Curious as to why I’d be writing about compression undershirts for loose skin?
Well, in years past, Mrs. Tug and I followed The Biggest Loser pretty regularly as well as Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition. In fact, in one episode of Extreme Makeover, contestant Alex is transformed after losing 216 lbs (from 459 lbs).
During one of the final weigh-ins they showed images of Alex’s sagging skin. It had been damaged from excessive rubbing and chafing.
The first thing thing I asked myself is why wouldn’t they encourage Alex, or any contestant for that matter, to wear compression clothing.
Think of it. Wouldn’t it be better, for example, to wear a compression undershirt after massive weight loss to help hold in the excess loose skin so it’s not as damaged toward the end of the weight-loss program?
Wearing Compression Undershirts After Weight Loss
We have a pretty timely question from a reader about compression undershirts, who lost a significant amount of weight, also resulting in loose skin.
The Question
Hi, I just happened to stumble across your site and i figured if anybody could help me you could.
Well lets start. I’m 22 yrs old and I have been overweight for most of my life. I developed man boobs in the 8th or 9th grade, and an undershirt was needed since.
I started with wearing one wife beater. Then two of course (they were two sizes too small for compression) then those tended to stretch out. I then added a female sports bra (a really small one) just to keep things under wraps so to speak.
Reached my breaking point last year when I had gastric bypass surgery. I have never been happier with the way I feel. However, going from 354 to 230 in less than a year has its drawbacks.
My man boobs and stomach went down dramatically. But, they are still very visible along with my love handles and excess loose skin that couldn’t keep up with the weight loss.
It’s not that bad but my question is what is a good compression shirt, or a compression tank top/vest that work on my love handles, chest and belly area? Any advice you could give me would be great.
– George
Compression Clothing For Loose Skin
Hey George,
First of all, thanks so much for writing in and sharing those personal details on the techniques you have used to conceal the extra weight you’ve been carrying in your chest (aka, your man boobs). That’s incredibly brave and I applaud you for your courage.
Also, congratulations on taking the step to shed all the extra weight. I’m certain that decision to get gastric bypass surgery wasn’t easy to make. But, I’m happy to hear you’ve lost a whopping 124 pounds!
I’m guessing that having the extra loose skin and remaining love handles is a lot more easy to live with than carrying the extra weight.
I am at an average weight for my height right now. However, I have struggled with my weight for my entire life. I was very overweight as a young boy. And still, to this day, I have a reasonably tough time keeping the extra weight off.
I am not as tone as I would like to be in my chest and midsection area too. So I can truly appreciate the confidence you can gain wearing compression undershirts that helps to hold your shit in.
Now, to your question about a good compression shirt or tank top for man boobs and loose skin. Since I don’t know whether or not you’re on a budget, I’ll just make my recommendations based on the products I know perform well.
Great Compression Shirts To Wear After Weight Loss
Ardyss
Out of all the slimming undershirts I own, the one that seems to have the greatest amount of compression is the ardyss abdomen shirt.
It is, however, the weirdest looking and most embarrassing to wear. But, if you want a high compression product that performs well, that’s one you should consider. It is a a tank and not a full undershirt, so if you’re looking for a compression shirt with sleeves, read on.
I pretty much always wear the Ardyss as my base layer to the gym. Then I wear another compression top over that, then a t-shirt. I like how all the compression feels when I’m working out.
Where to buy: Amazon
Underworks
The one that seems to be second best performing is the compression undershirts from Underworks. The only minor issue I’ve had with these is that the ones that have inner linings, can pinch a little from time to time. They may have changed the design of the inner lining, but you’d have to check with them to be certain.
I believe they have 3 different compression levels, going from the highest compression to lightest compression. Plus, the company makes their products in the USA, so it’s worth giving them a try.
Where to buy: Underworks.com
Corewear
If you’re in search of a compression shapewear undershirt that will also provide a bit of posture support, Corewear would be worth checking out.
The undershirts come in three styles, and multiple colors.
Where to buy: getcorewear.com
Other Good Performing Shapewear Undershirts
Two other good performing slimming undershirts, are GC2 and Instaslim.
GC2 compression shirt 
Instaslim compression shirts
Again, both shirts do a good job flattening the chest, but I’d say the GC2 holds in the midsection a little better. Plus I like the fact they are made in the USA and they’ve been in the compression undershirts manufacturing business for a long time.
Spanx for Men Zoned Performance undershirts perform well too. Good chest fattening, moderate smoothing around midsection and love handles.
Hopefully the above recommendations will get you going. To be quite honest, I think you’d be happy with any of the products I’ve listed above.
Of course there are others that you can choose from too. Be sure to check out the following articles for other compression shirts you can wear after weight loss.
Be sure to keep me posted on which products you try and what you think of them. Please stay in touch.
Again, congratulations on losing all that weight. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
George’s Response
Hi,
I actually just purchased the Power Body Tank that you have wrote about today.
I thought for 22 bucks it was def worth a try :)
– George
This article has been updated, re-written, and republished. The original comments below have been maintained for historical purposes.
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I know this is an older article, but I figure it’s worth a try to ask a question. First of all, great article – it really contains a lot of info “guys like us” are interested in. My question has more to do with loose skin on my biceps after losing 70 pounds. I’m trying to lift more weights, but when summer hits, I’d like to wear short sleeve shirts. Do you know of a brand where the sleeves are a bit longer and come to the elbow, or shirts with sleeves that “cling” a little more? Hopefully you’re still listening! Thank you.
I have gynecomastia and have carried a lot of weight to try to conceal this condition. I have recently been working out and loosing weight and I am looking for a good compression shirt for the chest area. I feel very uncomfortable when I am working out as the excess skin is all over the place. I would also like something I can wear on a regularly to conceal this condition as much as possible. Thanks for you help.
heya frank. good to hear from you buddy and thanks for stopping by my site and posting your question! congrats on loosing weight — that’s awesome man (:
if you’re looking for a comprehensive list of shaping undershirt options, you’ll find one in my article about men’s compression undershirts.
if you’re looking for a recommendation, i’d say check out underworks, gc2, leonisa, equmen, and spanx for men. they’ll all provide you with good chest compression.
if you’re on a budget, you’ll get a lot of value with underworks, gc2, or leonisa. you can find information about those products and links to their sites in the article above.
let me know if you have any other questions.
My general question is does wearing a compression shirt help you to lose weight?
nope, it does not.
Hi Tug!
I’ve never posted on your site before but have been an avid reader since last year. I’ve been meaning to get a good undershirt/shapewear which can also improve my posture and have decided upon the underworks mens extreme gynecomastia chest binder girdle t-shirt.
Ordered it a few days ago & it literally just arrived 10 minutes ago and I have it on now (getting it on was atrociously hard but I believe getting it off is worse!).
I’d just like to know your thoughts on this specific design (I know I should’ve asked your opinion first before puchasing it). I know you approve of underworks and the price is quite reasonable (I’m a uni student in the UK).
Also, I normally buy shirts which are size S bordering on M (but I still insist I’m an S..haha) so I bought the undershirt in the size S. It seems to fit nicely (very tight but I think it is supposed to be anyway).
I’m just a bit scared that I might have the wrong size (either I should go up or down-if I go up). Thoughts?
hey henry! thanks for being a long-time reader and now first time commenter! appreciate you coming by and asking your question.
couple of quick things about your question:
sizing
sizing is really dependent on the shirt itself and it’s hard to make a determination on how a slimming undershirt fits someone else. if you were able to get into it and it’s not uncomfortable to wear, then it’s probably ok.
that said, i’ve never really had to size down with a slimming undershirt with one minor exception on a poor performing product. i would warn you that having something fit too tight probably isn’t all that good, so just use your best judgment.
posture
on the posture part — while some slimming undershirts can offer some posture support as a byproduct of the compression, there are a couple undershirts specifically designed with posture support in mind.
the first is equmen – both slimming and some posture. the other is the posture shirt from evidence based apparel.
no slimming, but very good posture support. both products are on the pricier side, but if you’re looking for good posture support, you’ll get it with those products.
i also came across a bio gear posture shirt on rakuten.co.jp recently which costs about the same, but i’m not the best with navigating a japanese ecommerce website. i have heard the support underwear from manshape provides some lower back support as well, but i haven’t tried them personally.
thanks again for stopping by. let me know if you have any additional questions!
This was a very interesting read! So would u say that the Underworks Cotton Concealer Compression Undershirt and the Ardyss Abdomen Shirt outperforms the Spanx and RipT? Especially in the love handles area?
hey jay, that’s a good question! yes, both underworks and ardyss do a better job keeping in my love handles in than spanx or ript. in saying that though, individual results will vary depending on your particular body make-up.
that said, i will tell you that my ript black tank is my go-to slimming undershirt when i’m dressing to go out. it does an admirable job of flatten/smoothing my midsection, so much in fact, i am able to wear a fitted dress shirt without feeling self-conscious.
i wear the ript tank in my “go out” attire when i want to stay a little cooler, wear the spanx 4 men full v-neck undershirt when i want more full coverage, and my ardyss is worn during every single workout. i wear my underworks slimming undershirts mostly when i go to the gym, but sometimes i swap them with my ript tank. no particular reason, just something i do.
wow! The way you wear your shirts is like science!
I’m not a big guy. Regular/Medium build, not worried about my chest, but just cant rid of this beer belly pudge and love handles.
Bascially, my story is just like the guy who asked you about Spanx vs. RipT last year who was also concerned about the shirts looked. (http://www.undershirtguy.com/ask-tug-spanx-for-men-versus-ript-fusion-which-is-better/).
I was considering the Underworks for myself cause it sounded better than both the Spanx and RipT, but dont know if I’m overdoing it, if i can wear it anywhere & for every occasion, and if it has that real undershirt look.
hey jay, you should be good to go with the underworks. the cotton concealer really does look like a typical undershirt.
Do you have anything that would help me lose weight
hi john, this is a resource site moreso than anything else.
i don’t have anything specific i can offer by way of advice as it pertains to loosing weight, other that what other people would recommend:
1. diet
2. exercise
for more severe weight loss requirements, there are surgical options, but i’m not versed on any of them.
as a young man, i was on the heavier (“husky”) side, and i struggled with my weight pretty much my whole life. i’ve gotten thin, then gained it all back.
currently, i sit around 185 pounds at 5’9″, and mostly fit, but have an average build. to this day, i still need to workout at least 4 times a week, and eat moderately well in order to keep the weight off. i could easily pop up to 210-215 without thinking about it if i stopped working out or started eating less healthy.
the one thing i can tell you, is that in my adult life, the thinnest i have been is when i was eating very small portions of healthy food about 8-9 times per day. the idea is that your metabolism speeds up because it’s always processing healthy food and it’s never storing any fats (which is what happens when you don’t eat).
i don’t do that currently, because it takes a lot of work and preparation, but doing that did help me stay thinner.
sorry i can’t be of any more help, but hopefully the above provides some tidbits you can use.