Need your help

[Linde]

OK guys, I need your help in finding out something about binders.
or those who have not read my bio, I am a intersex person, who is pretty much gender fluid, but wants to become a female (about 2/3 of my natural biology is female).
But for certain purposes I prefer to present as a male (I have no dysphoria about being a male), but my problem is that I have boobs, they and macho guy image don't go very well with each other.
And ehere is where I need your help, because that is a situation many of you have to deal with on a daily basis.

What do you do to "hide" your breasts prior to surgery?  I have read something bout binders, what do I have to look for, if I buy one of those?  Are there other methods available to hide the girls?

I would really appreciate your guyses help in this question!

Have a good one!
Linde

[Grunt]

OK guys, I need your help in finding out something about binders.
or those who have not read my bio, I am a intersex person, who is pretty much gender fluid, but wants to become a female (about 2/3 of my natural biology is female).
But for certain purposes I prefer to present as a male (I have no dysphoria about being a male), but my problem is that I have boobs, they and macho guy image don't go very well with each other.
And ehere is where I need your help, because that is a situation many of you have to deal with on a daily basis.

What do you do to "hide" your breasts prior to surgery?  I have read something bout binders, what do I have to look for, if I buy one of those?  Are there other methods available to hide the girls?

I would really appreciate your guyses help in this question!

Have a good one!
Linde

Binders are incredibly painful, in my experience. What I have done is I found a comfortable sports bra (it's one with spaghetti straps that can convert to racerback with a clip, so the straps hide easily), and I got two of them that are one size smaller. On most days I just wear one under baggy clothing, on bad days I wear two. My chest is small, so I can get away with one. If your chest is bigger you will most likely need two with baggy clothing.

Best of luck,
Benji

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[Linde]

Binders are incredibly painful, in my experience. What I have done is I found a comfortable sports bra (it's one with spaghetti straps that can convert to racerback with a clip, so the straps hide easily), and I got two of them that are one size smaller. On most days I just wear one under baggy clothing, on bad days I wear two. My chest is small, so I can get away with one. If your chest is bigger you will most likely need two with baggy clothing.

Best of luck,
Benji

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Thanks.  But I think my problem with this kind of bra is my bandwidth.  I have a 40 bandwidth, and everything in bras has some kind of generous cups designed in.  At least I have not found any that are tight enough.  Even an A cup with that bandwidth is almost large enough to bring groceries home in!
The industry seems to be of the opinion that anybody with the larger bandwidth also has automatically large boobs!

What is it that makes a binder painfull?

[Grunt]

Thanks.  But I think my problem with this kind of bra is my bandwidth.  I have a 40 bandwidth, and everything in bras has some kind of generous cups designed in.  At least I have not found any that are tight enough.  Even an A cup with that bandwidth is almost large enough to bring groceries home in!
The industry seems to be of the opinion that anybody with the larger bandwidth also has automatically large boobs!

What is it that makes a binder painfull?

It's like a corset almost, it compresses everything and is hard on your spine and ribs. People have actually cracked ribs from wearing them for too long, or too tightly.

https://ftm-guide.com/complete-guide-to-chest-binding-for-trans-men/

There is also TransTape or KT Tape that you can try

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[Linde]

It's like a corset almost, it compresses everything and is hard on your spine and ribs. People have actually cracked ribs from wearing them for too long, or too tightly.

https://ftm-guide.com/complete-guide-to-chest-binding-for-trans-men/

There is also TransTape or KT Tape that you can try

Sent from my Moto E (4) Plus using Tapatalk

Thanks, interesting reading!

[CursedFireDean]

A properly fitting binder should not cause injury if used correctly. I recommend the brand GC2B personally, though I also know of underworks and flavnt being decent.

That article covers everything I was going to say pretty well- under 8 hours, properly fitting, etc.
Usually the way to measure is to measure the underboob circumference, then over the widest point, and average the two numbers. Different brands may suggest differently, so check their sizing instructions!

I bound my chest with a binder for YEARS, and while it was definitely not COMFORTABLE, it was tolerable. I however did begin to break the rules and wear it for too long which caused sternum issues. They've resolved now that I'm post-surgery and not binding anymore, but they were constant for about a year.

Transtape and KT Tape are newer options and I'm not sure of the safety of them. They still do put pressure on the body and they are only an option for smaller chests, if you want to be very flat. They aren't as effective for larger chests, so YMMV. As newer options, there aren't really guidelines as there are with binders, so proceed with caution and don't overdo it. If something hurts, stop.

[Linde]

CursedFireDean, thank you.  As I said, I need the binder for some specific occasions only, and see no reason why I would wear one all day.  Most of the time I present as woman anyway, but being genderfluid allows me to be a guy for the cases this is of advantage for me.  My breasts are getting simply to large to be well hid under some style of clothing, and that is the reason that i try to find a way to hide them.

[skipulus]

Since you are asking on an FTM subforum I want to start by advice that  I find the nick names you use for your breasts trigger a dysphoric reaction for me.
We bind largely to not be aware of them and I would never use such names for them myself.

As for binders, I use Peecocks full tank binder with buckles. It works very well for me. I tryed GC2B but it doesn't bind very well for me and it looks very feminine.
I want to try underworld next.
Be careful to buy the right size, if you buy too small you will hurt yourself. It should be at least your chest size and whatever room is needed for your breasts flattened.

As to why size 40" assumes big cup size; this is because breasts are made up of fat that grows larger with excess fat. This is where extra fat is distributed to in the female body and for those identified as women at birth a size 40" is a strong indicator of excess fat and thus large breasts. This is also why obese men start to grow breasts.

In short, it is rare to find women with that chest size and very small breasts.

[Linde]

Since you are asking on an FTM subforum I want to start by advice that  I find the nick names you use for your breasts trigger a dysphoric reaction for me.
We bind largely to not be aware of them and I would never use such names for them myself.

As for binders, I use Peecocks full tank binder with buckles. It works very well for me. I tryed GC2B but it doesn't bind very well for me and it looks very feminine.
I want to try underworld next.
Be careful to buy the right size, if you buy too small you will hurt yourself. It should be at least your chest size and whatever room is needed for your breasts flattened.

As to why size 40" assumes big cup size; this is because breasts are made up of fat that grows larger with excess fat. This is where extra fat is distributed to in the female body and for those identified as women at birth a size 40" is a strong indicator of excess fat and thus large breasts. This is also why obese men start to grow breasts.

In short, it is rare to find women with that chest size and very small breasts.

I would like to apologize, I did not want to make you feel uncomfortable.  Because of my symptoms (intersex and gender fluid), I do not have any dysphoria for any body parts, and forget sometimes that others are not like this.  Again, I did not want to make you feel bad. 
Mother nature made me into a different being (part male, part female), and I have naturally grown breasts, just not very large ones, and they are still growing, but placed on this male like chest.
As I said earlier, I still want to present as male for certain situations, and that I why I want to hide my breasts as good as possible.
I thank you very much, your information should help me to find an appropriate binder for my purposes!

Thank you again and have a great day!
Linde

[skipulus]

I would like to apologize, I did not want to make you feel uncomfortable.  Because of my symptoms (intersex and gender fluid), I do not have any dysphoria for any body parts, and forget sometimes that others are not like this.  Again, I did not want to make you feel bad. 
Mother nature made me into a different being (part male, part female), and I have naturally grown breasts, just not very large ones, and they are still growing, but placed on this male like chest.
As I said earlier, I still want to present as male for certain situations, and that I why I want to hide my breasts as good as possible.
I thank you very much, your information should help me to find an appropriate binder for my purposes!

Thank you again and have a great day!
Linde

I tried to explain dysphoria in the hope that you woul want to try to not repeating it since you are specifically posting on a subforum for people born with female biological features that they are trying to hide or have removed.
I expect you are usually posting in forms where people don't mind these or even want to have them. On this occasion though you specifically chose this subforum "Female to male transsexual talk (FTM)  » FTM Gear » "

I hope you find what you are looking for.

[Ryuichi13]

OK guys, I need your help in finding out something about binders.
or those who have not read my bio, I am a intersex person, who is pretty much gender fluid, but wants to become a female (about 2/3 of my natural biology is female).
But for certain purposes I prefer to present as a male (I have no dysphoria about being a male), but my problem is that I have boobs, they and macho guy image don't go very well with each other.
And ehere is where I need your help, because that is a situation many of you have to deal with on a daily basis.

What do you do to "hide" your breasts prior to surgery?  I have read something bout binders, what do I have to look for, if I buy one of those?  Are there other methods available to hide the girls?

I would really appreciate your guyses help in this question!

Have a good one!
Linde

I know I'm "late to the party," but I have two underworks tritop binders and they work just fine for me.  Like it was said before, "binding is definitely not comfortable, but tolerable."  I've been binding for at over three years now, and when done correctly (which I make sure that I do), I can go all day without worrying about how it feels.  If it begins to hurt, take it off.

I have what I think is a 42 inch band, and a large chest, so to help flatten myself, I wear my binder, and then a sleeveless tanktop/undershirt over that, tucked into my boxer briefs, then whatever shirt I want to wear overtop that.  It sucked when it was 90F+ this past summer, but it was tolerable.   Now that its winter, the extra layers are wonderful!

Ryuichi

[Linde]

I know I'm "late to the party," but I have two underworks tritop binders and they work just fine for me.  Like it was said before, "binding is definitely not comfortable, but tolerable."  I've been binding for at over three years now, and when done correctly (which I make sure that I do), I can go all day without worrying about how it feels.  If it begins to hurt, take it off.

I have what I think is a 42 inch band, and a large chest, so to help flatten myself, I wear my binder, and then a sleeveless tanktop/undershirt over that, tucked into my boxer briefs, then whatever shirt I want to wear overtop that.  It sucked when it was 90F+ this past summer, but it was tolerable.   Now that its winter, the extra layers are wonderful!

Ryuichi

Thanks!  I have a size 40 band, and not that super large boobs, but large enough to make me look "unmanly" when I am in guys mode.  Do those binders com in flesh colors or white?
I want to be able to go as a guy for as long as possible.  I am gender fluid, with a heavy leaning towards female, but there are situations in life in which being a guy is of advantage (car repair shops are one example).

[Ryuichi13]

Since this is a binder and not a bra, it really doesn't matter what your cup size is.  Also, if you have any doubts about measurements, I hear that their customer support is excellent in explaining how to measure yourself for a proper fit.

https://www.underworks.com/tri-top-chest-binder

I step into my binder, then pull it up and position my nipples so that they're anatomically correct.  Unfortunately for me, I have a larger chest due to breastfeeding, but their products also work well for flatter-chested people.

Be sure to position your chest/breasts so that they're pressed flat against your ribs, not down like so many transmen wrongly do.  If you don't, it could cause tissue damage over the long term.

Underworks is a medical site, and many of their binders are for cis men with gynocomastia, which makes it perfect for us transmen who also suffer from it.

Hope this helps!

Ryuichi

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[Linde]

Thank you a million Ryuichi.  I think with a decent binder I can continue to be a man for quite a while (if not even for ever).  Because of my intersex condition, I have no gender related dysphoria, probably because I always have both genders sharing my body?  Who knows?

[Ryuichi13]

No problem, happy to help!

Make sure that you re-read my last post since I've had to correct a few errors, okay? [emoji4]

Ryuichi

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[Linde]

No problem, happy to help!

Make sure that you re-read my last post since I've had to correct a few errors, okay? [emoji4]

Ryuichi

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Read it over again, Thanks!

[transspoonie]

You already have a lot of good, useful information, but I figured I'd chime in as well. Due to back problems, I was only able to bind sparingly prior to my top surgery. As a teenager, I used two, slightly tight sports bras (one facing forward, one facing backward) to bind my D-sized chest. This worked well enough as pecs or a fatty, male chest without causing increased back pain/other issues. Unfortunately, as a man who had an odd band-cup ratio (though not as extreme as yours), I understand how difficult it can be to find discreet sports bras that fit properly for binding. I also have no idea how safe or unsafe my binding method was, especially with my preexisting back problems.

I got my first, real binder in June of last year for my courthouse wedding, and have only worn it a handful of times since then. I think the longest I wore it was 5-6 hours on my wedding day, which wasn't particularly comfortable (due to my back), but also wasn't painful. Any well-made, appropriately-sized binder shouldn't cause pain or major discomfort, especially when worn as infrequently as you intend to.

I'm a big fan of GC2B, and their binders come in two styles: half-tank, which is similar to a wide-strapped sports bra, and full tank, which looks like a fitted tank top. They come in neutral, bright, and "nude" colors (eleven total) and are reasonably priced (in my opinion). They're also a trans-owned company, which is always nice to buy from.

I hope you find the right binder(s) for you!

- Alexander

[Linde]

Thanks Alexander, the additional information will help.  Which part of your back hurts?  I had surgery for my lower back, and I hope that any binding will not do anything to that area?

[transspoonie]

You're welcome! My entire back, especially my mid-lower back, hurts constantly due to complications from a car accident when I was 9. Any pressure/tightness on my upper back makes the pain worse (referred pain, perhaps? I don't know exactly what causes it).

Assuming you don't have pain from your lower back surgery now, I'd imagine binding should be fine. The average chest binder primarily compresses the chest, with less compression along the upper sides/back, and the rest of the material being much looser than the compression area. There shouldn't be any compression on your lower back, excluding specific, tank-top-style binders that are used to compress the entire torso.

- Alexander

[Linde]

You're welcome! My entire back, especially my mid-lower back, hurts constantly due to complications from a car accident when I was 9. Any pressure/tightness on my upper back makes the pain worse (referred pain, perhaps? I don't know exactly what causes it).

Assuming you don't have pain from your lower back surgery now, I'd imagine binding should be fine. The average chest binder primarily compresses the chest, with less compression along the upper sides/back, and the rest of the material being much looser than the compression area. There shouldn't be any compression on your lower back, excluding specific, tank-top-style binders that are used to compress the entire torso.

- Alexander

Thanks Alexander. My lower back surgery made sure that I have nothing left back there that can cause pain (steel does not tend to have feelings).