News of a 35-year-old woman having to be cut out of a pair of skinny jeans after her legs swelled and she lost feeling in her ankles left many of us lunging for our loosest-fitting, baggiest clothes.
The woman had spent hours wearing the ultra-tight trousers while crouching to clear out cupboards and found that, by evening, her feet were numb and she was unable to stand. She collapsed and was taken to hospital, where she was put on an intravenous drip.
But it was too late: her muscles had become so weak that she couldn’t walk for four days.
Tim Hutchful, from the British Chiropractic Association, says the side-effects of skinny jeans can be felt from the back to the ankles.
‘Very tight trousers can reduce blood flow in the lower limbs,’ he says. ‘This can make your body ache, a bit like having a stitch while doing exercise, because your muscles need more oxygen than your body is able to give them.
‘Sitting or squatting compresses your body even more, intensifying the effect. People need to be aware of the potential risks.’
Muscles can be damaged internally, too. If worn for a long time — between 12 and 16 hours — the jeans may cause a condition called ‘compartment syndrome’ in the legs.
This occurs when an enclosed bundle of muscles starts to bleed or swell, building up pressure under the skin and causing the area to throb.
Consultant dermatologist Dr Walayat Hussain, a specialist skin surgeon in Leeds, says prolonged compression can lead to whitening of the skin and, ultimately, death of the dermal cells as they are deprived of vital bloodflow by the tight fabric.
‘Restrictive clothing starves the skin tissue of oxygen and glucose,’ he says. ‘This is called ischemia, and it can lead to ulcers and breakdown of the skin cells, as well as bruising and clots caused by tiny blood vessels.
‘Don’t wear them for too long, either. If you’re wearing them out at night or to work, take them off when you get home.’
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