Your Clothing Choices Can Put You At Risk Of A Fungal Infection
You won’t normally find that the subject of fungal infections comes up when talking about clothes or fashion choices. But really it should be discussed because there are certain types of clothes that, when worn for prolonged periods, can put you at risk of developing both fungal and yeast infections.
All fungal organisms (and beat in mind that yeasts are a form of single celled fungi) grow most quickly in conditions that are non-ventilated, dark and moist. So if the clothing that you wear creates these conditions on parts of your body, you are putting yourself more at risk. The kind of infections we are talking about include athletes foot, jock itch, genital yeast infections and nail fungus.
Here’s a list of clothing types and clothing habits that can make you more susceptible to fungal infection:
- Any clothing that is made from synthetic, non-breathable materials can increase your chance of infection. This is especially the case if they are worn on parts of your body that are protected and dark for long periods of time. Wearing synthetic nylon underwear for example has been directly linked to increased incidence of vagina yeast infections in women.
- If you have a habit of wearing synthetic socks and plastic shoes while you are exercising you are putting yourself at risk from developing both athletes foot and nail fungus infection. You make matters worse if your shoes are tight-fitting and press against your skin and nails.
- Another habit that can increase your chance of fungal infection is to wear moist bathing clothes for long periods of time. Change out of these as soon as you can after swimming.
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