T-shirt collars ride up on neck after top surgery?
Hey all! Long time no see.
So, I'm dealing with a problem that I can't find many other people having online and I thought I would ask you very well informed people.
So, I recently got a double mastectomy, went from I believe C cups to an extremely flat chest.
Since then, I've had quite the trouble with shirts, specifically t-shirts.
They never did this before, but now, the shirt collar rides up on my throat every few minutes. It doesn't seem to matter too much what the size is, large or medium(the 2 sizes of shirts that I regularly wear).
Of course, they also fit looser, but I expected that.
Is this causing the shirts to ride up? Is there any way I can fix this?
Additional, may or may not be relevant details:
I have been on testosterone for 2 years, so could it have something to do with mass increase around my shoulders/neck?
My weight is around 210lbs, and I'm 5'7/5'8.
If anyone knows anything, or could point me to a better place to ask this question I would really appreciate your insight!
Like others said, you should probably be in an XL at that weight. Medium will be snug and that's likely why its moving around in ways you don't like.
Because i have a belly, when I wear shirts that are 1 size too small they do exactly what you're describing whereas before with breasts you probably found snug shirt probably went down because your chest was bigger than your midsection.
Interesting! As I've been on t, my weight has shifted more down to the stomach area, so good point that it could also be a factor!
The cause seems like a pretty simple physics problem. Shirt has has load removed from one side, so the balance has shifted to the other. What is uncomfy may simply be novel, with nothing to "fix"; time will be the first test.
An option you might consider is v-necks rather than crew necks, although those are usually worn as undershirts.
EDIT: at 210, you're also likely out of "medium" territory.
True. I also thought, well naturally if something isn't slightly pulling the shirt forward, of course it'll shift back. I just wondered if other guys had encountered the specific issue of being bothered by the collar too far up the neck but as you and another comment has pointed out: may just be my nerves getting used to the new sensation, and of course guys who never had to have a reduction in the chest area would already be used to that, hence why I don't see too many people talking about it.
About my size-- it seems to vary by brand whether I'm a medium or large, sometimes mediums fit well but most common problem is they're too tight in the sleeves. Really up to the manufacturer in my experience; but you're right, large is usually the safer bet.
Not saying handshape is right or wrong. As a guy I've not really encountered this problem, usually the opposite. So it could just because you don't have that front leverage on the shirt anymore.
Are these new shirts or shirts you wore before surgery?
I'm not a fan of tucking shirts in, but that may be one solution.
There's a few possible answers. Might try an XL or 2XL. Those are the sizes I wear at 6' 230 lbs.
But also, when I was reading this and I checked, my shirt collar was right up to the base of my neck, so it may just be something you need to get used to. There are also other cuts to try, as others have said. I would list some, but I'd basically just be quoting this article anyway
You and the others have definitely convinced me that, for most guys, where the collar sits for me now is where it sits for them, but they just never had to adjust to that from something else. So it's nice to know nothing is really "wrong" here, it's just clothes wear differently on my body now and I wasn't as adjusted to that as I thought.
However I would like to thank you for the article because while I am strapping in for the uncomfortable recalibration period, I have been meaning to get into menswear more and it'd be nice to have some variety in my shirts! So I may end up with a V neck, but hopefully just to round out my wardrobe.
Late comment from a non-binary person with both chest frontage and heavily developed lats, traps, and biceps...
I'm a very squat, solid 5' 4", 185 lbs., women's XL, men's L. I've found that stiffer, thicker knit collars on t-shirts, like this, are less likely to bind on my throat than lighter knit collars.
It's also important that the shoulder seams lie correctly. You may be a medium by ribcage diameter, but check that the shoulder seams on your shirts are at the outermost points of your collarbones. Too wide, and the shirt will shift and tug at your neckline; too narrow, and you'll be hunching up to avoid pulling at the armpits, as well as your neckline. [I'm in the odd situation of having shoulder to waist/hip proportions that are relatively masculine, so broader-shouldered men's shirts fit me better than women's.]
You could try putting on a tank top or v-neck undershirt and see if that helps. They have better friction with the outer shirt than skin does, which could help the outer shirt stay in place more.
Oh I'll definitely try this! been needing to layer up lately anyway.
Seems likely to me that it's mostly just that the 'new normal' for you doesn't feel normal yet. It should over time.
I will note though, your neck / shoulders getting stronger could definitely be part of it as well. I've acquired the mythical 'dad strength' over the last 5 years (which is really just what happens when you never stop picking up the kids as they grow up), and my shoulder muscles have gotten waaay bigger even though I've lost some weight. It follows that my shirts do fit a little differently, maybe sit a little higher. Seems reasonable you'd see the same, testosterone is no joke in the muscle development department.
I tend to pull down on the front part of my collars of my shirts to get a bit of it to "break" the elastic around that area. It tends to have them fold up over where the base of my throat is to prevent that tight feeling as I don't like shirts that have that strict collar feeling either (I'm not one for taunt button up shirts either or ties)
These days I tend to only wear Carhartt heavyweight, loose-fit (not relaxed fit) t-shirts in particular colors (black, heather grey, peat are my favorites). I've noticed the colors tend to be and feel quite different and change how it hangs on my body and feels against my skin. I would also recommend the Force variant of the shirt too as an undershirt as it is more form fitting but great for winter, anything athletics, and for collared shirts.
I was recently given a low needs autistic diagnosis, so this might just be being so incredibly particular to me as a majority of my clothing is largely the exact same brand and style.
My body build is a broad shoulder and chest cis-male around ~270lb and 6'1 but I fit in 2XL Carhartt shirts nicely enough.
As a note, if you do their survey (Groundbreakers?) program, you'll frequently get 25% off coupons for even doing just one survey.
Thank you for such a detailed response!
I'll definitely look into the shirts you mentioned, 25% off is not bad at all.
I also think that some of my difficulty adapting may be due to sensory issues, but I had already known what felt good to wear for so many years so I didn't even really encounter it much anymore until recently. So I appreciate you saying that it's something that also can just be due to preference, or genuine dislike of the feeling. But I have to do more experimenting to find out 😅
Yeah, I was considering trying out v-necks! Though, I'd like to keep the more sentimental t shirts, I was thinking of learning how to maybe sew/tailor some of the collars to fit better. Good tip about heavyweight! I mean, it's getting to be winter after all, so doubly good idea to get some.
Finally I think your last point is 100% true, I'm still going through the adjustment period for sure. The extra fabric in the chest area is still something I'm constantly aware of-- though maybe I've been giving my body too little credit, as it's already less noticeable than it used to be, and that's considering it's only had 2 months to adjust compared to 10+ years of having a chest! So: Thank You, it helps to remember that, at least for some aspects of this experience, I just have to give my body time to get used to the new normal.