or gender fluid people can also do this. Transvestites, drag-kings and even some women can also use binders.

Bandaging the chest through the use of fabrics can lead to bodily harm, such as :

1. permanent deformation of the chest

2. severe back problems (pain)

3. skin tearing and loss of elasticity

4. in the most serious cases :

    a. cracked or broken ribs

    b. difficulty in breathing

    c. crushed chest.

What are the motivations ?

There are many reasons why people bind their breasts :

1. Accelerate recovery, by reducing movement, after injury or surgery

2. Dress up, cross-dress, or wear a costume

3. Conceal her breasts or their development

4. For beauty and aesthetics

5. Be more in tune with a temperament

6. Have a less feminine appearance

7. Avoid gender dysphoria

8. To have a more athletic appearance

9. To stop lactation

In some adolescent girls, when they enter puberty, the appearance of breasts is badly experienced for all sorts of reasons: modesty, embarrassment, the desire not to want to change their appearance. This can lead to permanent breast deformity. Breast bandaging in teenage girls can be a symptom of dysmorphophobia (obsessive fear of being ugly or poorly shaped).

Men may also want to bandage their breasts for gynecomastia (overgrowth of the mammary glands), to control their appearance, instead of undergoing or expecting surgery. Trans men, or people whose gender identity is non-binary, as well as some women who have developed large breasts during hormone replacement, or following mammoplasty, may want to bandage their breasts. Trans men and people with other gender identities (generally presenting as male gender) may bandage their breasts as an alternative, or while waiting for a "mastectomy" or "torsoplasty" in order to be identified as a man.

Preventive measures to avoid risks

The first measure to respect at all costs is never to wear a binder or other means of compression for more than 7 to 8 hours daily and occasionally for a maximum of 10 hours.

Never wear it when playing sports, especially swimming.

One or two days a week, do not wear it at all in order to leave the skin unconstrained.

Before wearing a means of compression of the chest, it is necessary to moisturize the skin well.

It is also necessary to wash the means of compression very regularly.

But the most important thing is to buy a binder of excellent quality. Which implies that it will cost a certain price. It is therefore necessary to buy it on a serious site. Below are some links to quality sites. The next page tells you how to take your measurements.

Quality shopping site