(More on that in a moment.) Chest binding dangers Some people also turn to homemade options such as elastic bandages, duct tape or plastic wrap, which are widely considered unsafe. Flattening your breasts using kinesiology tape (sometimes sold as “trans tape”).In addition to commercial binders, which are specially designed to bind the chest, common chest binding methods include: Ng says, “and there are also more DIY versions to choose from.” “There are commercially made products and binders available for purchase,” Dr. “These organs remind them of their sex assigned at birth, which doesn’t jive with who they really are.” What is a chest binder?Ī chest binder is anything used to bind and flatten the breast tissue to minimize its outward appearance. “We frequently hear about chest binding amongst people who have targeted dysphoria around their breast organs,” Dr. This discomfort, or dysphoria, stems from the mismatch between a person’s natal gender (the gender they were assigned at birth, typically based on sex organs) and the gender with which they identify (known as gender identity). Gender dysphoria refers to the incongruence between assigned sex and expressed gender.
“People who are experiencing gender dysphoria around this part of their body may find it helpful to minimize the presence of those organs.”
“Chest binding is using something to flatten the breast tissue of the chest,” Dr. Transgender health specialist Henry Ng, MD, shares safer chest binding practices that will allow you to live as yourself while taking care of your health.
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