We asked experts whether they could make your skin itch or cause other issues.
People often say that you shouldn’t wear clean new clothes right away. That seems a bit too far. Is it real?
A woman wrote on TikTok that she got pink hives on her arms, legs, and face soon after wearing a new dress she bought online. She included pictures of the hives in her post.
There are a lot of posts on Reddit with similar stories about people getting “itchy red bumps” and hives on their skin right after wearing new clothes.
A dermatologist at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Dr. Susan Massick, said it was normal for her patients to complain about skin reactions to new clothes, especially in areas like the armpits, groin, waist, and neck, where clothes rub against the skin.
We talked to experts to find out what might be irritating the skin and if washing new clothes before putting them on would help.
How come new clothes make people feel?
An Oregon physician, Dr. Shamsa Kanwal, said that new clothes often contain many chemicals that can harm the skin or cause allergic reactions.
Dirt and dust can build up in storage and she said that people with sensitive skin may get a red, itchy, or painful rash. Dr. Kanwal said that the thousands of chemicals used to make textiles are the most common cause of discomfort.
Dr. Kanwal said that many clothes are treated with different chemicals, such as fungicides, chemical finishing agents and perfumes, that make them last longer, keep them from getting wrinkled, fight spots and mildew and keep them feeling good.
She also said that not all of these things will respond, but dyes, especially azo dyes, which are often used on manmade fabrics like polyester, do.
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Dr. Kanwal said that formaldehyde (used to keep clothes from wrinkling), pesticide residues (often found on cotton clothes), and perfumes can also make skin itchy and red when they come into contact with them.
In 2022, researchers in Spain looked at 120 pieces of baby, child, and pregnancy clothes that were bought in stores and online in Spain. In 20% of the samples, they found formaldehyde.
Dr. Kanwal said that clothes labeled organic can still contain dyes, finishing agents, softeners, and scents.
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Does getting clean help
The experts we talked to said that washing clothes before wearing them helps remove some potential allergens, such as extra colours, perfumes, and formaldehyde. In our tests, a single short washing cycle with cold water removed almost all of the formaldehyde, said Joaquim Rovira Solano, a researcher at Spain’s University of Rovira i Virgili who helped write the 2022 study.
Sylvana Brickley, a nurse practitioner who specialises in skin at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, Mass., said that washing doesn’t remove all harmful chemicals. Flame retardants and antibacterial treatments used to keep some athletic wear from smelling bad are examples of chemicals that are meant to stay on clothes even after being washed several times. Some people may have reactions to these chemicals, Ms. Brickley said, no matter how many times the clothes are cleaned.
Steaming or letting clothes air out before wearing them for the first time might help remove some odors, but Dr. Kanwal said it probably won’t help with more durable finishes like performance coatings, wrinkle-resistant resins, and stain-resistant treatments. She said to put on a protective layer, like a thin T-shirt, under your brand-new clothes that you can’t wash.
Dr. Massick said to see a doctor if the skin reaction doesn’t go away after washing your clothes. She said that the reaction is usually irritant contact dermatitis, which is a red, itchy rash that appears minutes to hours after direct touch with a substance and doesn’t need any treatment other than staying away from the allergen.
Allergic contact dermatitis is a more bothersome, less common reaction that occurs when your body becomes allergic to something after repeated exposure. Ms. Brickley said responses can come in anywhere and may take two to four days to appear. They can include an itchy rash, swelling, bumps, boils, burning, or soreness.
If you get any kind of rash from wearing clothes, Dr. Massick said not to scratch it, as it could make the rash worse or lead to discoloration or an infection of the skin.
That being said, Ms. Brickley said that cleaning your clothes before you wear them can be bad in the end. There might not be as much stiffness in the collars or as much colour. She said, It all depends on whether you want that stuff on your clothes or not.
I am a versatile content writer from the MP region, covering politics, business, crime, current affairs, entertainment, video games, and sports with clear insights, engaging analysis, and timely, reader-focused updates.
