Did you know your bra could be the cause behind your digestion issues?
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If you've felt skin
irritation and back pain at the end of a long day, you might want to
get your brassiere checked.There's no denying that the bra can, more
often than not, be more than a tad uncomfortable to wear. Recently , a
lingerie website discovered that every four out of five women in India
wore bras of the wrong size that eventually lead to a multitude of
problems and discomfort. After surveying over 1,400 women in three
months, they found the most common bra-related ailments afflicting
Indian women -and that most of them were caused by wearing the wrong
type of bra:
SKIN IRRITATION
The survey showed that 17% of the women surveyed suffered from rashes and other breakouts because of their bras.“Frictional dermatitis is one of the biggest causes of dark patches under the breasts,“ says Dr Apratim Goel, cosmetic dermatologist and laser surgeon, “Rashes underneath the breast fold develop due to allergies to the material of the bra (especially synthetic or lace material) or because of fungal infection due to excess sweating. On healing, these leave dark patches.“ Richa Kar, founder and CEO of the website, agrees saying that lack of air circulation and excessive sweating is caused by careless bra selections and bad usage of fabric.
CONSTANT PAIN FROM UNDERWIRES
“The underwire from my bra pokes me from under the breast, so I end up wearing a cross-heart version, even though I feel wearing an underwired bra supports my chest better,“ says 22-year-old Srishti Ahuja. Unfortunately , she is not the only one who is subject to the constant `poke'.According to the survey , 36% of the women mentioned that they experienced pain caused by the infamous underwire.The survey also found that the major reason for this issue was wearing a smaller bra. Dr Gandhali Deorukhkar, OBGYN consultant, also claims that 80% of women wear incorrectly sized bras -70% wear bras that are too small, and 10% wear bras that are too large. “ A smaller bra means the wire is lying on or poking into the breast tissue, instead of hugging the rib cage,“ says Aparna Walters, head of design of a lingerie and nightwear brand.
RESTRICTED BREATHING
“There are times when I feel my bra is choking me,“ says entrepreneur Nicky Singh, “I have had to head to the loo and unclasp it to breathe easier.“
Dr Goel explains, “Wearing a very tight bra causes external compression of respiratory muscles and rib cage expan sion. It also causes the middle portion of the ribs to remain inactive due to resistance from bra and hence, overworks the upper portion.“ She adds that a tight bra can also cause digestive problems due to the compression of the neuro-lymphatic plexus (on the left side near the diaphragm).
INCORRECT POSTURE
A badly-fitted bra providing insufficient support causes the trapezius muscle to tighten to take the weight of the breasts.This can lead to shoulder, neck and back pain because this muscle is being constantly strained. Nancy Rustagi, a Zumba fitness trainer, says, “When dancing, I need to wear tight bras, which at times stress out my shoulders and my back.“ She was shocked to discover that the bras causing her neck pain were of a completely different size, and chucked them all out. She also discovered that bras should be replaced every four-six months, something Dr Deorukhkar also recommends.“Monthly fluctuations of estro gen and progesterone are responsible for changes in breast size and tenderness.Women should ideally use bras of different sizes throughout their monthly cycle,“ she says.Dr Goel adds that regular usage causes certain bras to change or lose their shape, and a change is required to promote personal hygiene as well.
That said, completely discarding one doesn't exactly help. “ Apart from developing sagging, shapeless breasts, not wearing a bra can lead to back pain and shoulder pain in cases of heavy breasted people,“ says Dr Goel, who also clears the air about a popular bra myth that's doing the rounds. There is a growing concern in the media that relates ill-fitting bras to the increased incidence of breast cancer. “This is due to the blockage of lymphatic of breast and accumulation of toxins that drain breasts.However, since the lymphatic flow is towards the armpit, this is unlikely,“ she concludes.
GUIDE TO MEASURING BRA SIZE AT HOME
To find the band size, use a simple measuring tape. Bring it to the middle of your chest from the back, keeping it snug under the arms. In case you get an odd measurement, round it to the closest even number. Alternatively, you can also measure across the bottom of your bust.
For the cup size, measure around the fullest part of your bust (mostly the centre, near the nipple). Usually, the difference between the band size and the size derived from the second measurement is your cup size. For instance, if your band size is 36 and the fullest part of your bust is 38, your cup size is B (the difference being two inches).
The survey showed that 17% of the women surveyed suffered from rashes and other breakouts because of their bras.“Frictional dermatitis is one of the biggest causes of dark patches under the breasts,“ says Dr Apratim Goel, cosmetic dermatologist and laser surgeon, “Rashes underneath the breast fold develop due to allergies to the material of the bra (especially synthetic or lace material) or because of fungal infection due to excess sweating. On healing, these leave dark patches.“ Richa Kar, founder and CEO of the website, agrees saying that lack of air circulation and excessive sweating is caused by careless bra selections and bad usage of fabric.
CONSTANT PAIN FROM UNDERWIRES
“The underwire from my bra pokes me from under the breast, so I end up wearing a cross-heart version, even though I feel wearing an underwired bra supports my chest better,“ says 22-year-old Srishti Ahuja. Unfortunately , she is not the only one who is subject to the constant `poke'.According to the survey , 36% of the women mentioned that they experienced pain caused by the infamous underwire.The survey also found that the major reason for this issue was wearing a smaller bra. Dr Gandhali Deorukhkar, OBGYN consultant, also claims that 80% of women wear incorrectly sized bras -70% wear bras that are too small, and 10% wear bras that are too large. “ A smaller bra means the wire is lying on or poking into the breast tissue, instead of hugging the rib cage,“ says Aparna Walters, head of design of a lingerie and nightwear brand.
RESTRICTED BREATHING
“There are times when I feel my bra is choking me,“ says entrepreneur Nicky Singh, “I have had to head to the loo and unclasp it to breathe easier.“
Dr Goel explains, “Wearing a very tight bra causes external compression of respiratory muscles and rib cage expan sion. It also causes the middle portion of the ribs to remain inactive due to resistance from bra and hence, overworks the upper portion.“ She adds that a tight bra can also cause digestive problems due to the compression of the neuro-lymphatic plexus (on the left side near the diaphragm).
INCORRECT POSTURE
A badly-fitted bra providing insufficient support causes the trapezius muscle to tighten to take the weight of the breasts.This can lead to shoulder, neck and back pain because this muscle is being constantly strained. Nancy Rustagi, a Zumba fitness trainer, says, “When dancing, I need to wear tight bras, which at times stress out my shoulders and my back.“ She was shocked to discover that the bras causing her neck pain were of a completely different size, and chucked them all out. She also discovered that bras should be replaced every four-six months, something Dr Deorukhkar also recommends.“Monthly fluctuations of estro gen and progesterone are responsible for changes in breast size and tenderness.Women should ideally use bras of different sizes throughout their monthly cycle,“ she says.Dr Goel adds that regular usage causes certain bras to change or lose their shape, and a change is required to promote personal hygiene as well.
That said, completely discarding one doesn't exactly help. “ Apart from developing sagging, shapeless breasts, not wearing a bra can lead to back pain and shoulder pain in cases of heavy breasted people,“ says Dr Goel, who also clears the air about a popular bra myth that's doing the rounds. There is a growing concern in the media that relates ill-fitting bras to the increased incidence of breast cancer. “This is due to the blockage of lymphatic of breast and accumulation of toxins that drain breasts.However, since the lymphatic flow is towards the armpit, this is unlikely,“ she concludes.
GUIDE TO MEASURING BRA SIZE AT HOME
To find the band size, use a simple measuring tape. Bring it to the middle of your chest from the back, keeping it snug under the arms. In case you get an odd measurement, round it to the closest even number. Alternatively, you can also measure across the bottom of your bust.
For the cup size, measure around the fullest part of your bust (mostly the centre, near the nipple). Usually, the difference between the band size and the size derived from the second measurement is your cup size. For instance, if your band size is 36 and the fullest part of your bust is 38, your cup size is B (the difference being two inches).
