Brace it right.
Flatten faster.
Carinatum is highly correctable, if the pressure, hours and phases are right. The cited bracing protocol, from first fitting to retention.
The pressure science behind carinatum bracing, and why most bracing fails.
POC, POT and the hours debate, made simple, then turned into a protocol.
You have the brace.
You're winging the rest.
A brace applies pressure, but whether that pressure flattens the ridge depends on getting the science right. Most people guess, and months disappear.
The brace isn't the variable.
Your hours are.
Carinatum responds to compression better than any other pectus type, what decides the result is your pressure, your hours and your phasing. Get those right and the ridge settles back toward flat. This guide is that protocol, every claim referenced.
Backed by the research,
not just my opinion.
Transformations & Real Stories
Read them by rating, or by what people actually got out of it - the transformations, the honest reviews, and the messages that land in my inbox every week.
across 35 rated statements
500+ reviews collected since 2015. Open a bar, a tag or a condition to read the published ones.
What the 4.8 is made of
45 published statements · 500+ collected since 2015
- ★★★★★
Mihail doesnt sugarcoat anything. told me exactly what to expect and exactly how long it would take. 12 months in and my carinatum is flat. i finally take my shirt off at the beach
Aiden R. PC 19
1-on-1 Coaching Melbourne, Australia 🇦🇺
- ★★★★★
The carinatum brace is really well made. fits perfect to my chest and i can wear it under a t-shirt at work. results started showing around 4 months
Nico P. PC 17
Pectus Carinatum Brace Milan, Italy 🇮🇹
- ★★★★★
My son is 15 and was getting self-conscious at the pool. The carinatum brace and the fortnightly check-ins are what kept him consistent. Six months and the ridge has visibly dropped.
Parent of Ethan PC 15
Pectus Carinatum Brace Michigan, USA 🇺🇸
- ★★★★★
Wore it 8 hrs a night for 5 months. the ridge is basically gone. im 16 so i got lucky on timing, but you still have to wear it every single night. beat the operation they were lining us up for
Elias PC 16
Pectus Carinatum Brace Bergen, Norway 🇳🇴
- ★★★★★
The wear-schedule chapter is honestly the whole product. everywhere else online just goes "wear a brace" and leaves you to figure out the rest
hamza PC 20
Pectus Carinatum Course Casablanca, Morocco 🇲🇦
- ★★★★★
spent two years hiding the ridge under hoodies before i actually did anything about it. what changed it was the carinatum program - building the chest and back around the ridge instead of just bracing and hoping. six months in and it reads flat enough that the hoodies are gone
Rafael PC 22
PC Exercise Program Cebu, Philippines 🇵🇭
- ★★★★★
He replied to my messages same day, every time. at 17 with a chest you hate, that matters way more than the plan does honestly
Théo PC 17
1-on-1 Coaching Ghent, Belgium 🇧🇪
- ★★★★★
solid guide and the pressure numbers are genuinely useful. half a star off cus im 28 and the whole thing is pitched at teenagers. an adult section, where the timelines are honestly different, wouldve been worth a lot to me
Jonas B. PC 28
Carinatum Brace Guide Aarhus, Denmark 🇩🇰
- ★★★★★
I came across your blog about a year ago and I just want to say how much you've changed my life for the better. I thought it was going to be another average article, but the tips you gave were things I hadn't heard of before. Now I've improved so much and im more confident then ever.
Cristian PE 17
Read the blog USA 🇺🇸
- ★★★★★
Had rib flare since i was a teen. the brace plus the breathing drills changed everything. my waist looks normal in a fitted shirt for the first time in my adult life
Daniel K. Rib Flare 27
Rib Flare Brace Bristol, UK 🇬🇧
- ★★★★★
spent two years researching surgery before i found this. six months in and i wish id found it sooner. the progress photos dont lie
Tom W. PE 24
Pectus Excavatum Course Manchester, UK 🇬🇧
- ★★★★★
the breathing protocol alone changed how i feel day to day. didnt realise how shallow i was breathing until i fixed it. the rib flare correction kind of followed on its own
Sam B. Rib Flare 21
Rib Flare Course Oregon, USA 🇺🇸
- ★★★★★
Was skeptical, id tried everything before. the custom vacuum bell was different to anything id used. three months of consistent use and i can already see the sternum coming up
Chris L. PE 31
Vacuum Bell Toronto, Canada 🇨🇦
- ★★★★★
direct, no nonsense. mihail knows this condition better than any doctor ive seen. my GP was shocked when i showed him my 9 month comparison photos
Ryan H. PE 29
1-on-1 Coaching Dublin, Ireland 🇮🇪
- ★★★★★
the course structure is exactly what i needed. not overwhelming, not vague. each module builds on the last and you always know what to do next
Jake M. Rib Flare 23
Rib Flare Course Texas, USA 🇺🇸
- ★★★★★
been watching mihails youtube since 2017. finally bought the program in 2023 and kicked myself for waiting. shouldve trusted him years earlier
Liam O. PE 26
PE Exercise Program Auckland, New Zealand 🇳🇿
- ★★★★★
what sold me is that every claim links to a study. only place online that treats pectus like an actual training problem instead of selling a miracle
David P. Rib Flare 34
Read the blog Rotterdam, Netherlands 🇳🇱
- ★★★★★
Seven months with the bell now. dip is maybe half what it was and i've stopped turning sideways away from people at the gym lol. didnt expect that part
Tobias PE 24
Vacuum Bell Hamburg, Germany 🇩🇪
- ★★★★★
started at 19 with a chest i couldnt look at in the mirror. went with the excavatum course cus everyone kept telling me nothing but surgery works and i didnt buy it. 5 months of doing the work most days and my chest sits noticeably flatter now - the surgeon who told me wait and see at 17 wouldnt recognise it. only regret is i didnt start the day i turned 17
Wes PE 19
Pectus Excavatum Course Colorado, USA 🇺🇸
- ★★★★★
Nine months in and my cardiologist literally asked what id changed. resting heart rate came down and i sleep breathing through my nose now. still kind of wild to me
Andrés Vásquez PE 31
1-on-1 Coaching Santiago, Chile 🇨🇱
- ★★★★★
1100 pages sounded ridiculous til i realised its a reference not a book you read front to back. im in the vacuum bell chapters basically every day
callum_g PE 22
Breathe Deeper Glasgow, Scotland 🏴
- ★★★★★
Back and rear delt work changed how my chest reads more than anything i did to the actual chest. did NOT expect to be told that
Dmitri PE 29
PE Exercise Program Riga, Latvia 🇱🇻
- ★★★★★
App keeps me honest ngl. i log the bell session and it tells me when ive earned the next step up. before this i was just guessing
Joon-ho Park PE 26
The app Seoul, South Korea 🇰🇷
- ★★★★★
my mum found mihail tbh. four months of coaching and the difference between the photos is obvious. never had to sit in front of a surgeon
Tomás Ferreira PE 17
1-on-1 Coaching Porto, Portugal 🇵🇹
- ★★★★★
gaining weight was the bit nobody would explain to me. 3 months on the nutrition plan, 5kg up, and the same chest reads completely different at that weight
Felix PE 28
Pectus Nutrition Program Graz, Austria 🇦🇹
- ★★★★★
It works. the suction takes getting used to and i gave myself a bit of skin bruising the first fortnight, until i dropped the pressure back to what the guide actually says. my fault not theirs
Marc-Antoine PE 33
Vacuum Bell Quebec, Canada 🇨🇦
- ★★★★★
honest review. 5 months of consistent bell use and my depth has barely moved. im 35 and my chest wall is stiff, which the guide does warn about upfront. the posture and breathing side genuinely helped and i dont regret the money, but i wouldnt tell someone my age to expect what the teenagers are getting
Nikolai PE 35
Vacuum Bell Guide Sofia, Bulgaria 🇧🇬
- ★★★★★
dip and flare at the same time. THE FLARE WENT FIRST, which nobody warned me would happen, and that alone changed my whole silhouette
Bruno Salgado PE + Rib Flare 30
1-on-1 Coaching São Paulo, Brazil 🇧🇷
- ★★★★★
brace did its job on the flare. what i actually wanted was how to run it alongside the vacuum bell work in the same week. asked and got a proper answer same day, but that should be in the material, not something you have to know to ask for
Otto PE + Rib Flare 25
Rib Flare Brace Tampere, Finland 🇫🇮
- ★★★★★
Everyone i asked just told me to do more core. turns out i was breathing into my neck this whole time. learning to actually use my diaphragm was the entire fix
Georgia Rib Flare 24
Rib Flare Course Perth, Australia 🇦🇺
- ★★★★★
started out flat on my back every night checking whether my ribs still stuck up, they always did. got the rib flare program and actually did the breathing side properly this time instead of just the exercises. four months later i lie down and theyre flat - i still check out of habit and still cant quite believe it
Hanna Rib Flare 22
Rib Flare Program Malmö, Sweden 🇸🇪
- ★★★★★
the fortnightly check-ins are the only reason im still doing this. left on my own id have quit around week 3, easy
Katarina Rib Flare 31
1-on-1 Coaching Split, Croatia 🇭🇷
- ★★★★★
obsessed with watching that number drop every month ngl. 10/10
marta_v Rib Flare 25
The app Valencia, Spain 🇪🇸
- ★★★★★
clear, cited, actually practical. heavy going in the anatomy chapters if you have no background, but id rather be given too much than too little
Aisha M. Rib Flare 27
Rib Flare Brace Guide Dubai, UAE 🇦🇪
- ★★★★★
material's good and i have no issue with the science. my honest gripe is the early modules cover the same ground as the free blog posts, which id already read before buying. the later phases are where the real value sits. wouldve paid the same to skip straight to those
Stefan Nagy Rib Flare 34
Rib Flare Course Budapest, Hungary 🇭🇺
- logged case
I am 52 and carried both a ridge and a dip my whole life. Dropped 9 kg in five months and my chest finally reads as one shape instead of two.
Greg Henderson PC + PE 52
Ohio, USA 🇺🇸
- logged case
Three months, 5 kg on, and the ridge sits lower than it ever has. At 19 I thought surgery was the only thing that would fix it.
Ethan PC 19
North Carolina, USA 🇺🇸
- logged case
Nine kilos in six months. Building the muscle around the ridge did more for how it looks than the years I spent hiding it under loose shirts.
Omar Al Mansoori PC 24
Abu Dhabi, UAE 🇦🇪
- logged case
Four months of coaching and the ridge you could see from the side has flattened out. I stopped checking my profile in every window I walk past.
Beau PC 30
Missouri, USA 🇺🇸
- logged case
My carinatum was the first thing I saw in every photo of myself. Now I have to point it out to people. Same chest, trained differently.
Taras Bondarenko PC 29
Czech Republic 🇨🇿
- logged case
Two months in and I've put on 3.2 kg of muscle. My chest doesn't cave the way it used to when I'm standing relaxed, and that alone was worth it.
Milo PE 25
Germany 🇩🇪
- logged case
Nine months, 5.7 kg of muscle on, and 0.9 cm off the depth of my chest. I am 32. I had been told the window for fixing this closed at 18.
Liam PE + Rib Flare 32
Seattle, WA 🇺🇸
- logged case
I came in skinny with a deep dip and ribs that flared out. Six months later I am 4.5 kg heavier, and the flare is the part people notice is gone.
Ian PE + Rib Flare 22
Canada 🇨🇦
- logged case
The brace handled the flare, the training filled out the chest. 6 kg on and 0.9 cm less depth in seven months. I wear fitted shirts now.
Alejandro Sanz Torres PE + Rib Flare 29
Bilbao, Spain 🇪🇸
- logged case
Five months, 4 kg up. The dip is still there if I go looking for it, but nobody else finds it anymore.
Lars PE + Rib Flare 25
Sweden 🇸🇪
"Mihail doesnt sugarcoat anything. told me exactly what to expect and exactly how long it would take. 12 months in and my carinatum is flat. i finally take my shirt off at the beach"
"The carinatum brace is really well made. fits perfect to my chest and i can wear it under a t-shirt at work. results started showing around 4 months"
"My son is 15 and was getting self-conscious at the pool. The carinatum brace and the fortnightly check-ins are what kept him consistent. Six months and the ridge has visibly dropped."
"I came across your blog about a year ago and I just want to say how much you've changed my life for the better. I thought it was going to be another average article, but the tips you gave were things I hadn't heard of before. Now I've improved so much and im more confident then ever."
"Had rib flare since i was a teen. the brace plus the breathing drills changed everything. my waist looks normal in a fitted shirt for the first time in my adult life"
"spent two years researching surgery before i found this. six months in and i wish id found it sooner. the progress photos dont lie"
"the breathing protocol alone changed how i feel day to day. didnt realise how shallow i was breathing until i fixed it. the rib flare correction kind of followed on its own"
"Was skeptical, id tried everything before. the custom vacuum bell was different to anything id used. three months of consistent use and i can already see the sternum coming up"
"direct, no nonsense. mihail knows this condition better than any doctor ive seen. my GP was shocked when i showed him my 9 month comparison photos"
"the course structure is exactly what i needed. not overwhelming, not vague. each module builds on the last and you always know what to do next"
"been watching mihails youtube since 2017. finally bought the program in 2023 and kicked myself for waiting. shouldve trusted him years earlier"
"what sold me is that every claim links to a study. only place online that treats pectus like an actual training problem instead of selling a miracle"
Mihail doesnt sugarcoat anything. told me exactly what to expect and exactly how long it would take. 12 months in and my carinatum is flat. i finally take my shirt off at the beach
Shared with each client's permission.
Did I help you with your pectus?
Share your before & after
Drag each slider to compare. Published only with the client's written consent.
Medically reviewed by Prof. Dr. Mustafa Yüksel
Tap any message to read it full size. Instagram, Facebook, YouTube & TikTok comments, DMs, WhatsApp and email - real messages from real clients. Names and handles blurred, content untouched.
“I am 52 and carried both a ridge and a dip my whole life. Dropped 9 kg in five months and my chest finally reads as one shape instead of two.”
“Three months, 5 kg on, and the ridge sits lower than it ever has. At 19 I thought surgery was the only thing that would fix it.”
“Nine kilos in six months. Building the muscle around the ridge did more for how it looks than the years I spent hiding it under loose shirts.”
“Four months of coaching and the ridge you could see from the side has flattened out. I stopped checking my profile in every window I walk past.”
“My carinatum was the first thing I saw in every photo of myself. Now I have to point it out to people. Same chest, trained differently.”
“Two months in and I've put on 3.2 kg of muscle. My chest doesn't cave the way it used to when I'm standing relaxed, and that alone was worth it.”
“Nine months, 5.7 kg of muscle on, and 0.9 cm off the depth of my chest. I am 32. I had been told the window for fixing this closed at 18.”
“I came in skinny with a deep dip and ribs that flared out. Six months later I am 4.5 kg heavier, and the flare is the part people notice is gone.”
“The brace handled the flare, the training filled out the chest. 6 kg on and 0.9 cm less depth in seven months. I wear fitted shirts now.”
“Five months, 4 kg up. The dip is still there if I go looking for it, but nobody else finds it anymore.”
What people ask
before they begin.
The four that come up most, answered the same way I would answer them on a call.
Take the 60-second quizHow long before I see a change? +
Posture and breathing shift first - most people feel that inside the first few weeks. Visible chest change is slower. In the case log above, Milo saw his first real change at 2 months, Ian at 6, Liam at 9. The programs run 16 weeks because that is roughly how long it takes for the training to show up in the mirror.
Am I too old for this to work? +
Almost certainly not. The clients documented on this page were 22 to 32 when they started. Cartilage does stiffen with age, so progress is slower the older you are - but slower is not the same as stopped. What changes is the timeline, not whether it is worth doing.
Do I need a gym, or can I do this at home? +
Either works. Every program ships with a gym track and a no-equipment track for the same 16 weeks, so you pick the one that matches what you actually have access to. You can switch between them mid-program without losing your place.
Pectus excavatum, carinatum, rib flare - is it the same plan? +
No, and that matters. A sunken chest and a protruding chest need close to opposite work, and rib flare often rides along with both. There is a separate program for each. If you are not sure which one you have, the 60-second quiz sorts it out and points you at the right starting place.
From pressure science
to retention.
Fourteen chapters across four parts (understand it, see the evidence, learn the framework, then do it) every claim cited from first fitting through maintenance.
-
Understand: what the brace does Part 01
Measured anterior compression remodels the overgrown costal cartilage that bows the chest forward, the opposite job to a vacuum bell.
-
POC & POT, the two numbers that matter Part 02
The two pressures the brace measures in PSI, your pressure of correction and the treatment pressure you actually wear, and why they separate success from suffering.
-
The science: what the research shows Part 03
A plain-English review of the strongest evidence base of any non-surgical pectus treatment, success rates, wear hours and recurrence.
-
Hours: the real debate, resolved Part 04
The famously contradictory hours advice settled: the >12 h/day success threshold versus the sustainable schedule you’ll actually keep.
-
Candidate + predictive score Part 05
Score your flexibility (POC), age, symmetry and protrusion size against the evidence to set a realistic expectation before you invest months.
-
The Carinatum Pyramid Part 06
The five-level framework that ranks what actually decides your result, from daily hours at the base to posture and exercise at the top.
-
First fitting & finding your POC Part 07
How to set the pads, find your pressure of correction on day one, set POT safely below it, and re-measure monthly as the chest remodels.
-
The two phases Part 08
The high-hours corrective phase to flatten the ridge, then the maintenance phase that tapers wear and locks the correction in.
-
Compliance: sticking with it Part 09
Chase the early visible win, kill the discomfort, get family on board, wear it under clothes, the evidence-backed ways people actually finish.
-
Skin & side effects Part 10
The pressure-first strategy that keeps the skin healthy so you keep the hours, plus a practical skin-care routine and what each mark means.
-
Exercises Part 11
The honest read: postural strength and thoracic mobility support the result and the look, but the brace hours do the correction.
-
Caring for your brace Part 12
Keep the pads clean and the pressure mechanism reading true, inspect straps, and re-fit as growth and weight change, a drifting reading means guessing at POT.
-
Tracking, confidence & quality of life Part 13
Your at-home dashboard, monthly photos, POC trend and an hours log, plus the measured psychosocial payoff bracing delivers.
-
Long-term & recurrence Part 14
Why finishing maintenance matters: recurrence runs ~2.6% done properly, but stopping at the first flat mirror-day risks losing a chunk back.
A protocol you
can follow.
No more guessing the pressure, the guide gives you a phased build from first fitting to steady correction.
Get the protocolPosition the pads and find your pressure of correction, firm, effective and skin-safe.
Acclimate to the wear schedule with the comfort strategy so the skin holds and the hours stick.
Hold corrective pressure consistently, log the response, and adjust as the ridge begins to settle.
Shift to the retention phase settings that lock in the correction without relapse.
The whole protocol,
cited end to end.
The full contents,
nothing held back.
- Start
- Part 1Start here 01–02
- 01 How to use this guide
- 02 Why most bracing fails
- Part 2Understand 03–04
- 03 What the brace does
- 04 POC & POT in PSI
- Part 3The science 05–07
- 05 What the research shows
- 06 Hours: the real debate
- 07 Candidate + predictive score
- Part 4The framework 08
- 08 The Carinatum Pyramid
- Part 5Do it 09–16
- 09 First fitting & your POC
- 10 The two phases
- 11 Compliance: sticking with it
- 12 Skin & side effects
- 13 Exercises
- 14 Caring for your brace
- 15 Tracking & confidence
- 16 Long-term & recurrence
- Part 6Reference 17–18
- 17 FAQ
- 18 References
- Finish
Built on POC/POT pressure science, from your first fitting through maintenance and recurrence prevention.
I'm not writing this as a doctor looking at a scan. I had the sunken chest, the flared ribs, the shirt that stayed on at the pool, and nobody could tell me what actually works.
Everything on this page exists because I needed it to exist ten years ago.
I had it. I fixed it.
Now I help you do the same.
I'm Mihail Veleski. Pale, skinny, sunken chest, flared ribs, I had it all, and it wrecked my confidence. Years of consistent, non-surgical training made my deformity unnoticeable.
I founded Mr. Pectus to give people the exact path I had to find the hard way, tested on my own body first, then refined every time someone hit a wall I had not planned for.
Featured in Healthline · Level 5 DUKE Institute Certified Personal Trainer (ISSA) · Specialised in pectus excavatum, carinatum and rib flare.
Medically reviewed
Every clinical claim on mrpectus is reviewed by Prof. Dr. Mustafa Yüksel, MD
Thoracic surgeon, founder of the Chest Wall International Group
What each path
actually costs.
Not in dollars. In time. Side by side, honestly.
Let's be honest about
who this is for.
No surprises between
you and starting.
No waiting on a reply, no onboarding call, nothing to install.
The pressure science,
made usable.
The cited compression protocol (POC/POT, the hours debate, the predictive score and a two-phase plan) for less than a single wasted month of bracing. Instant download, lifetime access.
Try the whole thing for 30 days. Use it, and if it isn't what was described, message me for a full refund, no questions asked. The risk stays with me, not you.
Common questions.
Do I need to own a brace to benefit? +
It’s most useful if you have a compression brace or are about to get one, it’s a protocol for using it well. The candidate score and science sections are also valuable while you decide.
Will it work with my brace? +
Yes. The pressure science, hours strategy and phasing apply to any anterior compression brace. It’s about how you use the device, not which one you own.
How is this different from free advice? +
Free advice on carinatum hours and pressure is famously contradictory. This resolves the debates with cited evidence and turns them into a single, followable protocol.
How do I know if my case will respond? +
The predictive score weighs your flexibility and age against the evidence so you set a realistic expectation before investing months.
Is it really cited? +
Yes, referenced throughout, mapped to claims so you can check the evidence yourself rather than take it on faith.
How many hours a day do I actually need? +
The hours-strategy section resolves exactly this, the famously contradictory advice, with what the evidence supports: consistent daily hours in the right pressure range, phased from break-in through active correction to maintenance. The guide gives you the schedule, not a vague "as much as possible".
Should compression bracing hurt? +
No, pain is not progress. Effective pressure is firm and consistent, not painful; pain usually means wrong placement or too much force, and both waste weeks. The pressure science section shows you how to find the range that corrects without bruising.
How long until the ridge visibly flattens? +
With consistent hours in the right range, flexible (usually younger) cases often show first change within 2–4 months; stiffer adult cases take longer. The predictive score sets your expectation honestly before you invest the time.
Can I train while bracing? +
Yes, and you should. The guide covers how exercise fits around wear hours, and why building the chest and posture matters for how the corrected shape holds once the brace comes off.
Will the ridge come back when I stop wearing it? +
Cartilage that has remodelled holds its shape, but stopping abruptly at the first good mirror-day risks regression. The maintenance phase weans hours down gradually while monitoring, the guide treats the exit as part of the protocol, not an afterthought.
I don't have a brace yet, where do I start? +
The guide covers what to look for in any anterior compression brace. If off-the-shelf options don’t match your chest, the custom-built carinatum brace is made to your measurements, and this guide is the manual for using it well.
How do I get access after checkout? +
Instantly. Checkout takes a minute and the link to everything lands in your inbox right after, read it on your phone, tablet or laptop. Lifetime access, free updates, nothing to ship.
What if it’s not for me? +
You're covered by a 30-day, no-questions-asked, 100% money-back guarantee. If it isn't what was described, email me for a full refund.
Three honest ways forward.
Take the free 1-minute assessment and get a straight answer for your condition and severity.
Take the assessment →The chat bubble in the corner reaches me directly, ask anything about your case before you decide.
Try the whole thing. If it isn't right for your chest, every dollar comes back.
Start risk-free →Make the brace
actually work.
The cited compression protocol, pressure science, the hours debate, the predictive score and a two-phase plan from first fitting to retention. Stop guessing; start flattening the ridge.
Get the protocol
P.S. If you've read this far, part of you has already decided. The only thing you can lose by trying is the version of next year where nothing changed. - Mihail
