Why You Should Always Wash New Clothes Before Wearing Them

If you’re the type who dons new duds without washing them first, there’s a chance you may pay a price for it a few days later. A red, itchy, painful price. Allergic contact dermatitis is an immune system-related reaction to an allergen that has come into contact with your skin. It causes a delayed reaction: a rash that appears a few days after exposure, and then can last for weeks. “When we see allergic contact dermatitis from clothing, it’s usually from disperse dyes,” says Dr. Susan Nedorost, a professor of dermatology at Case Western Reserve University and director of the dermatitis program at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. Disperse dyes are primarily used in synthetic clothing materials like polyester and nylon, Nedorost says. And they may be present at higher levels in a brand-new, unwashed article of clothing. Nedorost says that sweating and friction can cause disperse dye to leach out of clothing. Synthetic workout gear—the shiny, stretchy, water-repelling materials that are so popular nowadays—are often the culprit when she treats people for allergic contact dermatitis. “If a patient comes in and has a rash around the back of the neck and along their sides around their armpits, the first question I ask is what they wear when they work out,” she says. It’s not clear how common disperse-dye allergies are among the general public. But there is one way to limit your risk for bad reactions: &ldquo...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized chemicals Environmental Health Lifestyle Source Type: news