From ‘must-have’ Zara ‘death pants’, to ballet flats and skinny jeans – the 6 fashion trends wrecking your health

FROM the trusty bra you always reach for to your favourite pair of jeans, here’s how those items you wear daily could be taking their toll on your body. WITH rib-crushing corsets no longer in fashion and flammable materials all but phased out, it’s rare for our clothes to actually be dangerous these days. Clothing items you wear daily could be taking their toll on your body Credit: Getty Images The flared, wide-leg trousers were a trip hazard no one saw coming Credit: Getty Images/Westend61 That is, until a pair of Zara palazzo trousers made headlines over the summer for all the wrong reasons. The flared, wide-leg trousers were a trip hazard no one saw coming. Sign up for the Health newsletter Thank you! Women took to social media to document the cuts, scrapes, bruises and even broken bones sustained from wearing the so-called “death pants”. But it’s not just long trousers that are putting our health at risk. Here, we reveal the five types of clothes and underwear that could be doing more harm than good. Skinny Jeans Philippa Kaye says: ‘Very tight jeans can cause chafing and irritation around the vulva and groin’ Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto After the freedom of boyfriend and baggy styles, the prospect of squeezing back into skinnies might seem horrifying – but they are trending again. “Problems can arise when clothing is so tight, it’s consistently compressing or rubbing the skin,” says Dr Nikki Ramskill, Doctify-­rated GP and founder of The Female Health Doctor Clinic. “Very tight jeans can cause chafing and irritation around the vulva and groin.” GP and author Dr Philippa Kaye says they can even cause fungal skin infections. Most read in Fabulous “We all have bacteria and fungi on our skin, but they love a warm, moist environment.” Plus, a tight band round your middle can make bloating worse. There have also been rare reports of jeans compressing nerves in the legs, usually after long periods of sitting. “If your jeans leave deep marks, cause tingling or numbing, make sitting uncomfortable, or you can’t wait to undo them at the end of the day, that’s probably your body telling you they’re too tight,” says Dr Ramskill. Badly fitted bras Around 80% of women wear poorly fitting bras, Dr Kaye says. If you have large boobs that aren’t properly supported, it increases your risk of neck, shoulder, upper-back and breast pain, and your posture might slope as your weight is dragged forward. Underwire can cause pressure sores, however Dr Ramskill says: “There’s no good evidence that wearing an underwired bra causes breast cancer.” The band should fit snugly around your ribs and back when it’s on the loosest hook, so there’s room to tighten it if it stretches over time. “It should be parallel all the way around and shouldn’t go up like a sad face or sag at the back,” says Dr Kaye. “If it’s gaping on the cups, it’s too big, and if you’ve got four breasts because it’s digging in, that’s too small. You shouldn’t be able to put more than a finger under the band.” Go for a bra fitting or use a tool like Booborbust.com. Shapewear Figure-sculpting shapewear that smooths your stomach can worsen indigestion and acid reflux, and make you feel full quicker, because your body can’t bloat and expand as normal. If it compresses your ribcage like a binder, you might also feel short of breath. You could be left with numbness and tingling in your thighs long-term if shapewear or corsets compress nerves in your pelvis (a condition called meralgia paresthetica). “Shapewear should shape, not suffocate,” Dr Ramskill says. “I’d be cautious about wearing shapewear all day if you already suffer from reflux, bloating or pelvic-floor issues like bladder trouble or pain. If you can’t comfortably sit down, eat a meal or take a full breath, go up a size. “Your stomach isn’t supposed to be flat and rigid all day. If you often grip your abdominal muscles, you can alter the way you breathe and contribute to back discomfort and muscle weakness. A relaxed female abdomen doesn’t need correcting,” says Dr Ramskill. G-Strings If you are still wearing a skimpy thong post 21 years old, good on you! It means you get no VPL, and these days the designs are more comfortable Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto If you are still wearing a skimpy thong post 21 years old, good on you! It means you get no VPL, and these days the designs are more comfortable. However, if the gusset is extremely thin, your labia might not fit inside, leading to irritation at the edges (hello, thrush). You might also get some irritation along your anus or perineum – the patch of skin between your genitals and anus. “The knickers that you wear don’t change the internal pH of your vagina, but we recommend that you have a cotton gusset because cotton is a natural fibre, so you’re less likely to sweat,” says Dr Kaye. If you tend to get recurrent thrush, UTIs or irritation, look at the fabric and fit of your undies. “Switching to looser, breathable cotton underwear for a while is a sensible experiment,” Dr Ramskill advises. Flat shoes Ballet flats were the shoe of the mid-2000s, and they’ve recently made a comeback in fashion circles – to the horror of podiatrists Credit: Getty Images Ballet flats were the shoe of the mid-2000s, and they’ve recently made a comeback in fashion circles – to the horror of podiatrists. “They look comfy because they’re flat, but completely flat shoes with no cushioning or arch support aren’t necessarily the kindest to your feet,” says Dr Ramskill. Podiatrist Heather Smart adds: “Ballet flats have a much narrower, tighter fit compared to other shoes, which is what keeps them on our feet when we walk. This increases pressure on the tops and sides of toes and the balls of feet, which can cause painful corns and calluses to form.” However, wearing ballet pumps occasionally won’t disfigure your feet, according to Dr Ramskill. “It’s wearing them as your only shoe, day after day, that tends to catch up with people.” The most comfortable shoes are trainers, says Heather. “Running-style trainers with thick, curved, cushioned soles are the ideal choice and will support the foot, absorb shock and protect your feet from overuse injuries.” Comment now