Skinny JEANS should come with a health WARNING
Bleeding muscles, nerve damage, heartburn, ulcers, varicose veins. The scary proof that . . .
THE term ‘ fashion victim’ has never seemed so apt. News of a 35-yearold woman having to be cut out of a pair of skinny jeans after her legs swelled and she lost feeling in her ankles left many of us lunging for our loosest-fitting, baggiest clothes.
The woman had spent hours wearing the ultra-tight trousers while crouching down to clear out cupboards in her house, and found that, by evening, her feet were numb and she was unable to stand. She collapsed and was taken to hospital, where she was put on an intravenous drip.
But it was too late: her muscles had become so weak that she couldn’t walk for four days.
Being injured by your skinny jeans may seem laughable, but doctors — writing about the case this week in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry — have issued a grave warning about the shocking effects these super- slim trousers can have on your health.
Beloved of stars such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Victoria Beckham and even Kate Middleton, skinny jeans are so called because they cling to every inch of leg, tapering downwards to show off the wearer’s trim, shapely limbs.
They’re impossible to get on, even harder to peel off — and leave wearers with a gait remarkably similar to John Wayne.
Yet recent fashions have called for even tighter designs, made from unforgiving, figure-hugging fabric, meaning fans of the skinny effect are squeezing more perilously snugly than ever into skin-tight trousers. To some, it’s a ludicrous l ook endured by those who’ll sacrifice anything in the name of fashion — akin to the pain of wearing a corset or G-string — but experts caution that the discomfort caused by skinny jeans should not be ignored.
In fact, injuries caused by this particular piece of attire are alarmingly common, and, as jeans get tighter, wearers are putting themselves at greater risk.
Chiropractor Tim Hutchful says the side-effects of skinny jeans can be felt throughout the body, from the back to the ankles.
‘Very tight trousers can reduce blood flow in the lower limbs,’ he explains. ‘This can make your body ache, a bit like having a stitch while doing exercise, because your muscles need more oxygen than your body is able to give them.
‘Sitting or squatting tends to compress your body even more, intensifying the effect. People need to be aware of the potential risks.’
Muscles can be damaged internally, too. If worn for long periods of time — between 12 and 16 hours — the jeans may cause a condition called ‘compartment syndrome’ in the legs.
This occurs when an enclosed bundle of muscles starts to bleed or swell, building up pressure under the skin and causing the area to throb.
Even when the muscles are released — by taking or cutting the jeans off — the discomfort can remain for days on end, limiting movement and dulling feeling in the legs.
Alison Roberts, 41, an office manager and self-confessed skinny jean obsessive, knows this agony only too well.
‘A few years ago, I wore a pair of black skinny jeans on a nine-hour flight to Kenya,’ she explains. ‘They were brand-new so they were skintight, and I did notice some numbness around my ankles before we boarded. On the flight, the loss of feeling started to spread up her legs. ‘I panicked and undid the buttons and zip of my jeans, but that didn’t make any difference. My calves felt like they were pulsating; my legs got really warm and itchy.
‘Finally at the airport, I limped to the loo and tried to peel the jeans down. My legs had ballooned on the flight and they were stuck. I eventually had to use nail scissors to cut them off.’ Worryingly, that wasn’t the
end of her anguish. ‘As my legs began to regain feeling, things got even worse,’ she admits. ‘The pain was excruciating. I’ve never felt anything like it. I couldn’t walk properly for the next few days and was so concerned that I went to see a doctor, who told me I’d damaged my muscles. I’ve never worn skinny jeans again.’
IT SOUNDS nightmarish, but worse still is a nerve condition meralgia paresthetica — known as ‘tingly thigh syndrome’ — which has been widely reported among wearers. This occurs when the nerve down the front of the thigh is compressed, causing loss of sensation in the leg.
Although not permanent, with nerve cells regenerating once the compression is released, the effects can last for several days, leaving sufferers in extreme pain. Higher up the body, skinny jeans tend to have an incredibly tight waistband, which can squash organs in the lower abdomen.
Much like wearing a corset, compression in this area stops the diaphragm from descending fully during breathing — which can lead to shallow breaths and hyperventilation, particularly for those unused to wearing such tight-fitting garments. The hips and lower back can be affected, too. ‘If you aren’t able to take a bouncing stride, due to being restricted by your jeans, you lose the shock-absorbing qualities of a natural walk,’ says Tim Hutchful. ‘Limiting the movement of the joints in one area puts other parts of the body under pressure.’ So, if you can’t bend or straighten your legs properly in skinny jeans, that movement has to come from somewhere else — usually, your back. ‘This can do long-term damage,’ says Tim.
Putting constant pressure on the stomach, intestines and colon can also do untold harm internally.
Wearers have reported acid reflux, heartburn and even ulcers, caused by the waistband of the jeans compressing the stomach and forcing dangerous quantities of acid into the gullet.
Stephanie Emerson, 24, a sports therapist, bought a cheap pair of skinny jeans last summer — and ended up with crippling indigestion after wearing them for the first time.
‘I was hoping they’d help me feel glamorous for a meal at an Italian restaurant with my friends, but I didn’t bank on having to leave early due to indigestion and a painfully bloated tummy, which I’m certain was caused by the jeans squeezing so tightly around my middle,’ she says.
‘I’m 5ft 8in tall and a size 10 so I certainly wasn’t trying to squeeze an excessively curvy figure into jeans that weren’t suitable for my shape.
‘But the fabric was rigid and it took quite a bit of wriggling to get them on. By the time I met my friends, I was already uncomfortable. Part way through the meal, I had to undo the button to try to relieve the pressure on my stomach. I was in so much discomfort that I had to leave.
‘All I wanted was to get the jeans off and lie down. It was several hours before the indigestion subsided.’ On removing their skinny jeans, many wearers notice indentations in their legs from the seams pressing into the skin. These usually disappear within half an hour and cause no lasting damage. But it’s far from the worst skin condition that can result.
Consultant dermatologist Dr Walayat Hussain, a specialist skin surgeon, says prolonged periods of compression can lead to whitening of the skin and, ultimately, death of the dermal cells as they are deprived of vital bloodflow by the tight fabric. ‘Restrictive clothing starves the skin tissue of oxygen and glucose,’ he explains.
‘This is called ischemia, and it can lead to ulcers and break down of the skin cells, as well as bruising and clots caused by tiny blood vessels haemorrhaging into the skin.’
If this occurs in the thighs, calves or ankles, it can cause blue and purple varicose veins to spread. Getting your jeans wet or sweaty isn’t advisable, either.
‘This can cause folliculitis, an acnelike eruption of spots and pus-filled lumps, which develops when bacteria get trapped among hair follicles on the skin,’ says Dr Hussain. ‘It’s an inflammatory condition and can be rather unpleasant. The main problem of such figure-hugging clothing is that it doesn’t allow your skin to breathe.’ What’s more, it’s not just fashion-forward women at risk.
Skinny jeans have acquired an avid following among men — among them David Beckham, Russell Brand and One Direction star Harry Styles — and wearers can be afflicted by several male-specific problems. A 2012 study of 2,000 men found that one in 10 have experienced an unpleasant health effect from wearing skinny jeans, ranging from groin discomfort to inconti- nence. ‘Wearing tight-fitting clothing over a prolonged period of time can lead to urinary tract infections, leading to over-activity of the bladder — a type of bladder weakness — as well as a low sperm count and fungal infections,’ explains GP Dr Hilary Jones. ‘I have seen several cases of men who have twisted their testicles due to wearing jeans that are far too tight.’
In 1995, another study found a correlation between tight jeans and men with abnormal sperm, suggesting a link with infertility.
James Coleman, 27, a sales executive, suffered bladder trouble after investing in his first pair of skinny jeans several years ago. ‘I found them uncomfortable to wear, especially when I sat down and they put pressure against my bladder and stomach,’ he explains.
‘I found myself going to the toilet more frequently, which became annoying. It never occurred to me that it may have been caused by my skinny jeans. I decided to ditch them — and having since reverted to smarter, looser-fitting jeans and trousers, I’ve found the problem has gone away.’
For other tight jeans fanatics, this may seem l i ke a rather drastic solution. Should they simply stop wearing skinnies — or is there another way to avoid the health risks?
Tim Hutchful suggests warming up your muscles before putting on f orm- f i tting trousers, to avoid bloodflow being restricted to vital parts of the leg. ‘If you’re lying in bed and not moving around beforehand, you’re more likely to do yourself damage,’ he advises.
‘Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get ready — and maybe take a brisk walk or have a warm shower to heat up your muscles.
‘Don’t wear them for too long, either. If you’re wearing them out at night or to work, take them off when you get home.’
It is, he adds, only ultra-tight trousers that can do such damage. Style-conscious fans might consider investing in some straight-legged jeans instead, or perhaps a pair of this season’s flares.
Failing that, stick to skinny jeans but in a bigger size. It might just stop you falling victim to this most foolhardy of fashions.