What is chest binding?

• Compressing or wrapping something around your chest to give the appearance of a flat chest.  
• This can be done by wearing a tight-fitting piece of clothing called a “binder” or in other ways.
• Chest binding can help people of any gender feel more comfortable with the way their chest looks and feels.

Why is this important?

• Transgender or Gender Non-conforming have gender dysphoria or feelings of distress associated with breast development and the effect this has on their overall appearance.  
• Someone who has the desire to have a male appearance may choose to use a binder to compress their chest tissue and give them the body shape they desire.  
• Chest binding may also help youth feel safer and more comfortable in public places.

Methods for Safe Binding

Layering Shirts  

• Wear a tight-fitting shirt as a base layer.  
• Each shirt should get looser as you layer.  
• Bottom-up shirts work well as a last step to hide your chest.  
• Layering shirts can be less restrictive. However, more clothing can cause you to become hotter.

Sports Bra

• You can wear a sports bra under one shirt, or layer shirts on top of sports bras.  
• There are many types of sports bras. Ones made with higher Lycra content compress better.  
• Try them on at a sporting goods store if possible.  

Athletic Compression Shirt  

• Athletes wear these to aid in muscle recovery.  
• They are usually made from spandex or Lycra.  
• They are designed to absorb sweat away from your body.  
• Companies like Under Armour and Sweat It Out sell them.  
• They typically work better for people with less chest tissue. Those with larger chests may want to try a medical compression shirt or binder.  

Binder/Medical Compression Shirt

• Binders offer even more compression than the above methods.  
• Many are designed for people recovering from breast tissue surgery but today there are companies who design specifically for transmasculine/nonbinary people.  

General Safety Concerns

While binding can be essential for mental health, doing it safely is most important.

• Please do not use ACE compression wraps or Duct tape.
• Please do not wear a Binder overnight while sleeping.
• Please do not wear two Binders.
• Please do not wear a binder that is too small.

Skin Health

• Binding can aggravate some skin conditions – like acne and eczema.  
• Check your skin when you remove your binder.  
• You should not see redness or bleeding around the edges of the binder. If you do, it is too tight.  

How to Measure for a Binder

Binders are sold in small, medium, large, extra-large, and other sizes. You may see numbers next to each size for the corresponding chest and shoulder size.

Get your “chest size” by measuring your chest:

1. While you are dressed, wrap a measuring tape around the fullest part of your chest. This is the part that comes out the farthest from your body.  
2. Write down the measurement. You might want to measure more than once to confirm.
3. Next, wrap the tape measure around your chest, right under your breasts. This is where the crease is.
4. Write down the measurement.
5. Add the two measurements together and divide them by 2. This is your chest size.

Get your “shoulder size” by measuring your shoulders:

1. Put the end of the tape at the outside edge of one of your shoulders. Measure across your body to the outside edge of your other shoulder. Make sure you are standing up straight. Avoid tensing up, hunching your shoulders, or wrapping the measuring tape around your shoulders.  
2. Write down the number you get. This is your shoulder size.

• If your shoulder measurement is 1.5 inches bigger than the shoulder measurements listed for your chest size, you should buy a larger size, usually the next size up.
• If your shoulder measurement is smaller than the shoulder measurements for your chest size, you should buy the size that matches your chest measurement
• If you have a larger chest or broad shoulders, consider a tank binder. This might be the most comfortable for you.
• If you buy a binder that is smaller than your measurements, return it for one that fits.  

Taking Care of your Binder

• Wash your binder regularly. This helps keep it from causing itching or rashes, especially in warm weather.  
• If possible, have more than one binder. This will allow you to wash and dry one, while you wear the other one and will make it easier for you to wash them more regularly.
• Wash your binder in cold water on a delicate cycle. You can also wash it by hand in the sink with laundry detergent and warm water. Avoid hot water.
• Avoid putting your binder in the dryer. Instead, hang it up to dry
• Keep your binder on a hanger when you are not wearing it. This helps it to keep its shape.

Low-Cost Binders

The following programs offer binders for free or reduced cost:

GC2B Binder Program

Point of Pride

Tumblr Transgender Clothing Exchange

More Info/Instructions & Tips:

Chest Binding 101

Binder Reviews

This article was written with assistance from Rady’s Gender Affirming staff.

Article was written by CPCMG LGBTQ+ task force.  It was reviewed and approved by the task force February 2024 and reviewed by CPCMG Patient Education Committee June 2024.