Vintage engraving of a young woman wearing a corset from the late Victorian/early Edwardian period is shown.
Vintage engraving of a young woman wearing a corset from the late Victorian/early Edwardian period. The practice of waist training, using corsets, has once again become a trend, and doctors say its results are dubious at best. (For Spectrum Health Beat)

People have been waist training for years—wearing body shaping corsets to slim down their middles.

But is it the most effective and healthy approach to taking inches off your waist? Most doctors will give you an emphatic, ‘No.’

Photos of popular celebs from Jersey Shore and Keeping up with the Kardashians have been popping up on social media recently, donning double corsets to keep up appearances of thin waistlines. Impressionable teens across the country are now shopping for corsets and looking to do the same to quickly shape their midsections.

We spoke with the experts at Spectrum Health about this social trend.

Lisa Lowery, MD, division chief for adolescent medicine, and Jon Schram, MD, medical director and bariatric surgeon, both agreed that there is not much benefit to this new fad and there are risks associated with it as well.

Dr. Lowery said a corset is often too tight and can cause skin irritation that may lead to infection.

“Wearing a corset can be constricting and can hinder one’s ability to take in a full breath,” she said. “An appropriate fitting one may be OK for a short period of time under that particular dress or outfit, but I wouldn’t recommend anyone wear one for an extended period of time.”

She acknowledged that you might lose weight by doing so, but it’s only water weight and completely superficial when taking this route. And, she said, it won’t last.

“There is no replacement for good physical activity and a healthy diet,” Dr. Lowery added.

Dr. Schram agreed.

“Waist training provides no long-term benefit, is uncomfortable and might exacerbate gastric acid reflux,” he said. “Medical weight-loss programs that focus on increasing protein consumption while decreasing carbohydrate consumption and increasing physical activity are still the most recommended non-surgical options for weight loss.”

So there you have it folks, don’t waste your time with waist training. Stick to tried and true methods like watching what you eat and trying to incorporate activity into your daily routines.