He is airing your dirty laundry.
Dr. Charles Puza, a board-certified dermatologist in NYC, is sharing three laundry mistakes that could be damaging your skin. He advises not wearing unwashed clothes, using fabric softener and buying detergent with perfumes and dyes.
“How you make your clothes affects your skin,” Puza explained in a TikTok last week.
Wearing clothes you haven’t washed
“Everyone should wash their clothes before wearing them, especially if you like fast fashion like Shein and Temu. There are things you don’t want on your skin,” said Puza.
Frances Kozen, a Cornell University senior lecturer in fiber science and apparel design, told Self magazine last year that your new garment may have been treated with a fabric softener, a stain-resistant or water-repellent coating, or an anti-fungal agent. may cause irritation, redness or itching.
A 2014 study out of Sweden found quinoline, a carcinogenic dye chemical, or one of its derivatives in nearly all 31 clothing textile samples the researchers studied. The substance was most abundant in polyester items.
Excess color, especially from darker clothing, can also hide in the skin. And duds may contain germs from someone who tried them on before you bought them.
Self recommends checking the clothing label and, if allowed, washing the garment for at least 25 minutes on the hot cycle before wearing.
Using fabric softener
“Please stop using fabric softeners,” Puza requested. “I don’t know a single dermatologist who buys this stuff.”
Consumer Reports reports that fabric softener—which coats fibers with chemicals to make them feel softer, look less wrinkled and static, and smell better—can irritate sensitive skin, weaken resistance against flame in children’s pajamas and reduce the absorption of towels.
Puza instead suggests reusable wool dryer balls.
Buying detergent with perfumes and colors
Puza prefers fragrance- and dye-free detergents, naming All Free Clear, Tide Free and Gentle Liquid Liquid Laundry Detergent and Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin Free & Clear as his favorites.
“Remember, the chemicals in your clothes stay on your skin all day, and so does your bed and sheets 24/7,” Puza said.
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Image Source : nypost.com