Ten fashion items that secretly harm your health
We all love to look stylish. With so many fashion accessories at our disposal, more often than not, we are spoilt for choice. But did you know that a few everyday trendy items you use could actually damage your health?
A study has found that the clothes and accessories women wear do give them back problems, and 73 per cent of women are already victims of this! Shocking? Read on to know about the clothes and accessories that can hamper your health. COMPILED BY MILLIAM MURIGI
Skinny jeans
These have become increasingly popular over the last few years. And unlike their baggy and boxy counterparts, skinny jeans hug every curve of your body and are tight around your hips, buttocks, crotch, legs, calves, and ankles.
Wearing tight jeans can constrict the nerves in your crotch and legs, thus lowering the flow of the blood to your lower legs. As such, you may experience swelling, muscle damage, and numbness.
Additionally, wearing clothes that are too tight makes your body sweat too much, which generates an open environment for bacterial, fungal, and viral infections.
It is a scientifically proven fact that wearing tight jeans for a long time can cause nerve damages.
Bathing suits
A warm, moist bikini bottom makes a lovely home for yeast and bacteria to flourish.
If you’re prone to infections, a wet bathing suit can really increase your risk. But you don’t have to skip the swim.
Instead, change into dry bottoms as soon as you step out of the pool. And because ill-fitting bikini bottoms can reduce air circulation in the crotch area, which can also set you up for infection, make sure your bathing suits fit properly the edges shouldn’t leave indentations on your skin.
Bulky earrings and necklaces
According to recent studies, 20 per cent of all ear piercings develop a bacterial infection.
Plus, if a procedure was carried out incorrectly, it can lead to the spread of infection in the future and put your life at risk.
The use of large and heavy earrings often causes damaged earlobes, a problem that requires plastic surgery. Same case with necklaces: a heavy one can cause neck pain and even difficult-to-treat contractures.
High heels
Did you know that foot problems are more common among women than men? The culprit is the high heels we all love to wear.
Many women enjoy rocking high heels, whether it’s to the office or for a night out on the town.
In fact, spotting heels that are two, three, or four inches tall (or even higher) is common for countless women today, and many women want to wear them as much as possible. 
However, do you know that wearing such uncomfortable shoes can lead to joint pains, osteoarthritis, nerve damage, and calluses?
Thongs
They are popularly known as G-strings. Wearing these panties regularly can lead to serious intimate health problems such as vaginal infections, haemorrhoids, irritation, and skin chafing in the genital area.
Shapewear
Many women use shapewear under their clothes on a daily basis to achieve that sleek and smooth look.
And while you may enjoy having the kind of silhouette it can provide, such as a tighter tummy or slimmed-down thighs, it can come at a high price on your health.
Since shapewear is meant to be extremely tight and form-fitting, it can put unnecessary and unwanted pressure on your internal organs, thereby causing a whole slew of health problems if worn for too long. 
To that end, it can also exacerbate acid reflux and heartburn by causing fluids to be pushed out of your stomach.
Further, nerve damage can also be an unhappy side effect when your shapewear is constricting your sides and thighs.
Small shirts and tight ties
If you thought only women wear ill-fitting clothes, you are mistaken. Men too can’t part with their favourite shirts and ties, even after outgrowing them.
Wearing smaller shirts and tight tie knots can adversely affect blood circulation, increase intraocular pressure, cause headaches, limit neck movement, and increase muscle tension in the back and shoulders.
Ill-fitting bra
Most women wear a wrong sized bra, and with this wrong decision, such women can experience neck pain, back, and breast pains.
Too tight bras create difficulties in breathing and blood circulation in the body.
Sandals
Despite being an essential accessory for the beach, flip-flops are not as safe as you think. They actually put your feet at risk.
This type of footwear can cause scrapes on your feet that can be easily infected.
Moreover, being very flat, flip-flops make your heels hit the ground with more force, which can end up causing discomfort and back pain.
Pointy-toe shoes
Pointy-toe shoe clearly mould, fold, and squeezes your feet into an unnatural shape, it’s not surprising that they can be, especially detrimental to your individual toes.
In fact, this type of shoe can cause swelling of the toes as well as a neuroma, which is a pinching of the nerve between the toes.
