Chest-flattening binders from Danae.info

[chifer]

In this post, I would like to recommend a type of compression shirt that is actually meant for female transsexuals who already want to get used to a flat chest before their gender operation, or who are simply repulsed by or ashamed of their breasts (as I think many men with gynecomastia are too). At the end, I will also share my thoughts on the downsides of compression garments.


How I discovered them

I’ve struggled with gynecomastia throughout my teenage years and got very skilled at trying to hide my breasts (read about my history here). Realizing that my breasts didn’t disappear after the age of 18 and not having the money for surgery, I went looking for other alternatives online. On eBay, I discovered GC2 compression shirts made of polyester. Directly after I started wearing them, I felt a great boost in confidence. It wasn’t as obvious anymore that I had breasts; now I just looked overweight (which isn’t as much of an oddity in our society). Ever since buying them, I have never ever set a foot out the door without wearing a compression shirt.

I have worn these shirts with great pleasure for many years, especially the white ones which didn’t stretch as much as the black ones (the skin coloured ones weren’t available at that time so I cannot say anything about those). So let me make abundantly clear that in no way do I want to suggest that the compression shirts from GC2 aren’t good (besides, the people behind it are truly friendly). But they did have some downsides. Because what I used to do with the GC2 shirts (especially after they started to stretch somewhat) was to put them in my pants, make my belt tight, and then pull it tight.  Another issue with that was that when I bent forward, it of course would lose the compression, so I had to sit up straight for it to work properly.

My wife (then girlfriend) was a bit critical of the way I wore the GC2 shirts, which created a unnatural belly shape. She wondered: “Isn’t there something that you could wear more as a tank top so that only your breasts are compressed?” So by the time my compression shirts needed replacements anyway, we got talking about it and I then remembered watching a TV programme several years prior where they showed a lady in Amsterdam called Danae who had studied fashion design. Her sister (I think?) is a transgender and she couldn’t find any appropriate clothing, so Danae made her some, and found a market segment where many transgender people (in both directions) were in need of appropriate clothing. Following the TV programme, I did check out her website but the clothing was a bit beyond my budget.


Danae

So after my wife’s recommendation, I decided to check out Danae’s clothing again at www.danae.info/en/. It appealed to me but still seemed a bit pricy. She is based in Amsterdam and since I happened to be near there pretty soon after, I paid a visit to her studio to try on different sizes and colours. I can definitely recommend going there if you can, as it is within walking distance of the Amsterdam Amstel station. I was actually the first man with gynecomastia she met, so I believe this is actually an additional business area she could cover.

The top that I got (in white) was this one: http://www.danae.info/en/female-male/tops/tsv102

Medium and large aren’t that very different in size, so she recommended me to get “medium” even though I have a fairly large chest. In any case it pays off to discuss with her what size is best for you. I have since actually only ordered two more, as they are VERY durable, which in fact also makes them worth their price (i.e., they are twice as expensive as a GC2 shirt but also lasts at least double that time). The only thing that I really needed to get accustomed to was how to put on such a top; not like a shirt from above, but rather like underwear that you pull up to your shoulders (like a lady putting on a night gown). One great recommendation she gave me was to make the chest look even more flat, you can pull your breast towards your armpit.

As you can see on the website, you can get custom cuts for a fee. Remember that originally, these tops are actually made for transgender women, while I am a man. So based on my experience with the first top, I paid extra to have a custom cut made. With this cut, the seams on the sizes are placed a bit further back, adding more stability and tension to the sides (where men with gynecomastia also have more fatty tissue). So I can recommend you that when you order this particular top, to get the adapted gynecomastia cut. Upon ordering, you can write this in the comments field (and since the design has already been made, you don’t have to check the custom design box to pay extra).


Problems with compression shirts

After this post about how wonderful compression shirts are, I believe a final word about their limitations is justified. I ultimately have 10 years of full-time experience wearing them and definitely think it provides a great deal of relief, adds to one’s self-confidence and prevents many embarrassments. But still, it is a “hack”. You do not let your fat disappear, but you basically just redistribute it to nuance the shape of the chest area. Depending on how tight you wear them, the compression furthermore can leave temporary imprints in your skin, especially around the shoulders (similar to what a tight bra does). The abnormal amount of fatty tissue in your chest area can still get noticed by others if you make jumping movements (e.g., when jogging), if someone touches your chest, or if a belt (e.g., a seat belt or the belt of a messenger bag) runs through the middle of your breasts to reveal their shape (when you have forgotten to place it over one of your breasts instead). And of course it still not possible to go swimming or engage in other shirtless activities.

However, my greatest problem had been that after a few months of starting to use compression shirts, I noticed a red itchy rash between my breasts (especially on warmer days on which I have been more active) that can actually turn into wounds when I scratched them. Apparently, this is a sweat rash that women also get from wearing bras. For me, the only way to treat it was to apply a zinc cream paste between my breasts (there is actually a really great one with 20% zinc oxide in it called ZinCream, but it can only be bought when you are in Switzerland). So for me, compression shirts were a really great temporary solution that provided me years of greater happiness than I would have had without them, but they are not the ultimate solution.