What should you know about thong compression garment?

Compression garments apply graduated or targeted pressure to the tissues they cover. A thong style may be chosen when support is needed around the groin, buttocks, hips, or lower abdomen while leaving the legs less covered. The garment is not a treatment for every cause of swelling, and stronger pressure is not automatically more helpful. After cancer treatment, a specialist may include a garment within a broader lymphoedema plan. The design, fabric, seams, and coverage should match the body area and the reason for compression.

Use the size and compression level selected by your clinician or trained fitter. Put it on smoothly, without folded edges, rolling, or tight bands that press into the skin. Check the groin, waist, and other covered areas for rubbing, colour change, numbness, tingling, or increasing discomfort. Follow washing and wearing instructions so the fabric keeps its shape. Do not alter the garment or share it. If it is difficult to put on, ask about an application aid or a different cut rather than forcing it into place.

Remove the garment and contact your clinical team if you develop new numbness, marked pain, cold or discoloured skin, blisters, or swelling that worsens while wearing it. Seek urgent care for sudden breathlessness, chest pain, or rapidly increasing one-sided swelling. Skin that is broken, hot, increasingly red, or draining fluid also needs assessment. Do not put compression over an untreated skin infection unless the treating team specifically advises it.

What area is the garment intended to support? What pressure and size are appropriate for me? How many hours should I wear it? How should I care for my skin underneath? Could lymphoedema therapy or another garment design be more suitable?