Most things that are too good to be true, typically are. So when you assumed your hourglass figure in that bodycon dress was too perfect, you were right, it’s actually squeezing the crap out of things you need to function…like your organs.
The Huffington Post spoke to gastroenterologist Dr. John Kuemmerle, dermatologist Dr. Maryann Mikhail and chiropractor Dr. Karen Erickson to find out the downside of being nipped and tucked in with extremely tight shapewear. And as it turns out, there are some serious side effects from long-term usage.
For starters, the tightness of the Spanx leaves your stomach, intestine and colon compressed, which Dr. Kuemmerle says can worsen acid reflux and heartburn. Restrictive clothing can also provoke erosive esophagitis.
More of the findings according to The Huffington Post are as follows:
- The intestines are supposed to contract and move food along, but when they’re compressed over a long period of time, the flow of digestion is stifled. This damage, though not permanent, can lead to unpleasant symptoms like abdominal discomfort, bloating and gas.
- Shallow breath. When you inhale, your diaphragm expands and your abdomen flares out, Dr. Erickson says, but shapewear restricts this movement and decreases the excursion in respiration.
- Sitting in shapewear can lead to a reversible condition called meralgia paresthetica, which is when the peripheral nerve in your thigh is compressed. This leads to tingling, numbness and pain in your legs, all of which can come and go orbecome constant.
- Shapewear is occlusive, meaning it traps moisture and anything else under it, which predisposes shapewear wearers to both yeast and bacterial infections. Dr. Mikhail says that the most common infection she sees is folliculitis, since bacteria often gets trapped among hair follicles and causes red puss-filled bumps.
Um, yikes! Be sure you’re using that shapewear in moderation.
SOURCE: The Huffington Post
