Print Article
Itching to Make a Comment
A woman is suing Victoria Secret because she developed a contact dermatitis on her breasts due to a chemical contained in the fabric, namely formaldehyde, a chemical used for embalming. Now, I don't know squat about why formaldehyde is used to make bras, but I am highly in favor of preserving breasts. Working in pediatrics, breasts are essential to feeding our babies - their primary/original purpose. Victoria's Secret's mission is to make them look better by scrunching them together, and pushing them back up to where men can see them better. Babies are just interested in eating.
This is an interesting issue since I just asked my wife about trying on clothes the other day.
"Do you try on bras before you buy them?" I asked.
"Of course, how else are you going to know if they fit?"
As a man who would never think of trying on a pair of underwear in a store dressing room, I was puzzled. Of course, trying on underwear is a bit different, knowing what is contained in those pouches. Breasts are probably a lot cleaner; infinitely cleaner than our hands, so trying on bras would be like trying on a hat (I guess...I have never done it). As a non-woman, I assume you've got to get a good fit and this is going to require some bra-to-skin contact, not over some t-shirt or something. Non-lactating breasts do not usually leak, and of course, a lactating woman is not going to be shopping for a nursing bra at Victoria's Secret. I sure hope women do not try on underwear skin-to-skin.
Men rarely try on anything at the store, except maybe a coat. We are too lazy and in a hurry, and no one wants to remove a few hundred straight pins from shirt. We just go into the dressing room, hoping we can see the size of the shirt, pants, or underwear we are wearing now, as a guideline. Of course, men also rip off those annoying tags, so size is always a question. If our pants are too tight, we go up a notch. If shirt sleeves are too short; we buy some with longer sleeves. This is not rocket science. Some men continue to wear the same size underwear they did in Junior High. Sometimes, it IS the same underwear we wore in Junior High!
When my wife brings home clothes, and I must admit that she brings home LOTS of clothes, she washes them first. This is a good policy, unless of course, it shrinks up, fades, and looks like old, used clothes again. I like to have new clothes washed, since I have this fear of getting scabies or crabs (also called the California Crotch Cricket). I have sat outside a lot of dressing rooms in my life (waiting for my wife), and I have seen some pretty scuzzy people walking in there with an arm-load of clothes to try on.
After over three decades in primary care medicine, I have seen my share of contact dermatitis - an itchy rash - from chemicals in unwashed, new clothes. This is especially common after Christmas. There are LOTS of chemicals in clothing. I wasn't aware of formaldehyde, but I can't imagine this is the only chemical trapped in the fibers of that bra in question. Even when you wash clothes, you will leave chemical residuals.
One of the more interesting things I see in pediatrics is "Bounce dermatitis" - a chemical reaction to a perfume-laden dryer softener sheet. The residual chemical sort of reactivates in response to moisture - usually the moisture associated with a quick bathroom trip. There are other products, not just Bounce, that have sensitizing chemicals. The goal is to make our clothing, especially our underwear, smell nice...at least for a while before we insert a stinky butt. Incidentally, Bounce-Free (no perfume) does not usually cause Bounce dermatitis.
"No matter how you shake and dance, there are always a few drops that get on your pants."
Of course, I am talking about urine. A few residual drops of urine will stir up those perfumed chemicals and start the itching reaction. My own nemesis is Tide. There is something in Tide that drives me crazy with hives (urticaria).
I don't know how this lawsuit is going to turn out for Victoria's Secret, but I hope they win. My wife doesn't shop there and I have only stood near the doorway (or the display window), not wanting to be labeled as a pervert.
I am sorry for the women that got itchy boobs from the formaldehyde, but a little hydrocortisone cream would fix this mild, temporary, unintentional allergic reaction. If you happen to work in a morgue or prepare anatomical specimens, high doses of formaldehyde can be liver toxic, but I doubt the residual amount in this bra would cause any long-lasting health issues.
It is my on-going mission to keep you abreast about the latest news; mostly to help distract you from what's happening with the economy.
Related Topics:
This is an interesting issue since I just asked my wife about trying on clothes the other day.
"Do you try on bras before you buy them?" I asked.
"Of course, how else are you going to know if they fit?"
As a man who would never think of trying on a pair of underwear in a store dressing room, I was puzzled. Of course, trying on underwear is a bit different, knowing what is contained in those pouches. Breasts are probably a lot cleaner; infinitely cleaner than our hands, so trying on bras would be like trying on a hat (I guess...I have never done it). As a non-woman, I assume you've got to get a good fit and this is going to require some bra-to-skin contact, not over some t-shirt or something. Non-lactating breasts do not usually leak, and of course, a lactating woman is not going to be shopping for a nursing bra at Victoria's Secret. I sure hope women do not try on underwear skin-to-skin.
Men rarely try on anything at the store, except maybe a coat. We are too lazy and in a hurry, and no one wants to remove a few hundred straight pins from shirt. We just go into the dressing room, hoping we can see the size of the shirt, pants, or underwear we are wearing now, as a guideline. Of course, men also rip off those annoying tags, so size is always a question. If our pants are too tight, we go up a notch. If shirt sleeves are too short; we buy some with longer sleeves. This is not rocket science. Some men continue to wear the same size underwear they did in Junior High. Sometimes, it IS the same underwear we wore in Junior High!
When my wife brings home clothes, and I must admit that she brings home LOTS of clothes, she washes them first. This is a good policy, unless of course, it shrinks up, fades, and looks like old, used clothes again. I like to have new clothes washed, since I have this fear of getting scabies or crabs (also called the California Crotch Cricket). I have sat outside a lot of dressing rooms in my life (waiting for my wife), and I have seen some pretty scuzzy people walking in there with an arm-load of clothes to try on.
After over three decades in primary care medicine, I have seen my share of contact dermatitis - an itchy rash - from chemicals in unwashed, new clothes. This is especially common after Christmas. There are LOTS of chemicals in clothing. I wasn't aware of formaldehyde, but I can't imagine this is the only chemical trapped in the fibers of that bra in question. Even when you wash clothes, you will leave chemical residuals.
One of the more interesting things I see in pediatrics is "Bounce dermatitis" - a chemical reaction to a perfume-laden dryer softener sheet. The residual chemical sort of reactivates in response to moisture - usually the moisture associated with a quick bathroom trip. There are other products, not just Bounce, that have sensitizing chemicals. The goal is to make our clothing, especially our underwear, smell nice...at least for a while before we insert a stinky butt. Incidentally, Bounce-Free (no perfume) does not usually cause Bounce dermatitis.
"No matter how you shake and dance, there are always a few drops that get on your pants."
Of course, I am talking about urine. A few residual drops of urine will stir up those perfumed chemicals and start the itching reaction. My own nemesis is Tide. There is something in Tide that drives me crazy with hives (urticaria).
I don't know how this lawsuit is going to turn out for Victoria's Secret, but I hope they win. My wife doesn't shop there and I have only stood near the doorway (or the display window), not wanting to be labeled as a pervert.
I am sorry for the women that got itchy boobs from the formaldehyde, but a little hydrocortisone cream would fix this mild, temporary, unintentional allergic reaction. If you happen to work in a morgue or prepare anatomical specimens, high doses of formaldehyde can be liver toxic, but I doubt the residual amount in this bra would cause any long-lasting health issues.
It is my on-going mission to keep you abreast about the latest news; mostly to help distract you from what's happening with the economy.
Related Topics:
Labels: contact dermatitis, hives, skin allergies, Victoria's Secret
Welcome to WebMD Health Exchanges
WebMD Pregnancy Exchange
WebMD Parenting Exchange