Question: Chest Dysphoric during Puberty
asks…
I’m a gender questioning teen that is currently going through female puberty.
I am dysphoric about my chest, especially since at my age the boys have relatively flats chests with rare prominent pectorals. It makes me feel better having two sports bras on, but my parents (being partially aware of my questioning) have warned me that by constricting my chest it may not develop well. I’m perfectly fine if that means my chest will develop into a small pectoral resembling chest, but I don’t know if it would increase the rates of diseases or disabilities. I am also going swimming soon.
Anyhow, is there anything that I could do that is safe for my stage of development and can also make me feel better about my chest?
Please post your response in the comments below.
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Category: questions 3 comments »
October 28th, 2015 at 10:24 am |
So long as you don’t wear a binder that is too small, or sports bras that are too small, and you don’t bind for too long, binding your chest should not harm you. It may reduce the tissue density in your chest, causing sagging, but that’s about it. You just have to be careful that the band size of the sports bras fit you, because otherwise you’ll have a lot of localized pressure on the ribs where the band sits, which could cause problems. You should also make sure that you remeasure every once in a while, as you’re still growing and binding with things that are too small for you is never good.
If you bind unsafely, there is a risk of injury to your ribcage, and if you bind too tightly or with something like ace bandage you can permanently warp your ribcage. If you bind safely it shouldn’t be a problem, but you have to know how to bind safely.
Also, exercise caution swimming while binding. If you’re just kinda floating around, you should be ok, but if you’re swimming lengths you probably shouldn’t. Exercising while binding is another big no.
Binding with a proper chest binder/ sports bras with the right band size is not perfectly safe, but it is the safest option for flattening your chest. Have fun, and be safe.
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October 28th, 2015 at 12:11 pm |
I’ve found, somewhat surprisingly, that wearing a binder has improved my cardiovascular endurance, since the slight pressure on my chest forces me to breathe deeper. The muscles involved in breathing have actually gotten stronger. Just food for thought.
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October 29th, 2015 at 5:57 pm |
I am a tummy sleeper, which means that all through puberty my boobs were under at least as much pressure as bound breasts all night every night. It didn’t make them smaller, just saggier. Binding has it’s own health risks, but smaller boobs is not one of them.
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