Waist Training: Do or Don’t? An Expert Weighs In
If anyone’s known for their hourglass figures, it’s the Kardashians. And it’s no secret that they love their waist-trainers (basically waist-cinching corsets). But how much of their signature shapes are due to waist-training versus their genes (or all those hours exercising and building a revenge body)? To find out how effective waist-training really is for the average lady, we asked an expert to weigh in. Keep these three things in mind if you’re tempted to try waist training.
The Changes Are Totally Temporary
Dr. Andrew Miller, a New Jersey-based plastic surgeon, says that while waist training has its pros and cons, it’s definitely NOT going to change the shape of your body long-term.
“Say you wear a sock that’s too tight,” Dr. Miller tells us. “It compresses your leg for a while, and when you take the sock off it’s kind of tightened in for a little bit. But eventually, everything goes back to the way it was. So if you wear the corset for a while, for a little bit after the corset comes off things are going to be thinner or tighter, but it makes no permanent or long-term change in anything.”
In other words, if you’re headed to a special event and want to add some drama to the dress you bought, you might try waist training. But if you want to change the shape of your body long-term? Probably safe to scrap the idea.
There Are Potential Harmful Side Effects
There are some other potential benefits, Dr. Miller says — one of them being improved posture — but there are definitely some health risks too.
“If you’re tying the waist trainer so tight you can’t even take a deep breath, that can cause problems in the lungs. If you can’t expand your lungs at all, you can cause retraction of some of the air pockets and even develop pneumonia over time.”
The problem, Dr. Miller says, is that people see super influential people like the Kardashians doing waist training and “feel like they have to go overboard to get the results they want.” That’s where the risk of tying the corset way too tight or wearing it for way too long (Dr. Miller recommends six to eight hours max) comes in.
Do This Before You Try One Out
If you want to try out waist training, go for it! Just make sure to do it the safe way. And remember to only expect temporary results. “The most important thing is to have one that’s properly sized to you and put on correctly to the right tightness,” Dr. Miller says. “Everything in moderation.”
Would you try waist training? Tweet us your thoughts at @BritandCo!
(Photos via @khloekardashian)