Wearing a tight garment can cause the internal organs to move out of their original positions
The tight girdle can restrict breathing and even bruise internal organs if worn for too long, warn doctors Ismat Tahseen
For many women, a wardrobe isn’t complete without a corset. It can play up your assets and work as the perfect bedroom pick-me-up for those wanting to indulge in some burlesque-seduction. In fact, more than diamonds, the corset has been a girl’s best friend. For decades, women — both on and off screen — have been wearing this inner wear (worn frequently as outer wear in recent years) to accentuate their curves.
But style apart, now, many also use it as a weight-loss mantra. Actress Jessica Alba revealed she wore two corsets — day and night — for three months to try to get back to the weight she was at before she had her daughters. “It was sweaty, but it was worth it. It was brutal and it’s not for everyone,” she was quoted as saying. Once a constrictive undergarment, more women are now wearing the tight girdle for long hours in a bid to try and make it a shortcut to getting those curves back. With the body ideal becoming skinny and size zero, the fad can pose a threat and experts warn it can actually restrict breathing, damage skin and even bruise internal organs.
A corset is not the right approach to weight loss. “Weight loss does not occur by wearing it. When we wear one on the abdomen, it gives a physical appearance of smaller waistline. Although it might seem to make a person’s appearance slimmer, this is just a temporary visual belief as the waistline never decreases permanently. Thus, a corset should simply be treated as an accessory,” says general and laparoscopic surgeon Dr Manish Motwani.
Adds city-based surgeon Dr Shashank Shah, “People are trying anything when it comes to extreme weight loss, without understanding the implications. When it comes to the corset, it is actually recommended after a bariatric surgery only to support the skin. This is medically done and designed as per a person’s requirement. It cannot be randomly worn by anyone to lose weight. It also should not be worn by hernia patients and those with previous scars.”
Tightlacing dangers
- Wearing a tight garment can cause the internal organs to move out of their original positions.
- As it is tight, it can cause breathlessness and discomfort while moving, as well as indigestion.
- It can also cause redness and chafing of the skin.
- The corset does not allow enough air to fill in the lungs. Thus, a person has shallow breathing in only the upper portion of the lungs, which gives rise to mucus and cough.
- There is a danger of fracturing the ribs under very high pressure.
- The intestines also get compressed, causing constipation.
How many hours is okay?
Since it is only for cosmetic purposes, corset use should be limited purely to event-based wearing for that function. As soon as possible, remove the corset and relieve the abdomen and internal organs of the pressure. Just four to five hours of corset wearing is acceptable, says Dr Motwani.
Image courtesy:©Thinkstock photos/ Getty images
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