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The Dangers Of Spanx, Shapewear, And Corsets (#5 – We Had No Idea!)
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2. Infection
All types of shapewear, and especially those made from synthetic materials, trap moisture and everything else underneath it. This is the perfect breeding ground for infection, both bacterial and fungal. The most common type of infection seen with shapewear is called folliculitis. As the name suggests, this occurs when bacteria is trapped in the hair follicles, causing puss-filled, red bumps. Ladies, you might also find that you can develop vaginal fungal infections, urinary tract infections, and kidney infections. Of course, if you then choose to use antibiotics to treat these infections, you not only ruin your immune system, but you make fighting these type of infections more and more difficult as they become resistant to antibiotic treatments.
3. Bowel Compression
If you suffer from IBS or other type of bowel problems, you should be especially wary of any type of shapewear. Those who are incontinent, even just a little, or if you have any type of bowel problem, often find that shapewear puts even more pressure on their bowels, which makes for embarrassing incontinence occurrences. There is also the problem of removing shapewear. Since it can be so very difficult to get both into and out of, many people avoid going to the bathroom as long as possible. This often leads to kidney infections, and for those who suffer from stress incontinence, it makes these episodes of incontinence even worse than before.
4. It Weakens The Muscles
Shapewear is no substitute for strong muscles. Even if you are overweight, strong supporting muscles will keep things from sagging or jiggling quite so much. Strong core muscles will promote better posture and keep the spine in alignment, which can make you appear thinner without shapewear. Many people think that they can avoid all that work and just use shapewear but it doesn’t work in the same way that, say, a medical back brace would. Shapewear is definitely NOT designed to be therapeutic. Using shapewear rather than doing exercise will only leave those muscles weaker than they were before.
5. Obstructs Breathing
Because shapewear is so tight and unyielding, it causes shallow breathing. Normal inhalation causes your diaphragm to expand and your abdomen to stick out a bit. Shapewear inhibits this natural movement. Less oxygen to your brain can leave you feeling tired, sleepy, and feeling as if you are high or as if you are dreaming.
6. Pain In The Legs And Blood Clots
Sitting for any length of time (more than an hour) can cause a health problem called meralgia paresthetica, which is where the large, peripheral nerve in the thigh becomes compressed. This will quickly lead to numbness, tingling, burning, and pain in the legs. Imagine putting rubber bands around your thighs and then pulling them tight when you sit down. This compression also leads to much less circulation in the legs, which leads to ugly and painful varicose veins, congestion of the lymph system (which will show itself as swollen legs, feet, and ankles), and perhaps the most dangerous problem of them all: Blood clots. If you should develop blood clots in the legs, you could literally be killed by your shapewear.
READ ALSO: Forget the Pushup Bra! Get Your Girls in Shape with These Exercises!
Although they aren’t as common as women, men have also been known to wear shapewear or very tight, “skinny” jeans that accomplish the same thing. Gentleman, wearing these items can cause you many of the same types of problems, including yeast infections in the genital area.
The good news here is that you don’t have to quit your shapewear altogether. For occasional wear, such as to a wedding or that high school reunion, you should be fine. But for every day, going to the office wear? Forget it. Save the Spanx and other types of shapewear for special events only.
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