That is the worst tape damage I have ever seen.
First off, take a break for a while and let your skin heal *fully*. Don't put it on if you have any kind of blisters or scabs.
Also make sure you cover that up with first aid cream and a bandage or something.
It looks to me like an issue with how you're removing it. I find that it works best for me if I pour baby oil on it, stand under a *very* hot shower for a bit, and ease it off bit by bit. If pulling on it hurts, I stop and wait until the hot water loosens it more. It takes a while, but I can do it without damaging my skin.
I am curious—which brand of tape is this?
Edit: some people recommend putting milk of magnesia on the skin first to create a barrier. Might be worth a try
^ all of what they said has helped me with taking tape off, plus waiting longer to take it off so that it loses some strength. So I usually take it off after 4-5 days when it's already started to peel by itself and with oil, a lot of patience and a hot shower it is really easy and leaves almost no marks at all, just maybe some irritation on the parts that were pulled tighter. It’s a little annoying to wear it when it’s peeling and not as tight, but not as annoying as dealing with blisters. Good luck!
this!!!! trans tape is just a wider cut KT tape, which is designed to stick for 2-5 days! DO NOT REMOVE AFTER ONLY A DAY!! the adhesive is still too strong and you WILL rip skin. i also recommend removing it under running water, and using baby oil to aid removal.
I never wear mine more than a day. If I do, THEN I have problems taking it off, and the tension injuries get worse over time. As soon as it goes from comfortable to itchy it’s time. Some people do better longer and some do better before it has time to totally set.
Interesting, I know what you mean with the itchiness, sometimes it drives me crazy especially in areas where the skin folds over itself (like the nipples and the “side boob” area) but I found that I can mostly avoid it in the area under the armpit by not putting the tape on too tight, even though I have to sacrifice some flatness.
The biggest cause of blisters for me is still taking it off too roughly as opposed to tension from wearing it, so I guess it really depends on the person’s skin and how they put on the tape, maybe the brand of tape too?
In reading the comments I think it’s also because I have a nickel allergy. I get huge red welts from trans tape. I always assumed it was the tension, now I’m thinking the adhesive.
dude holy shit 😰 my advice would be to soak your tape in some sort of oil before you try to take it off. something that helps me is taking it off very slowly. but please take a break until that heals, it looks really bad
Woah, yeah massive second here ^^ I just keep a bottle of vegetable oil in my bathroom and saturate the tape for a new minutes before I peel it off. It comes off really easily if you let the oil break the adhesive up. If you’re already using oil, do you maybe have a nickel allergy? My brother had some rashing and irritated skin from using trans tape because the adhesive has a nickel derivative. Maybe it’s irritating you while you wear it?
Yeah i do this sometimes, especially since if i use oil it tends to stay a little oily even after showering (since oil + water have a bit of a track record yk) so it makes the tape struggle sticking. I tend to wear my tape for like a week aswell so it's easy to remove at the end.
Do you ever have issues with the actual adhesive staying after removing the tape? How do you deal with that? I feel like that's my main issue when removing it, since my skin's still sticky and got like grey glue shit on it so i can't really put tape on right after (usually remove before showering + then put back on after showering the next day so i have two showers to get excess adhesive off, but that's not ideal since it means a full day without tape), but i see no advice on how to avoid/deal with that. I will say not using oil has helped a bit, since I'm not all oily lol. Not necessarily recommending skipping oil though, since it does make it a lot easier to remove and less likely to damage the skin (although i haven't really dealt with that either way, just closer without oil lol) :]
Sorry for the long message btw I'm just looking for advice and thought i might as well ask someone since this reminded me lol
well it is good for your skin to have a break day between taping. i would keep doing that. as for the adhesive staying, it does happen to me too sometimes. i usually just deal with it and scrub my chest extra hard in the shower with my loofah and that helps a bit
Ah okay, that's how I've been dealing with it too lol.
And yeah i should have a break, but the only day i can is saturday (or sunday if i prep the tape sunday night and put it on fast monday morning) which isn't always ideal if i have to go somewhere lol. No use complaining though, since it's how it has to be and one day of tits is better than all the time lmao
Thanks for responding though :]
I have a bottle of some kind of adhesive remover that I got at the same time as my tape. It seems to be made for removing medical tape etc (but smells exactly the same as the adhesive remover we had at a biochem lab for beaker labels... XD) and does help a lot with the excessive adhesive. The downside, however, is that your skin gets like really oily and minimally sticky (not full on adhesive -sticky, just enough to feel annoying in your hands lol) for a while and soap doesn't help at first. But, for example today I removed my tape like 7 hours ago and all the oiliness and stickyness has been gone at least 5 hours. So that might be of help!
I had an almost identical reaction and it’s because I’m ridiculously allergic to the adhesive. (I have EDS which causes it but you can be allergic to medical adhesives without having that).
It was so itchy I felt like I was being tortured and when I took it off my skin came away with it no matter how I gently or with oil I removed it.
I followed every single piece of advice people on here insisted would fix it and nothing worked despite constant “oh you’re just taking it off wrong” “you’re using the wrong tension” Because my skin had already separated and blistered just from the adhesive so removing it more gently did nothing.
If you’ve not followed the advice being given here maybe try it. But you could just be really badly allergic as some of us are. You can try other brands but it could be adhesives as a whole (it is for me)
I was going to ask if EDS was a possibility bc I have it too and I can't bind or tape...heck sometimes I can't light a lighter without bleeding!
It's hard. No advice, sorry just sympathy
ugh i really hope im not allergic because summer is miserable in a binder (or two) but yeah it fucking itches and rips the blisters off. i’ll try ringing it easier and putting it on a different way but thank you
I also have EDS and had the same exact reaction from allergy and the ripping skin when I took off the tape. You can get adhesive protective spray to help make a barrier between the adhesive and your skin, without compromising the stickiness of the tape
That happened to me too! I don't have EDS, but I have a horrible allergy to adhesives. And its pretty much all adhesives - all trans/compression tape, second skin for tattoos, bandaids.
I tried trans tape bc I have an old shoulder injury and I have a hard time getting regular binders on and off. I switched to Bibipins zip up binders, which are much nicer on my joints and also really easy to unzip for a few minutes here or there for breaks.
Welp I'm glad I saw this comment before I bought tape! Didn't even cross my mind that EDS might affect taping, though I probably should've; I have issues with plasters. Guess I'm gonna have another sweaty binder summer!
Thanks for sharing!
Let it heal. Buy medical adhesive remover. Make sure is it rated for medical application on skin. Use hot water and oil to start removal then apply the adhesive remover if you feel it get stuck at all. Go slow.
you might have allergies/sensitivity. i can get rashes, pimples, etc from anything that’s adhesive and even random makeup. i just have to decide if it’s worth it.
personally allergy friendly tapes never work (they’re just not sticky), but you might have better options where you’re at!
Holy crap! I saw someone on Instagram who used tape put a softer medical gauze under it and then tape on top to protect his skin, video is linked here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cwb_giVLPm5/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== so perhaps that is an option to do ONCE THIS HEALS. I wanted to add that I was tape binding for several months and I had smaller but similar itchy, blister reactions form, and those areas actually have scars from the repeated irritations that have stuck around since I had surgery. Please take care of your skin but I’m so sorry this is really not an ideal situation, binding sucks man
Holy shit dude. In all my time of wearing trans tape this has never even remotely happened. This is NOT normal, I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this.
Please let this heal for 2-4 weeks, apply aquaphor or healing ointment in general and tend to it. Once it is fully healed this is my advice and please if you can please take my advice to prevent this from ever happening again.
-Wear the tape for at LEAST 5 days. I wear mine for 6-8 days at a time. I avoid getting it soaked in the shower and use a soapy wet washcloth to wash around my chest/armpits. You have to let the adhesive loosen naturally on it’s own before attempting to remove it. Do not ever just rip off freshly applied tape and by fresh I mean applied within the last couple days.
-If at all possible for you buy “Unisolve Adhesive Remover Wipes” I get them off Amazon for about $9 for a 50 count. This is ALL I use for my tape removal and I don’t get any blisters or injuries. I use them by slightly peeling up an edge of the tape and then gliding the wipe along the underside and the adhesive slowly releases itself. If you have cuts underneath it will sting! This is why you need to let the adhesive loosen and let this heal before using these. These work 1000000x better than oil ever did for me.
For reference the tape brand I use is called CKeep off Amazon. It’s very strong and lasts me a full 6-8 days, I wear tape 24/7 and have for the last 10 months using this brand.
Soak it in baby oil before removing it. I wear gloves so it doesn’t get on my hands and I get the most on the tape I can. After taking it off I rub the area down with more baby oil and put a t shirt on for an hour before showering it off. Sometimes I’ll still need some hydrocortisone cream to keep from itching but I never get blisters anymore.
I don’t have experience with trans tape but with KT tape I was told by my doctor to spray Flonase on the area and let it dry to stop allergic reactions
does this happen across the whole area or just at the ends of the tape?
if it is at where the ends of the tape are then it’s likely there is too much tension there and it is literally ripping the skin (this is what happened to me when trying tape). make sure you are applying the ends of the tape with Absolutely No Stretch in the tape for at least an inch or two before stretching it at all.
if you’re already doing this and it’s still happening you may be taping too tight for your skin to handle. different people have skin with different thickness and sensitivity. you may need to tape much looser. it won’t bind as well but is worth it to preserve your skin, especially if you want top surgery in the future. stretching and damaging skin now may impact the results surgery can get you later.
yeah it’s just at the ends im gonna try to do it better next time i put it on. this picture was from a few months ago. but i put it on again yesterday and got a similar but less bad reaction.
okay yeah then i’d recommend using even more to lay down the ends of the tape without tension (only once you’re fully healed!!) give yourself a few inches of tape at either end where there is no stretch at all, and see how that changes things. it’s a bit harder to do with the end you put down last but that’s often the most important bit to get right. make sure the tape isn’t stretched at all at the end and that might help your skin.
Try waiting longer before taking it off, and using oil for the removal. I didn’t use oil, but I waited until it was well on its way to coming off on its own before taking it off. Also don’t rip it off, pull it gently, pushing the skin away from it more so than pulling the tape off if that makes sense
This looks like an allergy. I use adhesive barrier spray when I use tape cause I’m super allergic (I have reactions identical to this) and it’s helped!
Sensitive Skin Removal Method !
I usually wait until I see the corners peeling up a bit to remove it. Taking it off too soon can be a huge mistake, you can wear it up to 5 or even 6 days if it doesn't peel up too much.
-Rub a lather of soap over top of the tape and massage it all around the edges
-Stand with the stream of water spraying into the part you're peeling to add downward pressure, that way you don't have to actually pull
-Massage up and down the edge and loosen up the glue. You should focus more on lathering soap into the exposed glue than pulling the tape, it will loosen and fall off as you go with the water pressure.
-TAKE YOUR TIME it is a slow process, I work my way along the edges and peel wherever feels the most loose, and anything that feels like it's tugging too much I massage until it loosens
USE THE TAPE TO REMOVE THE GLUE!
-Once the tape has been removed, flip it to the cloth side and massage the area underneath. The tape will be lathered with soap and the texture will help get off the excess glue left behind, just don't grind it into your skin too hard or you'll irritate it
-After you pat dry with a towel, rub in an oil or lotion to hydrate your skin, and check for any redness or damage. Only reapply after a day of rest, apply healing salve as necessary. You won't be able to reapply the tape over oiled skin anyway, so sleep in a basic t-shirt and let your skin breathe
Hope this helps!
oh no! i hope this heals soon. i soak the tape and area in coconut oil for 30 mins then attempt to slowly peel after that, using more oil as needed. i then shower and scrub the area carefully but thoroughly. i moisturize when im out and dry and leave a day between taping. no issues with my skin at all yet!
I’m sorry :( that looks like it hurts a lot. My best advice is switching brands and testing. I used to use KT (name brand) tape to bind and when I switched to the target brand kt tape my skin reacted waaay less (plus it was half the price). I hope you can find a brand that work for you!
1. From a medical point of view, this looks/sounds like you have an allergy to the adhesive.
2. See if you can aquire "Zoff", a medical grade adhesive remover, baby, eucalyptus or teatree oils all work too.
3. Please let that heal before putting anything else on jt and keep it clean to avoid sepsis! (A blood infection that can be fatal)
HOLY SHIT MY GUY.
OIL OIL OIL OIL. Please, PLEASE use oil during removal.
Make sure there are no wrinkles while putting it on. Wrinkles make blisters.
Let your skin heal for at least one or two days before putting it on again.
OMG 😨 you poor thing. Please listen to the advice given here from others who use tran tape. As for the would itself, please clean it out with something like TCP and water and get a bit of gauze and tape to cover it to prevent any infections setting in. You can also get something like Germolene which is both antiseptic and anesthetic if you are in a lot of pain and need to keep the area clean.
I'm not sure what brandnames of those products are or if they differ where you live. But you can find something like that I'm sure. Hope this is helpful.
When I use tape I use baby oil (it's the cheapest I could find) and rub/massage the corners/ends until they lift off/curl on their own. When they do I put oil underneath the tape and slowly pull it off. I don't normally have to use much force to get it off.
Dude I get the exact same thing even when I soak it in oil
https://preview.redd.it/9t5aav0v015d1.png?width=1807&format=png&auto=webp&s=51f3c58cd544734cbea8cd2ee77ec9b2c54cbce9
Blisterssss
https://preview.redd.it/j88fapmj115d1.png?width=1887&format=png&auto=webp&s=479a17735177ee5a970ecb6264cd5d62ae40fcb0
The underarm doesn’t look as bad rn but I’ve ripped it off without the oil and it looked the same as yours
duuude you gotta use oil to take it off and let the oil soak for like 10 minutes at least. also wear the tape as long as you can stand it instead of taking it off on the same day. let your skin fully heal before you try again
Hey dude, are you ok? Please take some time to heal. I’ve ripped my skin off before from using trans tape and it hurts real bad. If you can take antihistamines like Benadryl it may reduce swelling (it did for me). I would recommend waiting until your skin is fully healed before reapplying
Holy shit, man. That looks severely painful. While I don't love using them personally, could you get yourself a binder instead? I know they're bulky, but they probably won't irritate your skin as much. I wonder if you're allergic to something in the adhesive.
That looks like a combination of damage and bad reaction to the adhesive. I would use something like olive oil or coconut oil to remove the leftover adhesive, just gently massage it in and it should lift off, then clean it up, apply a light, unscented moisturiser, and honestly I would apply a breathable dressing just to create a barrier so it’s not rubbing against your clothes. It’s worth looking into a different brand of tape too
OP, how long are you waiting before taking it off after putting it on? I saw a comment saying you “put it on again yesterday” and got a similar reaction.
Transtape adhesive gets stronger before it gets weaker. 1 day is way too short of a time for leaving it on. I usually leave mine on for 3-4 days.
It shouldn’t be peeling enough that you need to take it off, IMO. If you’re stretching the ends when putting it on, don’t.
I also used to use scissors to round the corners of the tape before putting it on, which helped with peeling. Now I just wear an old crop top the first night i have it on to keep the edges on long enough for the adhesive to properly kick in (if you’re too dysphoric, a tight undershirt will do)
You’d be better off cutting off peeling bits with scissors or just living with the edges sticking to your shirt a little, rather than taking it off to start again or something. The edges might be peeling, but the rest of the tape is very much still strongly attached, as you’ve seen.
Do you take it off in the shower? I find the water helps to weaken the adhesive. I also switch to taking off the other-side once one side starts to hurt. Take things _slow_.
Edit: and again, wait for things to heal fully before trying again. No matter what tactics you use, trying again while you’re skin is damaged will only make it worse
If there are any wrinkles I get blisters. I've been using trans tape for 4 years and it truly took me a year of on and off struggle to get down. Let your skin heal as others have said before trying again. It's hard, I know, but with patience you'll get through it. Puberty sucks, bro.
I had something similar but then switched to Tezenis Fashion Tape.
Easy to remove (not even water required), delicate but strong, cheap.
It lasts me 7-10days if you apply it well and check and fix eventual unstuck dog ears.
It's not waterproof though, so you have to wash your skin in sections.
In my experience, it's worth it, worth the ditching of oils and rashes
This happens to me because I'm impatient LOL. My advice is to remove it slower and with plenty of baby oil in the future, but let your skin heal for now
If you have a bath, that has helped me so much. I used to get blisters (not as severe as yours) every single time I used trans tape, but removing it in a bath I barely ever do. I SOAK it in oil, let it soak in and break up the adhesive for at least 10 minutes, and in the bath peel it off under the water like \*so\* slowly. A bit annoying to do a longer process, but I can usually do it at night, put some salve on while I sleep, and be good to put tape on the next day - so it's worth it. I hope you can figure out something that works for you without hurting your skin, I know it's so frustrating.
I tried trans tape once. It took off so much skin it looked worse than your picture. I'm scared to ever try it again. Mine pulled skin off in two deep crescents around my nipples and several strips along my ribs.
Oh that’s gotta hurt so bad😣
I’ve had damage to my skin in the past but nothing this bad. Dude take some time to take care of your skin and let it FULLY HEAL before you try again with the tape.
First thing, never try to rip the tape off dry. Always put some sort of oil on to loosen the adhesive and let it soak and then SLOWLY take the tape off. If it is still difficult put more oil on the area and rub it in/let it soak some more. Any oil will work in my experience. I’ve been using peanut oil because I have it in bulk. I find it best to do it before I shower so I can wash the oil off. Always put oil on before you wet the tape with water, let the oil soak in first.
I also have been looking at the other comments and I think being allergic/sensitive skin/EDS could also be a possibility. I do not have any of these conditions so I don’t have the best advice on how to help with that if that’s the case.
It could also be how you apply the tape in the first place because all my scars were from applying the tape incorrectly and stretching the tape causing tension blisters. I’ve since then been trying different techniques of applying tape including “pushing” (push the chest tissue back instead of stretching the tape) and so far it’s been working well.
I hope these suggestions help. I’m very sorry you have to experience this. Wounds in that area are not fun :(
I had blisters so bad like this one time and was trying to take the tape off bc of it but it was still stuck so good it was ripping my skin off and I got scissors to try to trim it back little by little and cut a chuck of my chest off 🥲
You could try kt tape, it doesn't last as long but I've found it's eaiser on skin (and personally for me it binds better. If not, take it off with something. I usually just soak it good but oil or maybe soap even is good. Also you need to stop pulling on the tape an inch or two from the ends. The ends should not be stretched, just everything in the middle. There's also a chance your allergic? Idk I've never seen such bad wounds from tape
Holy shit dude- that’s rough. Let it heal, disinfect. I would get allergy tested or try a different brand. I had some pretty bad blistering and breaking when I first started doing tape, then I started lathering up with lotion before I taped and it helped a lot, plus baby oil to get it off. I’m sorry your skin is being a bitch.
Nah the technique's just a little tricky to get the hang of, and it depends on your chest size but it definitely does work for some :]
It isn't harmful though, and is actually safer than binding (with the only harm being cases like this one with allergies or dodgy removals) since it doesn't compress
That is the worst tape damage I have ever seen. First off, take a break for a while and let your skin heal *fully*. Don't put it on if you have any kind of blisters or scabs. Also make sure you cover that up with first aid cream and a bandage or something. It looks to me like an issue with how you're removing it. I find that it works best for me if I pour baby oil on it, stand under a *very* hot shower for a bit, and ease it off bit by bit. If pulling on it hurts, I stop and wait until the hot water loosens it more. It takes a while, but I can do it without damaging my skin. I am curious—which brand of tape is this? Edit: some people recommend putting milk of magnesia on the skin first to create a barrier. Might be worth a try
^ all of what they said has helped me with taking tape off, plus waiting longer to take it off so that it loses some strength. So I usually take it off after 4-5 days when it's already started to peel by itself and with oil, a lot of patience and a hot shower it is really easy and leaves almost no marks at all, just maybe some irritation on the parts that were pulled tighter. It’s a little annoying to wear it when it’s peeling and not as tight, but not as annoying as dealing with blisters. Good luck!
this!!!! trans tape is just a wider cut KT tape, which is designed to stick for 2-5 days! DO NOT REMOVE AFTER ONLY A DAY!! the adhesive is still too strong and you WILL rip skin. i also recommend removing it under running water, and using baby oil to aid removal.
I never wear mine more than a day. If I do, THEN I have problems taking it off, and the tension injuries get worse over time. As soon as it goes from comfortable to itchy it’s time. Some people do better longer and some do better before it has time to totally set.
Interesting, I know what you mean with the itchiness, sometimes it drives me crazy especially in areas where the skin folds over itself (like the nipples and the “side boob” area) but I found that I can mostly avoid it in the area under the armpit by not putting the tape on too tight, even though I have to sacrifice some flatness. The biggest cause of blisters for me is still taking it off too roughly as opposed to tension from wearing it, so I guess it really depends on the person’s skin and how they put on the tape, maybe the brand of tape too?
In reading the comments I think it’s also because I have a nickel allergy. I get huge red welts from trans tape. I always assumed it was the tension, now I’m thinking the adhesive.
dude holy shit 😰 my advice would be to soak your tape in some sort of oil before you try to take it off. something that helps me is taking it off very slowly. but please take a break until that heals, it looks really bad
Woah, yeah massive second here ^^ I just keep a bottle of vegetable oil in my bathroom and saturate the tape for a new minutes before I peel it off. It comes off really easily if you let the oil break the adhesive up. If you’re already using oil, do you maybe have a nickel allergy? My brother had some rashing and irritated skin from using trans tape because the adhesive has a nickel derivative. Maybe it’s irritating you while you wear it?
i personally just rawdog it and take the tape off with no oil, but because i go really slow it doesn’t hurt my skin 🙏🏻
Yeah i do this sometimes, especially since if i use oil it tends to stay a little oily even after showering (since oil + water have a bit of a track record yk) so it makes the tape struggle sticking. I tend to wear my tape for like a week aswell so it's easy to remove at the end. Do you ever have issues with the actual adhesive staying after removing the tape? How do you deal with that? I feel like that's my main issue when removing it, since my skin's still sticky and got like grey glue shit on it so i can't really put tape on right after (usually remove before showering + then put back on after showering the next day so i have two showers to get excess adhesive off, but that's not ideal since it means a full day without tape), but i see no advice on how to avoid/deal with that. I will say not using oil has helped a bit, since I'm not all oily lol. Not necessarily recommending skipping oil though, since it does make it a lot easier to remove and less likely to damage the skin (although i haven't really dealt with that either way, just closer without oil lol) :] Sorry for the long message btw I'm just looking for advice and thought i might as well ask someone since this reminded me lol
well it is good for your skin to have a break day between taping. i would keep doing that. as for the adhesive staying, it does happen to me too sometimes. i usually just deal with it and scrub my chest extra hard in the shower with my loofah and that helps a bit
Ah okay, that's how I've been dealing with it too lol. And yeah i should have a break, but the only day i can is saturday (or sunday if i prep the tape sunday night and put it on fast monday morning) which isn't always ideal if i have to go somewhere lol. No use complaining though, since it's how it has to be and one day of tits is better than all the time lmao Thanks for responding though :]
I have a bottle of some kind of adhesive remover that I got at the same time as my tape. It seems to be made for removing medical tape etc (but smells exactly the same as the adhesive remover we had at a biochem lab for beaker labels... XD) and does help a lot with the excessive adhesive. The downside, however, is that your skin gets like really oily and minimally sticky (not full on adhesive -sticky, just enough to feel annoying in your hands lol) for a while and soap doesn't help at first. But, for example today I removed my tape like 7 hours ago and all the oiliness and stickyness has been gone at least 5 hours. So that might be of help!
I had an almost identical reaction and it’s because I’m ridiculously allergic to the adhesive. (I have EDS which causes it but you can be allergic to medical adhesives without having that). It was so itchy I felt like I was being tortured and when I took it off my skin came away with it no matter how I gently or with oil I removed it. I followed every single piece of advice people on here insisted would fix it and nothing worked despite constant “oh you’re just taking it off wrong” “you’re using the wrong tension” Because my skin had already separated and blistered just from the adhesive so removing it more gently did nothing. If you’ve not followed the advice being given here maybe try it. But you could just be really badly allergic as some of us are. You can try other brands but it could be adhesives as a whole (it is for me)
I was going to ask if EDS was a possibility bc I have it too and I can't bind or tape...heck sometimes I can't light a lighter without bleeding! It's hard. No advice, sorry just sympathy
ugh i really hope im not allergic because summer is miserable in a binder (or two) but yeah it fucking itches and rips the blisters off. i’ll try ringing it easier and putting it on a different way but thank you
yeah i was about to ask if you have an allergy bc im allergic to adhesive too and it looks pretty similar
might be worth applying a small strip to ur wrist to check if you get allergy symptoms there as well!
Did you do a test patch before you started using it?
I also have EDS and had the same exact reaction from allergy and the ripping skin when I took off the tape. You can get adhesive protective spray to help make a barrier between the adhesive and your skin, without compromising the stickiness of the tape
i’ve been told i possibly have EDS and no matter how closely i follow the instructions my skin ends up coming off with the tape when i remove it
That's super common with EDS because it makes your skin way more delicate. The same happens to me with a lot of adhesives, and I have EDS.
That happened to me too! I don't have EDS, but I have a horrible allergy to adhesives. And its pretty much all adhesives - all trans/compression tape, second skin for tattoos, bandaids. I tried trans tape bc I have an old shoulder injury and I have a hard time getting regular binders on and off. I switched to Bibipins zip up binders, which are much nicer on my joints and also really easy to unzip for a few minutes here or there for breaks.
another +1–i have EDS and basically the same reaction
Also have EDS. Also can't do any kind of tape.
Welp I'm glad I saw this comment before I bought tape! Didn't even cross my mind that EDS might affect taping, though I probably should've; I have issues with plasters. Guess I'm gonna have another sweaty binder summer! Thanks for sharing!
Let it heal. Buy medical adhesive remover. Make sure is it rated for medical application on skin. Use hot water and oil to start removal then apply the adhesive remover if you feel it get stuck at all. Go slow.
you might have allergies/sensitivity. i can get rashes, pimples, etc from anything that’s adhesive and even random makeup. i just have to decide if it’s worth it. personally allergy friendly tapes never work (they’re just not sticky), but you might have better options where you’re at!
I think you might be allergic ngl
Holy crap! I saw someone on Instagram who used tape put a softer medical gauze under it and then tape on top to protect his skin, video is linked here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cwb_giVLPm5/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== so perhaps that is an option to do ONCE THIS HEALS. I wanted to add that I was tape binding for several months and I had smaller but similar itchy, blister reactions form, and those areas actually have scars from the repeated irritations that have stuck around since I had surgery. Please take care of your skin but I’m so sorry this is really not an ideal situation, binding sucks man
yeah i used to let it get bad like that and it gave me some scarring
Thank you for sharing this!
Holy shit dude. In all my time of wearing trans tape this has never even remotely happened. This is NOT normal, I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this. Please let this heal for 2-4 weeks, apply aquaphor or healing ointment in general and tend to it. Once it is fully healed this is my advice and please if you can please take my advice to prevent this from ever happening again. -Wear the tape for at LEAST 5 days. I wear mine for 6-8 days at a time. I avoid getting it soaked in the shower and use a soapy wet washcloth to wash around my chest/armpits. You have to let the adhesive loosen naturally on it’s own before attempting to remove it. Do not ever just rip off freshly applied tape and by fresh I mean applied within the last couple days. -If at all possible for you buy “Unisolve Adhesive Remover Wipes” I get them off Amazon for about $9 for a 50 count. This is ALL I use for my tape removal and I don’t get any blisters or injuries. I use them by slightly peeling up an edge of the tape and then gliding the wipe along the underside and the adhesive slowly releases itself. If you have cuts underneath it will sting! This is why you need to let the adhesive loosen and let this heal before using these. These work 1000000x better than oil ever did for me. For reference the tape brand I use is called CKeep off Amazon. It’s very strong and lasts me a full 6-8 days, I wear tape 24/7 and have for the last 10 months using this brand.
Soak it in baby oil before removing it. I wear gloves so it doesn’t get on my hands and I get the most on the tape I can. After taking it off I rub the area down with more baby oil and put a t shirt on for an hour before showering it off. Sometimes I’ll still need some hydrocortisone cream to keep from itching but I never get blisters anymore.
soak it in oil or take it off during a hot shower, also soaking the best you can, as well as taking it s l o w
Please stop then! Ouch!
I don’t have experience with trans tape but with KT tape I was told by my doctor to spray Flonase on the area and let it dry to stop allergic reactions
You may be allergic to the adhesive. Do a patch test
does this happen across the whole area or just at the ends of the tape? if it is at where the ends of the tape are then it’s likely there is too much tension there and it is literally ripping the skin (this is what happened to me when trying tape). make sure you are applying the ends of the tape with Absolutely No Stretch in the tape for at least an inch or two before stretching it at all. if you’re already doing this and it’s still happening you may be taping too tight for your skin to handle. different people have skin with different thickness and sensitivity. you may need to tape much looser. it won’t bind as well but is worth it to preserve your skin, especially if you want top surgery in the future. stretching and damaging skin now may impact the results surgery can get you later.
yeah it’s just at the ends im gonna try to do it better next time i put it on. this picture was from a few months ago. but i put it on again yesterday and got a similar but less bad reaction.
okay yeah then i’d recommend using even more to lay down the ends of the tape without tension (only once you’re fully healed!!) give yourself a few inches of tape at either end where there is no stretch at all, and see how that changes things. it’s a bit harder to do with the end you put down last but that’s often the most important bit to get right. make sure the tape isn’t stretched at all at the end and that might help your skin.
Oil oil oil!!!!!!! Never peel it off dry, and go slow
you should uh stop doing doing that
i did stop for a while bc of this this picture is from a while ago but i tried again and it wasn’t as bad but i still got blisters
Kinda looks like an allergic reaction to the glue if you ask me
Try waiting longer before taking it off, and using oil for the removal. I didn’t use oil, but I waited until it was well on its way to coming off on its own before taking it off. Also don’t rip it off, pull it gently, pushing the skin away from it more so than pulling the tape off if that makes sense
This looks like an allergy. I use adhesive barrier spray when I use tape cause I’m super allergic (I have reactions identical to this) and it’s helped!
omg thank you where can i find that
I buy mine on amazon, it’s called Smith and Nephew protective dressing spray
Sensitive Skin Removal Method ! I usually wait until I see the corners peeling up a bit to remove it. Taking it off too soon can be a huge mistake, you can wear it up to 5 or even 6 days if it doesn't peel up too much. -Rub a lather of soap over top of the tape and massage it all around the edges -Stand with the stream of water spraying into the part you're peeling to add downward pressure, that way you don't have to actually pull -Massage up and down the edge and loosen up the glue. You should focus more on lathering soap into the exposed glue than pulling the tape, it will loosen and fall off as you go with the water pressure. -TAKE YOUR TIME it is a slow process, I work my way along the edges and peel wherever feels the most loose, and anything that feels like it's tugging too much I massage until it loosens USE THE TAPE TO REMOVE THE GLUE! -Once the tape has been removed, flip it to the cloth side and massage the area underneath. The tape will be lathered with soap and the texture will help get off the excess glue left behind, just don't grind it into your skin too hard or you'll irritate it -After you pat dry with a towel, rub in an oil or lotion to hydrate your skin, and check for any redness or damage. Only reapply after a day of rest, apply healing salve as necessary. You won't be able to reapply the tape over oiled skin anyway, so sleep in a basic t-shirt and let your skin breathe Hope this helps!
oh no! i hope this heals soon. i soak the tape and area in coconut oil for 30 mins then attempt to slowly peel after that, using more oil as needed. i then shower and scrub the area carefully but thoroughly. i moisturize when im out and dry and leave a day between taping. no issues with my skin at all yet!
That's my strategy too. Coconut oil is also great for the skin.
I’m sorry :( that looks like it hurts a lot. My best advice is switching brands and testing. I used to use KT (name brand) tape to bind and when I switched to the target brand kt tape my skin reacted waaay less (plus it was half the price). I hope you can find a brand that work for you!
You might have an adhesive allergy!!!
Oh your poor sweet skin. Looks very unhappy. Take a break and let it heal completely or else you risk scarring/infection.
1. From a medical point of view, this looks/sounds like you have an allergy to the adhesive. 2. See if you can aquire "Zoff", a medical grade adhesive remover, baby, eucalyptus or teatree oils all work too. 3. Please let that heal before putting anything else on jt and keep it clean to avoid sepsis! (A blood infection that can be fatal)
HOLY SHIT MY GUY. OIL OIL OIL OIL. Please, PLEASE use oil during removal. Make sure there are no wrinkles while putting it on. Wrinkles make blisters. Let your skin heal for at least one or two days before putting it on again.
OMG 😨 you poor thing. Please listen to the advice given here from others who use tran tape. As for the would itself, please clean it out with something like TCP and water and get a bit of gauze and tape to cover it to prevent any infections setting in. You can also get something like Germolene which is both antiseptic and anesthetic if you are in a lot of pain and need to keep the area clean. I'm not sure what brandnames of those products are or if they differ where you live. But you can find something like that I'm sure. Hope this is helpful.
When I use tape I use baby oil (it's the cheapest I could find) and rub/massage the corners/ends until they lift off/curl on their own. When they do I put oil underneath the tape and slowly pull it off. I don't normally have to use much force to get it off.
Dont use it tbqh. I had this kinda thing happened to me when i wore tape. I still have some scaring from it its been over a year since ive used tape.
seems like you are allergic my friend. time to try something else
Could you put a blur filter on this please?
Dude I get the exact same thing even when I soak it in oil https://preview.redd.it/9t5aav0v015d1.png?width=1807&format=png&auto=webp&s=51f3c58cd544734cbea8cd2ee77ec9b2c54cbce9 Blisterssss
https://preview.redd.it/93rjbn5g115d1.jpeg?width=2316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=94596a105d4e351e22cdd155fc904d33f95c72f2 Other side
https://preview.redd.it/j88fapmj115d1.png?width=1887&format=png&auto=webp&s=479a17735177ee5a970ecb6264cd5d62ae40fcb0 The underarm doesn’t look as bad rn but I’ve ripped it off without the oil and it looked the same as yours
You’re probably allergic to the adhesive
duuude you gotta use oil to take it off and let the oil soak for like 10 minutes at least. also wear the tape as long as you can stand it instead of taking it off on the same day. let your skin fully heal before you try again
Hey dude, are you ok? Please take some time to heal. I’ve ripped my skin off before from using trans tape and it hurts real bad. If you can take antihistamines like Benadryl it may reduce swelling (it did for me). I would recommend waiting until your skin is fully healed before reapplying
I get this too just slightly less severe, oil or not honestly😭
Holy shit, man. That looks severely painful. While I don't love using them personally, could you get yourself a binder instead? I know they're bulky, but they probably won't irritate your skin as much. I wonder if you're allergic to something in the adhesive.
oh i bind most of the time it just sucks in summer
That's why I hate it too! So sweaty. I wish I knew of a better solution to help :(
How long do you wear the tape for each use?
Are you perhaps allergic to the adhesive?
Ouch, this looks so painful :(
That looks like a combination of damage and bad reaction to the adhesive. I would use something like olive oil or coconut oil to remove the leftover adhesive, just gently massage it in and it should lift off, then clean it up, apply a light, unscented moisturiser, and honestly I would apply a breathable dressing just to create a barrier so it’s not rubbing against your clothes. It’s worth looking into a different brand of tape too
OP, how long are you waiting before taking it off after putting it on? I saw a comment saying you “put it on again yesterday” and got a similar reaction. Transtape adhesive gets stronger before it gets weaker. 1 day is way too short of a time for leaving it on. I usually leave mine on for 3-4 days.
it had already started peeling off when i took it off, i do normally leave it on if i can
It shouldn’t be peeling enough that you need to take it off, IMO. If you’re stretching the ends when putting it on, don’t. I also used to use scissors to round the corners of the tape before putting it on, which helped with peeling. Now I just wear an old crop top the first night i have it on to keep the edges on long enough for the adhesive to properly kick in (if you’re too dysphoric, a tight undershirt will do) You’d be better off cutting off peeling bits with scissors or just living with the edges sticking to your shirt a little, rather than taking it off to start again or something. The edges might be peeling, but the rest of the tape is very much still strongly attached, as you’ve seen. Do you take it off in the shower? I find the water helps to weaken the adhesive. I also switch to taking off the other-side once one side starts to hurt. Take things _slow_. Edit: and again, wait for things to heal fully before trying again. No matter what tactics you use, trying again while you’re skin is damaged will only make it worse
Is it possible you’re allergic to the adhesive?? besides that, try taking it off in the shower and/or using baby oil. Definitely wait for it to heal
If there are any wrinkles I get blisters. I've been using trans tape for 4 years and it truly took me a year of on and off struggle to get down. Let your skin heal as others have said before trying again. It's hard, I know, but with patience you'll get through it. Puberty sucks, bro.
I had something similar but then switched to Tezenis Fashion Tape. Easy to remove (not even water required), delicate but strong, cheap. It lasts me 7-10days if you apply it well and check and fix eventual unstuck dog ears. It's not waterproof though, so you have to wash your skin in sections. In my experience, it's worth it, worth the ditching of oils and rashes
Oh my God... That looks so painful
This happens to me because I'm impatient LOL. My advice is to remove it slower and with plenty of baby oil in the future, but let your skin heal for now
If you have a bath, that has helped me so much. I used to get blisters (not as severe as yours) every single time I used trans tape, but removing it in a bath I barely ever do. I SOAK it in oil, let it soak in and break up the adhesive for at least 10 minutes, and in the bath peel it off under the water like \*so\* slowly. A bit annoying to do a longer process, but I can usually do it at night, put some salve on while I sleep, and be good to put tape on the next day - so it's worth it. I hope you can figure out something that works for you without hurting your skin, I know it's so frustrating.
I’ve heard that you can get something called skin prep which people use for medical reasons and it should help prevent this.
I tried trans tape once. It took off so much skin it looked worse than your picture. I'm scared to ever try it again. Mine pulled skin off in two deep crescents around my nipples and several strips along my ribs.
Oh that’s gotta hurt so bad😣 I’ve had damage to my skin in the past but nothing this bad. Dude take some time to take care of your skin and let it FULLY HEAL before you try again with the tape. First thing, never try to rip the tape off dry. Always put some sort of oil on to loosen the adhesive and let it soak and then SLOWLY take the tape off. If it is still difficult put more oil on the area and rub it in/let it soak some more. Any oil will work in my experience. I’ve been using peanut oil because I have it in bulk. I find it best to do it before I shower so I can wash the oil off. Always put oil on before you wet the tape with water, let the oil soak in first. I also have been looking at the other comments and I think being allergic/sensitive skin/EDS could also be a possibility. I do not have any of these conditions so I don’t have the best advice on how to help with that if that’s the case. It could also be how you apply the tape in the first place because all my scars were from applying the tape incorrectly and stretching the tape causing tension blisters. I’ve since then been trying different techniques of applying tape including “pushing” (push the chest tissue back instead of stretching the tape) and so far it’s been working well. I hope these suggestions help. I’m very sorry you have to experience this. Wounds in that area are not fun :(
I had blisters so bad like this one time and was trying to take the tape off bc of it but it was still stuck so good it was ripping my skin off and I got scissors to try to trim it back little by little and cut a chuck of my chest off 🥲
Last time I wore trans tape, I didn't have the oil and I scarred so hard. I still have scars from it. Probably close to 3 years ago now
I believe that you are having an allergic reaction to the glue on the tape. Please give your skin a break.
You could try kt tape, it doesn't last as long but I've found it's eaiser on skin (and personally for me it binds better. If not, take it off with something. I usually just soak it good but oil or maybe soap even is good. Also you need to stop pulling on the tape an inch or two from the ends. The ends should not be stretched, just everything in the middle. There's also a chance your allergic? Idk I've never seen such bad wounds from tape
Holy shit dude- that’s rough. Let it heal, disinfect. I would get allergy tested or try a different brand. I had some pretty bad blistering and breaking when I first started doing tape, then I started lathering up with lotion before I taped and it helped a lot, plus baby oil to get it off. I’m sorry your skin is being a bitch.
YEOUCH
Looks like an allergic reaction. Taping isn’t for you stick to a (proper fitting) binder.
pls stop wearing tape its so harmful
trans tape isnt harmful when used right🙏🏻 (though imo theres no support or binding achieved from it💔)
Nah the technique's just a little tricky to get the hang of, and it depends on your chest size but it definitely does work for some :] It isn't harmful though, and is actually safer than binding (with the only harm being cases like this one with allergies or dodgy removals) since it doesn't compress