Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Hey guys, I am looking at getting a binder. I am wondering if they hurt that much to wear? I assume it depends on how big your chest is. Mine isn't THAT big, I'd say normal size (not too sure?). Is it very painful, from experience?

they dont hurt me, but they do make me grumpy and uncomfortable, and yea after a few hours they actually hurt, more like a 'i cant breathe' or 'my back and joints hurt"

Mine didn't hurt. And I got so that I liked the feeling of compression because that meant that my chest was flattish. I started to feel naked without a binder.

Depends on your body and the binder. Uncomfortable is more likely than causing pain.

They can. In my case, binding doesn't hurt my chest itself, but hurts under my arms where it digs/cuts in and around my waist/lower ribs where my binders like to bunch up.

Painful? No.

Annoying? Hell yeah. If you have a physical job and/or live in a hot climate even more so. I hate having to wear a binder.

That said, they can hurt if they roll up and cut in to you. Best bet is to tuck it in, and wear a belt. They cut in more when they are new, too. As they break in, they stretch in some areas.

It can, just depends on your wearing, just be responsible, it can get really hot and they can roll up or cut depending on length or size. It's increases your body temperature and holds in heat so baby powder can become your best friend quick.
Try to not wear it for longer then six hours and if you are make sure you take it off ASAP, and cough a good amount of times, this clears fluid that could be built up from the continuous pressure on your chest. Be smart, if you can't catch your breath, take it off. Even if you need to go in the bathroom and take it off and clear your lungs and put it back on, but try and wrap up your day and go home and take it off for the night.
Otherwise, I'm a big chested guy and I don't go out without mine on, but sometimes I take a day off and don't go out to keep from stretching and stressing my rib and ribcage.
Like I said, just be smart... and never get a binder that's smaller then the next size down, one size smaller is okay, but it's still pushing it. Be careful and happy binding!

in my opinion, some binders hurt and others don't- underworks binders and those made of that same coarse material have a tendency to hurt. i agree that they pain doesn't usually come from your chest, but shoulders, under-arm-seams of the binder digging in and such.
long binders with full compression have a tendency to make you feel uncomfortable because they bind you from shoulders to hips. lycra, tactel and polyester spandex binders don't hurt as long as you get them in your correct size and you can wear them for longer periods of time. it may make sense to get a binder with more compression power and a "lighter" one.

Quote from: Arch on November 03, 2010, 01:18:20 AM
Mine didn't hurt. And I got so that I liked the feeling of compression because that meant that my chest was flattish. I started to feel naked without a binder.

This is me too...I find mine comfortable...I have been known to fall asleep after sex with mine on ... I have worn mine for longer than 12 hours.

I have my first one on the way and am very excited.  All I can think of is that it has to be better than ace bandages.

anything's better than ace bandages.

If you're in pain, it probably means you're binding too hard and causing damage.
Pain's the body's way of telling you "you're doing it wrong".
I have never felt pain from binding, however, after a "loooong" day, I sometimes get this sore-ish and tingly feeling when I take the binder off.

Quote from: emil on November 03, 2010, 10:54:17 AM
in my opinion, some binders hurt and others don't- underworks binders and those made of that same coarse material have a tendency to hurt.

I used a cotton concealer from Underworks, and it was ultra-comfortable. I remember having some problems with underarms when I first went down to a small (I had lost a lot of weight), but that only lasted for a week or so until the thing stretched out a bit.  I did find that I had to get everything in the right spot. Occasionally, I would get some digging because the binder wasn't quite centered correctly, but I would go to the men's room, reposition the binder, and be fine after that.

But the cotton concealer isn't as efficient, so I eventually wound up doubling them--I would wear two. Fortunately, I didn't have to get through a summer like that.

Quote from: Arch on November 03, 2010, 01:18:20 AMMine didn't hurt. And I got so that I liked the feeling of compression because that meant that my chest was flattish. I started to feel naked without a binder.

Me too, even though it can be tight at times. If the binder hurts you're binding too tightly which can be dangerous. It might hurt with bigger chested guys though. I'm average size so I don't know.

Mine only hurt for the first week or two as my chest got used to wearing one and it began to give a little. My biggest problem after that was it digging it at the underarms. I just wore a compression shirt underneath it for a month then it stretched out there too. Now I wear mine pretty much whenever I'm not sleeping and have no issues.

In my experience my binder doesnt "hurt" like "I can't breathe" or anything it's more of a kind of achey feeling in my ribs and shoulders  that gets worse the longer I wear it. Uncomfortable but for me it's worth it.

The only pain I've gotten from binding is nipple chaffing.  To get flat, you might have to push the flesh down or to the sides.  When I do this, it slowly inches its way back to front and center as I move around, dragging my nipples against the binder's rough material.  Ouch!  I think this means I can afford to have a tighter binder, but I haven't gotten to test this out yet.  For now, I wear a sportsbra under my binder to keep things where I put them.

For you guys having chaffing problems try wearing a regular cotton tank top under your binder. I wear A-frames and they prevent all chaffing. Even when the binder rolls up it doesn't hurt- it's just annoying.

As for getting hot I live in the U.S. South which is very hot and humid during the summer and I do O.K. Just watch yourself for overheating and excessive sweating. I also got used to the extra heat wearing a tank top, binder then shirt.

It's a bother but no one ever said binding was fun. :-\ For me it's all worth it though.

If you wear a cotton concealer, wear it inside out. The outer shell is 90% cotton, so it's quite comfortable against the skin. If you double up, wear the second binder right side out.

I got very good compression this way, I was comfortable, and I didn't have trouble with rolling because this binder has a good-sized hem at the bottom, unlike the other binders I've seen. (Also, I wore a belt. That must have helped.)

I just got/wore a binder for the first time today.  I got the underworks 997, and it was actually very comfortable.  I was really surprised.  After reading your guys' comments, I wore a sports bra type thing under it, and it's still fine 6 hours later.  My only problem is that it does not get me as flat as I would like. 

I'm glad yours worked!

I double-up my binder and it works really good and is really comfortable, for about 4 hours.   It's more of an ache, though, of just being tired.

Hmm, I should give that a try.  I was thinking of ordering a size smaller and trying that.