meldaburke:

positivelyandrogyne:

mikstapes:

billnihilism:

disembodied-doll:

billnihilism:

We really have harmed a whole generation of trans and gnc children by failing to communicate how serious a decision binding actually is, how there’s no ACTUALLY safe way to bind, how it permeneantly damages the body, how it can make top surgery more difficult in the future. I don’t think we should be keeping trans kids from binding (we let kids do all sorts of things they’re really not old enough to understand the potential consequences of) but we owe them the ability to make informed decisions at LEAST

So this is definitely an important conversation to have, but can you point me at some reading about “permanent damage”? I might just be lucky, but I had zero lasting effects from binding. I’d like to at least read up on it so I can have this conversation and be more specific than “be careful.”

Of course! I can’t easily source right now but I am more than happy to provide further info when I am not at work and on mobile. Unfortunately, like a lot of trans healthcare, a lot of what we know about binding is anecdotal and word of mouth. BUT permeneant damage can include:

-Musculoskeletal damage. Binders are indiscriminate compression tools; they can’t flatten the chest without applying pressure every other anatomical structure underneath including the spine, ribs, lungs and heart. Many people who bind experience chronic back pain, shoulder pain, sharp stabbing chest pains, permeneantly decreased lung capacity, literal spine deformation, etc etc.

-A continuation of the above but the ribs are actually jointed bones. Their ability to flex is absolutely vital to their ability to withstand trauma and protect your vital organs. Imagine the damage that would be done to your elbow if your bent your arm to full flexion and then tightly bound it closed like that, for six, eight, twelve hours per day, every day, for weeks or months or years. And you don’t NEED a functioning arm to live!

-Tissue atrophy. Forcing chest tissue to lay in an unnatural way can and will change the way that tissue looks, even to risk of atrophy. Some people who bind and only moderately dislike the way their chest looks find that they HATE the way it looks after binding for a period of time. Tissue atrophy can also make top surgery more difficult in the future, and increase the risk of complications like nerve damage.

-Worsened dysphoria. Once someone starts binding and becomes accustomed to seeing themselves with a flat chest, it can be much more difficult to see yourself without one, and dysphoria that much more intolerable. You can imagine the psychological feedback loop of binding more in response.

The typical safety measures passed around about binding are harm REDUCTION measures and should not be advertised as making binding “safe.” Binding is not safe. It is a very serious health decision with long term consequences and should be treated as such. That doesn’t mean it’s the wrong decision, but it should not be considered the DEFAULT decision for chest dysphoria which is frankly how it’s currently treated.

gonna drop some links to read more:

Health impact of chest binding among transgender adults: a community-engaged, cross-sectional study

Inside the Landmark, Long Overdue Study on Chest Binding  

Binding FAQ

Health Consequences of Chest Binding

I will not tell you not to bind, as I do, but I just want everyone to have all of the information before they make the decision to do so.

This post was very informative, and I’d love to add something, if I may. 

Knowing about the health effects of binding can help others, too. It is vital information to people who suffer a medical condition called gynecomastia.

I don’t know if anyone on here has heard of it, but it causes men to develop breasts during puberty and can persist throughout adulthood. It can be psychologically damaging for some, a point of low self-esteem, especially when so many in our society choose to mock those who suffer it.

So, some men who suffer it may choose to bind (my husband included), and/or constantly wear compression shirts. My husband has terrible back problems and, after reading this post, I suspect that the constant binding may be the culprit.

Young men shouldn’t be shamed into silence, nor should the dangers of binding be glossed over when it comes to trans people. I have heard horror stories of people using duct tape to bind or binding so tight they have trouble breathing…Having proper health information will hopefully help everyone!