Some people have been wondering if using TransTape to bind can lead to top surgery complications. I'm definitely not a Doctor, but I do know that there are countless TransTape users who have gone on to have extremely successful top surgeries, free of any TransTape related complications.
Ah, yes!
My beautiful friends and family, welcome back!
Today I brought a lovely topic, or two, to sit around the campfire and chat about.
Top surgery and TransTape! Did anyone bring a guitar?!
As you could probably guess, I am not a Doctor of any sort.
And I'm not pretending to be, either!
I never attended a fancy medical school, but I can share a few things with you guys that may help you feel a little bit more confident about taping your chest and top surgery results.
But for those of you seeking a quick answer, here.
Binding with TransTape, when used correctly, will most likely not affect your top surgery results.
You may have noticed that I used, "most likely,"and that's because it's impossible for me to absolutely guarantee that everyone is going to have the same exact experience and outcome when it comes to surgery and taping.
We're all different!
And like I said, I am not a Doctor.
Before we move on, some of you might be unfamiliar with what exactly top surgery is.
So let me help.
Top surgery is a type of gender affirming surgery that removes, or augments, breast tissue in the chest to create the desired appearance.
Depending on the person and their needs, they may want a more "masculine" or "feminine" chest.
A very important thing to remember about top surgery is that it isn't strictly for people who identify as transgender or non-binary and not every transgender or non-binary person seeks top surgery.
Or any surgeries at all, for that matter. And that's okay!
Some people seem to feel that if you don't get surgery, you're not valid.
And that's just not true.
Gender affirming surgeries can be for everyone.
But that doesn't mean everyone seeks or wants gender affirming surgery.
What Makes TransTape Different?
We've obviously covered TransTape many times.
This is the TransTape Blog, of course we have!
But let me not assume you know everything there is to know.
Compression Free
The biggest factor that really sets TransTape apart from traditional binders is that it's compression free.
Also a pretty big reason why it has minimal, if any, effects on top surgery.
If you're not sure what that means, it means that TransTape is not squeezing your upper body in order to give you a flatter appearance.
And when your upper body is being compressed, like in a traditional binder, your lungs, ribs and spine are all being squeezed super tight together!
This is why binders have a maximum recommended wear time of only 8 hours.
Wearing binders for longer than 8 hours, or binders that are incorrectly sized, can result in bruised or damaged ribs, difficulty breathing and/or issues with your spine and posture. These side effects aren't always short-term either, they can eventually turn into long-term, permanent problems if they aren't addressed.
Even if you follow the directions and tips to perfection, it's still possible to have some of these complications, too.
This is why those of us who struggle with asthma, or other respiratory related conditions, tend to stray away from binders and end up being some of the happiest TransTape users.
Binders already make it difficult to breathe, adding something like asthma to the mix is basically asking for problems.
TransTape is able to help you bind without any compression because it is backless and strapless.
Instead of taking everything and squeezing it super tight,TransTape helps you move your tissue out of the way and to the side to help you achieve a flatter appearance and breathe freely.
And although a lot of people like to argue this point, a perfectly flat chest really isn't a realistic goal to give yourself.
Everyone is going to have some form of a chest bump and there's nothing wrong with that.
Soooo, Will It Affect My Surgery?
Again, I am not a Doctor and I can't guarantee anything for anybody.
But I do like to give my mostly uneducated opinion.
With the lack of compression while using TransTape, I'd like to say it won't affect your surgery.
Assuming you are using it properly, of course.
Your body is not being permanently altered, in any way whatsoever, when you use TransTape.
So in that sense, there's really no reason it should complicate your surgery.
Right? Is anyone reading this a real Doctor?
Now, if you had damaged ribs from some sort of unsafe binding, I could possibly see some complications in your future.
And in terms of how safe it is to use on your body in general, TransTape uses medical grade, skin safe materials.
It's 95% cotton, 5% spandex and made with a hypoallergenic, medical grade acrylic adhesive that is latex free and non-medicated.
So as long as you are not allergic to any of the specific materials, do a proper test strip before application to check, there's no reason to believe you will have any long term skin damage either.
During removal, it's relatively normal to have some redness or slight irritation. Using skin care products offered by TransTape, like removal oil and repairing salve, can help ease any discomfort, promote healthy elasticity and rehydrate your skin.
TransTape will not compress your organs or ribs, it will not permanently alter your body and when used properly, it won't cause permanent skin damage either.
These things lead me to believe, in my humble and non-medical opinion, that taping your chest will not lead to top surgery complications
But I'll remind you one more time, I am not a Doctor and I cannot guarantee anything.
Top Surgery Fund
The big question is out of the way, now it's time to loosen up a little bit and learn about how TransTape helps users raise money for their Top Surgery!
In 2022, TransTape gave back a total of $45,000 to the community!
Isn't that awesome!?
Out of that $45,000, $3,500 went towards TransTape users and their top surgery!
In a future blog post, we can go over some of the other ways that TransTape gives back. But for now, let's just stick to top surgery.
If you are a TransTape user and have been saving up for or planning on getting top surgery soon, you can actually reach out and apply for assistance through the official website!
Every single month, TransTape selects one person to promote with a discount code to help raise money for their surgery.
The savings generated from that code, throughout the entire month of advertising on social media, is matched by TransTape and given to the Top Surgery Fund Recipient!
That means 12 TransTape users a year are given money towards their top surgery!
I don't know about you, but I think that's a pretty cool thing to do for your customers.
A Sprinkle of Testimonials
There have been MANY top surgery fund recipients, but here's a couple of former TransTape users who had a good experience dealing with surgery after taping to close things up!
Lashaun
"My experience with TransTape was the best that I could make it. Truthfully speaking, using TransTape was the best option for me considering the fact that I deal with asthma. Binders would only press my chest so much to the point where I wouldn’t be able to breathe. When I found TransTape, I had to learn how to apply it with a method that worked best for me. TransTape kept me flat until my top surgery and It had no effect on my surgery results. I will say, if you do not follow the removal steps properly there is a possibility that there will be sensitivity in the area you removed the tape from. All in all, TransTape was my best choice. I would recommend for everyone to try it, there’s nothing more freeing then TransTape."
Discount code : Lashaunno3l
Beau
"Yeah so, as you know I’ve used TransTape straight for five whole years— ditching binders completely because they didn’t work for me. I had zero issues with top surgery; zero issues getting it, zero issues healing, and zero concern from my surgeon when I told him that I used TransTape for that long. In fact he was happy that I had the option of it since he understands how restrictive binders can be and how they can cause spine issues and such."
Pretty Cool, Right?
Like I said before, there are plenty more recipients who have had a good experience when getting top surgery after taping.
And the good experiences don't stop at TransTape Top Surgery Fund recipients, either! So many TransTape users have gone on to have surgery and as of writing this post, I can't say I've heard or read about any negative side effects or complications due to taping.
Oh, and before I let you get out of here for good, let me remind you of something very important really quick.
You don't have to get gender-affirming surgery to be valid.
Until next time,
Stay awesome,
Stay beautiful,
Stay you.
You are loved and it gets better.
Talk to you soon,
Jamie
Welcome to the cool kids club!
My name is Jamie and I'm a young (ish) transman born and raised in the Hudson Valley of New York state. I started my transition in May of 2017 and since then, I've made it my mission to live unapologetically as myself and spread awareness through my pursuit of happiness. I am the creator and writer of Spilling T blog, a proud affiliate of TransTape and when I'm not outside with the best dog ever or hanging out with my two cats, I make and sell my own beard care products through Buckaroo's Beard Care. I'm always looking for my next adventure and have been skydiving, road-tripping, hiking in the mountains and even served for a short time in the United States Marine Corps. My life has had its fair share of twists and turns and I hope to use those experiences to create helpful and relatable content that may help someone else navigate a difficult time in life.
Beards, Socials, Tape and Writing
Use code FINALLYME10 and Find Your Freedom with TransTape!
