Confessions of a Health Guru: Are Tighter Clothes Causing us Health Problems?

Squeezing, cinching and stuffing oneself into clothing has been the social norm when it comes to style in past and present generations.  Not only do clothes that are too tight feel uncomfortable, they also look uncomfortable and have actually been linked to health problems in certain individuals. 

We’ve all done it, the classic bend and stretch as soon as those skinny jeans are zipped and buttoned, hoping they’ll loosen up so the walk to class can consist of actually being able to bend the knees.  Being able to fit into a pair of tight jeans is gratifying—but the health risks that coincide are not.  MP, meralgia paresthetica, is a painful, burning and tingling feeling that occurs in your thigh and is caused by pressure on a nerve in the pelvis that can occur from wearing constrictive clothing. 

“Snug fitting jeans can cause nerve damage,” Orly Avitzur, M.D., Consumer Reports’ medical advisor said in an article on the Consumer Reports Web site.  “MP is only one of a host of medical problems that can be set off if you squeeze into skin-tight slacks.” 

Certain skinny jeans and restrictive undergarments have been promoted as being able to smooth and improve a woman’s figure.  In reality, wearing such restraining clothing can cause a rare condition called lipoatrophia semicircularis, according to the article. 

Lipoatrophia semicircularis is a disfiguring condition in which mechanical pressure on the thighs can create skin depressions due to weakening of the subcutaneous tissue, according to the article. 

“The first report of a case from wearing jeans was in a 19-year-old girl.  A year later her 23-year-old sister developed the identical condition because she had started wearing the same discarded pair of jeans,” Dr. Avitzur said. 

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According to a Sheer Balance Web site blog, there are many impositions when it comes to wearing tight clothing.  “When pants are too tight, and are low riding, this can cause nerve compression in the back.” 

The blog also states that the damage that can be caused by restrictive garments isn’t restricted to nerves; it can also cause fainting. 

“Constricting clothing can restrict our ability to fully expand our lungs, making our breathing shallow, decreasing our oxygen intake.”

Experiencing a burning sensation in your stomach, chest and throat along with tasting a bitter, acidic taste in your mouth, could be acid reflux, which can also be caused by tight garments, said the blog.  “Tight pressure against your stomach can cause abdominal pressure, causing acid to go back into your esophagus, resulting in heartburn and acid reflux.” 

There are many other health complications that can be caused by tight clothes, including abdominal pain, constipation, yeast infection, headaches and blurred vision to name a few. 

Health issues from tight clothing isn’t exclusive to women, men especially experience problems from neckties and dress shirts. 

According to Sheer Balance, “Wearing button down shirts that are too tight in the collar or ties that are tied too tightly can decrease proper circulation to the brain and head.” 

So ladies, next time you slide on those tight jeans and desperately try to stretch them out before you leave the house, think twice!  Make sure your favorite skinny’s are loose enough so that you’re comfortable and not at risk for health complications!