And with the K-tape bind them
Apr. 30th, 2019 02:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alias_sqbrI experimented with binding my chest with k-tape/kinesiology tape and skin prep spray. It went ok, even with my large chest and sensitive skin.
Content note: I'm not going to go into extreme detail but it's still about boobs. I'd normally lock this sort of stuff under a filter but this might be useful to others.
Since I've posted this where people who don't know me might see it: I'm Australian, other places will have different specific options and prices.
So! I haven't used a binder, and don't generally wear bras, because I can't stand having my chest constricted.
Tape binding, on the other hand, uses the same sort of tape used for sports injuries etc to rearrange the chest but not constrict it.
I've been wanting to try it, but was worried the tape would bring me out in a rash. I had my knees taped a few years ago and my skin got VERY irritated.
After discussing things on a non binary discord server, someone suggested trying the sort of skin prep used by doctors to prevent bandages irritating skin. I couldn't find any trans people talking about using it but it seemed worth a shot.
The only local suppliers I could find were incontinence suppliers, which was a little surreal, but Independence Australia turned out to also sell a wide range of moisturisers etc so I managed to find enough stuff to buy to get free shipping. I settled on Smith and Nephew/Secura Skin Prep spray, I can't remember why. It cost about $12.
The thing that introduced me to taping was someone recommending Trans Tape, which is basically a wider version of k-tape. But the shipping was A Lot, so I just went to the local chemist and bought the only latex free tape: Body Plus K-tape. It cost about $12 for 5cm x 5m.
If the stuff at the local chemists doesn't work for me I'll consider hypoallergenic stuff off ebay or something.
So! I sprayed my chest, and then followed the directions I could find on youtube and the trans tape website, which suggested lengths of tape about as long as my hand, taping from the center of the chest to the under-arm. (There's more to it than that, look it up yourself before trying anything)
I should possibly mention at this point that my bra size is like...20D? I haven't bought a bra in a while, but my breasts are definitely on the large side, and fairly solid. And I am quite round in general.
The hand length strips didn't stand a chance, and just...fell off without even making it as far as my underarm.
I watched more videos and found someone suggesting fore-arm length strips that go around to the back. I tried that, and they stayed on! I ended up needing three to feel like everything was stable and as flat as it would get.
Which wasn't very flat. There's only so much tape can do.
I was pretty tired at this point so just did the one side, leaving the other as a control.
Here's my chest, the left side is unbound, the right bound:
As you can see, the effect isn't negligible, but it still looks like a boob, just a smaller and neater one. Oh well.
On the plus side it was quite comfortable. I hadn't quite applied the tape right, so the ends bunched up and stuck a little unpleasantly, but otherwise it was just a mild pressure/pulling, like I was using my hand to hold things in place. It was a LOT more comfortable than a bra, and might also be useful if I ever want to give myself more bosom rather than less.
I left the tape in place for a few hours. The skin began to feel a little irritated near the end.
Not having any fancy coconut oils or whatever I just soaked the tape in canola oil to dissolve the adhesive. I felt a bit like a greasy slab of meat but the oil did the job. It was hard to get the oil on my back so those parts were more painful to remove. But it wasn't too bad.
I was worried the sensitive skin of my boob would get sore but it's basically fine. What got the most irritated was the rest of my skin, I think due to a combination of not getting as much/any prep spray, being pulled at by the ends of the tape, and not getting enough oil. It's gone a bit red but isn't too bad.
After a little under a day, there are still very clear red marks, worst on the sides but also in a few places that I definitely sprayed. It doesn't hurt or itch, and I won't be doing this anything like every day, so the skin will have a chance to heal properly for next time.
When I do it next time, I think I'll use slightly shorter strips to avoid hitting the parts of my back I can't reach (where it was hard to apply the tape or oil) and make sure to really thoroughly soak everything in oil, since the parts where I did that got the least irritated. I might stick with the cheap cooking oil, since I had to use a lot. Maybe I'll switch to cheap olive oil to be slightly classier, and less likely to cause breakouts (I just googled to see what canola oil does to skin, and that's the main issue).
EDIT: a week later and the original rash is entirely gone but I have some pimples where the oil went the most. Time to buy some olive oil!
So: Overall, a qualified success. Even though I still look afab, I can see this working to accentuate the masculine/androgynous look of the right outfit.
Content note: I'm not going to go into extreme detail but it's still about boobs. I'd normally lock this sort of stuff under a filter but this might be useful to others.
Since I've posted this where people who don't know me might see it: I'm Australian, other places will have different specific options and prices.
So! I haven't used a binder, and don't generally wear bras, because I can't stand having my chest constricted.
Tape binding, on the other hand, uses the same sort of tape used for sports injuries etc to rearrange the chest but not constrict it.
I've been wanting to try it, but was worried the tape would bring me out in a rash. I had my knees taped a few years ago and my skin got VERY irritated.
After discussing things on a non binary discord server, someone suggested trying the sort of skin prep used by doctors to prevent bandages irritating skin. I couldn't find any trans people talking about using it but it seemed worth a shot.
The only local suppliers I could find were incontinence suppliers, which was a little surreal, but Independence Australia turned out to also sell a wide range of moisturisers etc so I managed to find enough stuff to buy to get free shipping. I settled on Smith and Nephew/Secura Skin Prep spray, I can't remember why. It cost about $12.
The thing that introduced me to taping was someone recommending Trans Tape, which is basically a wider version of k-tape. But the shipping was A Lot, so I just went to the local chemist and bought the only latex free tape: Body Plus K-tape. It cost about $12 for 5cm x 5m.
If the stuff at the local chemists doesn't work for me I'll consider hypoallergenic stuff off ebay or something.
So! I sprayed my chest, and then followed the directions I could find on youtube and the trans tape website, which suggested lengths of tape about as long as my hand, taping from the center of the chest to the under-arm. (There's more to it than that, look it up yourself before trying anything)
I should possibly mention at this point that my bra size is like...20D? I haven't bought a bra in a while, but my breasts are definitely on the large side, and fairly solid. And I am quite round in general.
The hand length strips didn't stand a chance, and just...fell off without even making it as far as my underarm.
I watched more videos and found someone suggesting fore-arm length strips that go around to the back. I tried that, and they stayed on! I ended up needing three to feel like everything was stable and as flat as it would get.
Which wasn't very flat. There's only so much tape can do.
I was pretty tired at this point so just did the one side, leaving the other as a control.
Here's my chest, the left side is unbound, the right bound:
As you can see, the effect isn't negligible, but it still looks like a boob, just a smaller and neater one. Oh well.
On the plus side it was quite comfortable. I hadn't quite applied the tape right, so the ends bunched up and stuck a little unpleasantly, but otherwise it was just a mild pressure/pulling, like I was using my hand to hold things in place. It was a LOT more comfortable than a bra, and might also be useful if I ever want to give myself more bosom rather than less.
I left the tape in place for a few hours. The skin began to feel a little irritated near the end.
Not having any fancy coconut oils or whatever I just soaked the tape in canola oil to dissolve the adhesive. I felt a bit like a greasy slab of meat but the oil did the job. It was hard to get the oil on my back so those parts were more painful to remove. But it wasn't too bad.
I was worried the sensitive skin of my boob would get sore but it's basically fine. What got the most irritated was the rest of my skin, I think due to a combination of not getting as much/any prep spray, being pulled at by the ends of the tape, and not getting enough oil. It's gone a bit red but isn't too bad.
After a little under a day, there are still very clear red marks, worst on the sides but also in a few places that I definitely sprayed. It doesn't hurt or itch, and I won't be doing this anything like every day, so the skin will have a chance to heal properly for next time.
When I do it next time, I think I'll use slightly shorter strips to avoid hitting the parts of my back I can't reach (where it was hard to apply the tape or oil) and make sure to really thoroughly soak everything in oil, since the parts where I did that got the least irritated. I might stick with the cheap cooking oil, since I had to use a lot. Maybe I'll switch to cheap olive oil to be slightly classier, and less likely to cause breakouts (I just googled to see what canola oil does to skin, and that's the main issue).
EDIT: a week later and the original rash is entirely gone but I have some pimples where the oil went the most. Time to buy some olive oil!
So: Overall, a qualified success. Even though I still look afab, I can see this working to accentuate the masculine/androgynous look of the right outfit.
