Niptt Gear – Anti Bleeding Nipples Review!

Bleeding Nipples. The bane of many runners. Something I’d like to get off my chest.

Some suffer only very occasionally, some never. Some most runs.

After 10 years of running (weird to think that there are people that never met the pre-running me when my blood type was ketchup and I couldn’t run a bath) I’ve suffered regularly.

Combinations of excessive rain, excessive sweat, dodgy running form and certain tops are guaranteed to set me off.

Smiling on the outside, I’m dreading the shower later.

Things I’ve tried –

• Every lubricant I could find – Vaseline, Squirrels Nut Butter, Bodyglide, etc
• Normal plasters, both fabric and waterproof
• Proprietary specialist nipple brands like Nipeaze
• Kinesiology Tape / Physiotherapy Tape
• Specialist swimmers K-tape designed to work underwater
• Specialist weight lifters K-tape
• Actual duct/duck tape
• Zinc oxide tape

All of them eventually fail. With or without shaving it’s never full proof. I’ve had most luck with a small square of zinc oxide tape that if I get it just right and get a decent brand will last a whole marathon most of the time but never guaranteed.

This top will never be the same again.

It was becoming a running gag that my nipple issues were prominent in most race photos, with two bloody wounds down my front. For much of the early Summer this year I’ve finished runs topless with my lack of upper body toning or tan evident for all to see. Sales of eye-bleach have gone up locally. The police were worried my pasty chest might dazzle drivers and cause accidents.

I’ve genuinely Googled medical removal of them, like you would a mole. At times I’ve wondered how badly they’d bleed if you tried a DIY option with garden shears.

Then I was contacted by the lovely people at a new company, based in Canada who sent me some Niptt Gear https://www.nipttgear.com/ to try as they were also trying to get to the bottom of the problem.

What are they?

They’re termed running bands and in the most simplistic terms, it’s a stretchable fabric that goes around your chest at nipple height. The front is smooth (for your sensitive nips) whilst the back is a webbed design to let your back breathe and probably aids good fitment.

How do you put them on?

A good question. For me the easiest way is to pull down over your head like an overly tight vest, and take slightly lower than your chest to smooth out and get it facing the right way (the Niptt logo should be correct way up and on your left) then pull into place. To be honest it’s the same technique your wife would use to pull on a boob tube back in the days of clubbing.

What are they like on?

Once on and in place you mostly forget it’s there, much like a chest strap heart rate monitor. I’ve not had to adjust the Medium much during a run, and never needed to when I used the Small size.

What do they look like?

I’ll be honest, they’re underwear. Much as I wear anti chaff under crackers for runs and wouldn’t wave it in people’s faces, neither would I typically parade around in just this. It’s been dubbed a moob-tube by a mate and it’s not a bad description. You don’t wear it to look good without a top, you wear it so you look good with a top that isn’t stained with blood or makes you cry in the shower.

I’m due a Nobel prize for being out standing in a field.

Sizing?

The website has the sizing chart, S-XL based on chest size. At 37″ I was on cusp of Small and Medium and found the Small was best.

Do they work?

Totally. Stick them on and forget. It’s one less thing to worry about. If I’m wearing a bright coloured top or worst of all white I know I don’t need to worry about finish line photos of a bleeding mess even when doing tempo runs in Spain recently.

Chaffing Elsewhere?

It would be an ironic design if the product to stop your nipples chaffing caused chaffing elsewhere. Ask any female runner and they will give you horror stories of rubbing from sports bras. I’m happy to report I’ve had no such issue with Niptt. I stick them straight on, no lubrication or similar, and had zero chaffing up to marathon distance. Haven’t yet used for an ultra and tend to find my race vest and pack on an ultra makes nipple chaffing less of an issue anyway (plus I’m running a lot slower).

Would I recommend it?

Yes. If you suffer from nipple chaffing half as much as I do (I hope nobody suffers more, as that would be cruel and you must have done something awful in a previous life to warrant that) then I would recommend without hesitation. Keep your top on and nobody will know or care. Take your top off and people will ask questions and you can hopefully pass on how good they are to other bleeding runners.

I worried about catching 2nd place. I did not have to worry about finishing covered in blood.