If you feel discomfort like that from a binder, it isn't the right size for you. I struggled with this as well for a while, until I finally broke down and spent $50+ on a LesLoveBoat tank top binder (I'm the size/body type of the site's model, so I didn't need anything crazy strong). I had an Underworks one (I dont remember which model), which, while strong, made me feel like I was being crushed constantly. Especially during the summer, when I would sweat more, and drink more water so I'd get slightly bigger from water retention, it was awful. When I got my LesLoveBoat one, I realized that the material wasn't as strong, but it was overall better built and bound BETTER without any of the discomfort. I can almost wear it to bed without a problem. The only small issue is that if I eat a lot, it makes my stomach hurt HORRIBLY because it presses on my abdomen, while it doesn't BIND there, it is still tight. My solution is to simply pull up the bottom, over my chest, doubling the chest binding (still with MUCH less discomfort than the underworks one), and keeping my stomach free.

If money is an issue and you can't get a new one, try losing a few more pounds and trying to wear it less. Depending on how bad your dysphoria is, try to only wear it when necessary (going in public, school, etc) because that discomfort can cause rib and lung problems (just to start) if left unattended. If you can sew or have a friend who can sew, maybe try adding a few inches to the sides or back with some extra fabric. This can literally be done in 10 minutes with a sewing machine!

And then you add the 2 numbers together and divide by 2. thats how I got 33 and that is how they measure for binders. I couldn't remember whether I made it before or not so I made it again. My bad. People do doubles on post all the time.

I had to ask about the "size" because so many people DON'T do it right.

Unfortunately, even if you do it right, it's a bit of trial and error. If you bought it recently, I'd advise returning it for a medium.

They DO stretch out and "break in" a bit, though.

However, I can't recommend the longer binders from Underworks, only the tri-top. The longer ones just have more problems.

If you don't have a lot of chest material to compress, something like Les Love Boat might work for you. I know it will not work for me, unfortunately, because I have too much to compress and it's not effective enough.

Can you return the one you have now and possibly at least exchange it ? If you can, I'd try that before anything else. If you can't, you can get it to stretch out a bit by wearing it, but... if it's very painful and causes headaches, it's not worth it. Maybe you could stuff it with pillows or something to try to stretch it out ? I have no idea if that would work, but just something so you don't have to wear it for hours and hours to break it in yourself.

Also, if you have the money, you can make your own decent binder for $10, and it doesn't even require sewing.

Copypasta :

3. 3" or wider elastic from JoAnn's or other craft stores. You can use safety pins for something temporary, or you can sew this and use those bra extender hooks and eyes to make a closure.

If you plan on re-using this, make sure to pre-wash them first. You'll need approximately 3x your chest (to be safe) - but this might be more or less depending on your exact body.

DO NOT WRAP TOO TIGHT.

DO NOT WRAP JUST "AROUND". You know, like winding yarn around a spool or something ? DON'T do that ! It's not worth it and it will take MUCH more pressure on your rib-cage than if you better distribute the pressure of the elastics.

You need to distribute pressure so it's pressing the breasts DOWN, not necessarily all pressing IN. To do this, you want to bind in an "X" or "K" pattern with the free ends spread out on your back. Since this is hard to visualise on words alone, please see the link below for pictures.

Here is a diagram I drew of how to do this !

NEW Photograph of the above : LINK