Do
you need to wash new clothes before wearing them? Published May 19, 2015.
Most
people don't think about where an item of new clothing has been before it comes
into their possession. Even with garments that label their provenance, many
include materials that were made in one country, dyed in another and stitched
together in a third, each with varying laws about allowable levels of chemical
use. One expert, Donald Belsito, a professor of dermatology at Columbia
University Medical Center in New York with a specialty in contact dermatitis,
explains how lice can linger in fabric and why washing before wearing-maybe
even more than once-should be mandatory. Itchy, scaly, red There are two major
culprits when it comes to allergens in new clothing: dye and formaldehyde
resin. Most synthetic textiles are colored with azo-aniline dyes, which can
cause a severe skin reaction akin to poison ivy in the small population of
people allergic to them. For others, reactions to dyes are less extreme, and
may result in slightly inflamed, dry, itchy patches of skin, Dr. Belsito says.
Until much of the dye is rinsed out-usually in more than one washing-some
wearers might notice red, itchy, scaly rashes, "especially near the areas
where there is friction or sweating, like the waist, neck and thighs and around
the armpits," he says. Those who are genuinely allergic, however,
"may need to avoid the allergen entirely," says Dr. Belsito, noting
that the dye may stick around indefinitely and continue to trigger the allergy.
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