I’m about to buy my first chest binder
Anything I should know regarding health and safety? I live in a very hot and humid part of the country and am a little nervous that it will make me pass out or will damage my body in some way. Any advice? Will it increase the risk of breast cancer?
Sorry it’s a reddit link, but this looks like a good trove of info: https://old.reddit.com/r/ftm/wiki/index/binding
It will not increase the risk of breast cancer
Thank you
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I can’t speak from personal experience, but i see others warn each other about not falling asleep in the thing. Wearing it too long or while you’re exerting yourself can lead to back problems it seems? Wearing it for too long due to the threat of dysphoria setting in again is a problem for some people i know, but i’d count that as a pretty big testament for the good these things can do.
It is pretty hot but you won’t pass out, barring any medical conditions etc. Make sure it fits well (not too tight, you should be able to breathe and move comfortably in it.)
Dont sleep in it, dont work out in it, try not to wear it for more than 8hrs straight. Take breaks if you can.
very hot and humid
Probably won’t pass out but you’ll be suffering. Drink lots of water and salts
Avoid the side-closure or zip-up ones. You want one, continuous piece of fabric, all the way around. This is important because you can otherwise fuck up your ribs.
[insert Mitt Romney joke here]
binders full of trans comrades
Don’t wear one longer than 8hrs at a time, don’t sleep in it and don’t exercise/fuck in it if you can avoid. Measure yourself with a tape measurerer and all that to get an idea for sizing. Underworks and gc2b are the two reccomended brands, I would go with the former 997 if you’re larger, that’s what I went with my cursed former DDs.
Get a few pairs since hand washing is best for binders and that can take a moment, if not at least run them on cold delicates and air dry. I would get a bar of zote soap to speed up hand washing.