Did you know that the new dress you just purchased from the store could cost you much more than what you shelled out? Well, yes. Considering how much it would cost you to get your (imminent) rashes and skin itches treated by a dermatologist!
It surely is exciting when you find something that you love, and which fits you perfectly on trial, and you can’t wait to put it on when you’re back home. Each one of us, at some point in our lives, wanted to put on the just bought clothes as soon as we get it out of our shopping bags. Dermatologists worldwide, however, have issued warnings against doing exactly that. According to one Dr. Donald Belsito, a professor of dermatology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, it is important to wash new clothes at least once, and sometimes a number of times more, to ensure that it contains no traces of anything that may cause your skin harm.
How can new clothes cause harm, you ask? Well, it seems that azo-aniline dyes, formaldehyde resins, and anti-wrinkle chemicals which are used to dye clothes and an integral part of the fabrication process, can often cause skin reactions. In fact, quite a few people are allergic to these dyes, resins, and chemicals, and end up with a terrible case of severe skin infections and even contact dermatitis at times. Even if your skin is not overly sensitive, there are chances that you could end up with red itchy skin with slight inflammations. It is, therefore, a good practice to wash your clothes once or twice before you start wearing it for long periods of time.
I did try it on at the store, didn’t I, you may counter? Well, yes, you did. But, well, so did countless others before you! You have absolutely no idea what germs they were carrying, whether they had lice on their hair or not, or if they had any transmittable viruses that could not be transferred on to you, do you? Dr. Belsito, in his years of experience with patients suffering from various skin conditions mentions that certain infectious diseases can be passed on through clothes, such as the infestation of scabies. These new clothes usually affect the more sensitive body parts, such as the armpits, the thighs, the neck, and places where friction is greater such as the waist and hips – where any sort of skin infection is not just painful and irritating, but also difficult to treat.
It is definitely a more hygienic way to deal with clothes and at the same time avoiding some really nasty skin rashes. I’m sure you just remembered your grandmother, who always told you to wash your new clothes! Well, as they say, better safe than sorry, right? And, while you’re at it – why not put those new undergarments and handkerchiefs into the washing machine as well!
Source: ISA Fabricare Laundry Services in Bangalore
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