Shapewear crushes organs, causes numbness, leads to infections: Experts
Spanx and similar undergarments may make you look slimmer, but doctors warn that tight-fitting shapewear compresses the stomach, colon and intestine.
Celebrities including Khloe Kardashian, shown, swear by shapewear such as Spanx, but medical experts warn that such undergarments are detrimental to one's health.
Many women swear by shapewear like Spanx to smooth out rolls and bumps, but experts say the tight-fitting garments work because they squeeze your organs.
Slimming shapewear may actually be bad for your health, doctors told the Huffington Post.
RELATED: LEVI'S LAUNCHES LINE OF DENIM SHAPEWEAR
The supersnug body shapers compress your colon, stomach and intestine and screw up your digestive track, gastroenterologist Dr. John Kuemmerle said.
Wearing shapewear can make acid reflux and heartburn worse as well as cause uncomfortable bloating, stomach pains and gas, he told the website.
RELATED: X-RAYS REVEAL HOW CORSETS PUT THE SQUEEZE ON VICTORIAN WOMEN
People with irritable bowel syndrome and functional bowel disorders should think twice before wiggling their way into Spanx, the doctors said.
“You've got all of this pressure on your bladder from the shapewear pressing down,” chiropractor Dr. Karen Erickson told the Huffington Post. “If you postpone urinating, it can cause stress incontinence, where you leak, or it can exaggerate stress incontinence with people who already have it.”
Shapewear can worsen acid reflux and cause gas and bloating, doctors say.
Handout
Shapewear can worsen acid reflux and cause gas and bloating, doctors say.
RELATED: SPANX SPARKS YOUNGEST SELF-MADE FEMALE BILLIONAIRE
Sitting in Spanx for long periods of time may cause pain, tingling and numbness in your legs. This could be the result of meralgia paresthetica, a condition that occurs when pressure it put on a nerve in the thigh.
“It's like putting these giant rubber bands around your upper thighs and tightening them when you sit,” Erickson said. This can cause a decrease in circulation and even lead to blood clots.
RELATED: SUCKING IT ALL IN: JILL ZARIN’S SKWEEZ LINE OF SHAPEWEAR IS NO JOKE
Shapewear also tends to trap moisture, which increases the wearer’s chases of getting yeast and bacterial infections.
Folliculitis is another common Spanx-related infection, dermatologist Dr. Maryann Mikhail told the Huffington Post. This occurs when bacteria get trapped hair follicles become inflamed.
“Usually folliculitis can be easily treated with topical antibiotics,” she explained. “But recurrent infections may develop antibiotic resistance, meaning they get harder and harder to treat.”
So, does this mean you should toss your shapewear for good? The doctors said to find some that actually fit you and save them for special occasions.
vtaylor@nydailynews.com
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-sty...bness-experts-article-1.1587030#ixzz2r9RZRiPe
Spanx and similar undergarments may make you look slimmer, but doctors warn that tight-fitting shapewear compresses the stomach, colon and intestine.
Celebrities including Khloe Kardashian, shown, swear by shapewear such as Spanx, but medical experts warn that such undergarments are detrimental to one's health.
Many women swear by shapewear like Spanx to smooth out rolls and bumps, but experts say the tight-fitting garments work because they squeeze your organs.
Slimming shapewear may actually be bad for your health, doctors told the Huffington Post.
RELATED: LEVI'S LAUNCHES LINE OF DENIM SHAPEWEAR
The supersnug body shapers compress your colon, stomach and intestine and screw up your digestive track, gastroenterologist Dr. John Kuemmerle said.
Wearing shapewear can make acid reflux and heartburn worse as well as cause uncomfortable bloating, stomach pains and gas, he told the website.
RELATED: X-RAYS REVEAL HOW CORSETS PUT THE SQUEEZE ON VICTORIAN WOMEN
People with irritable bowel syndrome and functional bowel disorders should think twice before wiggling their way into Spanx, the doctors said.
“You've got all of this pressure on your bladder from the shapewear pressing down,” chiropractor Dr. Karen Erickson told the Huffington Post. “If you postpone urinating, it can cause stress incontinence, where you leak, or it can exaggerate stress incontinence with people who already have it.”
Shapewear can worsen acid reflux and cause gas and bloating, doctors say.
Handout
Shapewear can worsen acid reflux and cause gas and bloating, doctors say.
RELATED: SPANX SPARKS YOUNGEST SELF-MADE FEMALE BILLIONAIRE
Sitting in Spanx for long periods of time may cause pain, tingling and numbness in your legs. This could be the result of meralgia paresthetica, a condition that occurs when pressure it put on a nerve in the thigh.
“It's like putting these giant rubber bands around your upper thighs and tightening them when you sit,” Erickson said. This can cause a decrease in circulation and even lead to blood clots.
RELATED: SUCKING IT ALL IN: JILL ZARIN’S SKWEEZ LINE OF SHAPEWEAR IS NO JOKE
Shapewear also tends to trap moisture, which increases the wearer’s chases of getting yeast and bacterial infections.
Folliculitis is another common Spanx-related infection, dermatologist Dr. Maryann Mikhail told the Huffington Post. This occurs when bacteria get trapped hair follicles become inflamed.
“Usually folliculitis can be easily treated with topical antibiotics,” she explained. “But recurrent infections may develop antibiotic resistance, meaning they get harder and harder to treat.”
So, does this mean you should toss your shapewear for good? The doctors said to find some that actually fit you and save them for special occasions.
vtaylor@nydailynews.com
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-sty...bness-experts-article-1.1587030#ixzz2r9RZRiPe
