Binders, in general look very much like a vest top but with elastic sewn in to help reduce the appearance of the breast tissue. A binder strap is basically just the elastic, without the vest. If you are looking at a binder for the first time, there are a few things that you need to know and think about before you buy one. Firstly, to-date, there are no medical studies into the long term effect that a binder may have to the body. This is obviously a concern and if you do decide to proceed and wear one you will have to expect that there may be some kind of discomfort. This could be any of the following. Back or chest pain, shortness of breath, becoming hot with a temperature and sweating, which could then cause itching and soreness of the skin. There is also a slim chance that a binder could cause swelling, scaring and respiratory infections. We have put together a list, that can help you when choosing a binder and hopefully reduce the risks. 1) As this is an elastic strap, it only comes in two lengths. 3metres and 5metres, which makes it easier to fit. However, you must be extremely careful that you don't have it too tight. When you use it for the first few times, you should keep it with little tension to start with, so you can gauge how tight it can go. 2) We recommend you only wear it for a fews hours at a time to start with, this will give you and your body a chance to adjust to the tightness that you are going to feel. 3) You should never sleep in it.4) Once you have been wearing it for just a couple of hours a day and want to increase this amount, try and take days off, when you don’t need to wear it, this will give your body a chance to rest. 5) If at any time when you are wearing it, you feel any pain what so ever, take it off, and leave it for a few days. If, when you try again, the pain comes back, it maybe that the binder is too tight and therefore applying too much pressure to your body. If the pain remains after removing the binder, go and see your doctor. 6) If you are planning to wear your binder during exercise, please don't make it too tight. 7) If you are under 18, you must not wear it for more than 6 hours at a time. If you are over 18, you can extend this to 8 hours. This comes in black and beige and in two lengths, 3metres and 5metres. It fastens with velcro, which gives it a firm feel. It's made from polyester and spandex and is easy to wash and look after.
