Five years later and our breasts are still angry as hell

One year ago, I wrote about the fact that I wrote about this topic four years prior to that, and was surprised that not only was the issue unresolved, it’s ongoing: horrific breast rashes triggered by Victoria’s Secret bras.

Rinse and repeat.

Women continue to contact me each week on this blog, reporting that they’re suffering with itching and rashes on their breasts, which means that manufacturers continue to churn out products made from fabrics infused with irritating chemicals. And the garment manufacturers know it. They just don’t care. Why? Because the percentage of customers that react to these chemicals with allergic contact dermatitis is relatively miniscule. It’s cheaper to ignore them than to do anything about it.

Note that I said “manufacturers” because the problem has spread beyond Victoria’s Secret. While most women commenting on my blog report issues with Victoria’s Secret bras, more and more are reporting the same thing from bras made by other manufacturers.

This makes sense because Victoria’s Secret is the largest and most popular bra manufacturer, therefore, by the numbers, their customer base is larger, and within that base, the number of women with an allergic reaction is larger. It makes further sense other bras are triggering the reaction because the issue isn’t Victoria’s Secret bras per se. The issue is the fabric itself, available to any garment manufacturer. In fact, this is how Victoria’s Secret handily crushed a lawsuit filed in 2008 by a women claiming her rash was so severe that she was disfigured from the formaldehyde that Victoria’s Secret was putting in their bras.

Victoria’s Secret responded that never added any chemicals to their bras. Technically, this was true. They didn’t add chemicals to their products — the chemicals were already in the fabric, from which their products are made. The plaintiff lost her case. And yet… the rashes continue.

Despite claims of innocence, I know for a fact that Victoria’s Secret is aware of the issue because I was contacted by two of their representatives, who gave me very carefully worded responses to my concerns, and also because Victoria’s Secret follows me on Twitter and I doubt it’s because they’re my corporate fangirls.

I think Victoria’s Secret’s motive in contacting me was to see if my plan was to lawyer up. This sentiment is very common amongst women visiting my blog. They’re furious about being mistreated and betrayed by a company to which they’ve been loyal, and their reaction is “take ’em to court.” Over the years, however, and also because Victoria’s Secret’s pockets are deeper than all us disgruntled customers combined, I’ve come to realize that the courtroom isn’t the place to address the problem. The place to address the problem is our wallets.

Even though I’m unable to find a product I like as much as Victoria’s Secret’s, I’ll never buy anything from them again: bras, panties, sleepwear, lotion or perfume. And, their “Heavenly” perfume was my favorite. But I’ll never buy it again. I don’t reward people or companies for disloyalty.

When women come to me seeking advice, this is what I tell them: See your doctor and have your condition documented, and if your doctor doesn’t know about bra-related contact allergic dermatitis, direct her/him to my blog; rather than get your money back for the bras (which Victoria’s Secret will happily do without quarrel because they’d love to destroy your “evidence”), store them in a zip-lock — you never know when (under a more caring administration) the federal government may step in and take a look at harmful chemicals in fabric, and they may want sample evidence; to determine if the bra is really causing the problem, don’t wear it until the rash is healed — about three weeks — and if you’re brave, put it back on and see if the rash comes roaring back. If it does, that will confirm your suspicions.

What does the rash look like? In my experience, it began as rough, dry, tissue-paper like skin on the areola, that didn’t get any better with moisturizer or lotion. Over time, it began to itch. Over more time, it began to itch more and welts appeared all over the breast. Over even more time, the itching became excruciating and irresistible, like poison oak, and I scratched myself raw and bruised. Even then, I couldn’t stop scratching. And then I got some new bras and started to notice the itching subsiding with the new ones and exploding if I wore the old ones. Little by little… I narrowed it down to two specific bras, and — bingo — I figured it out: it’s the bras.

As consumers who have this allergic sensitivity, we must take responsibility for recognizing the symptoms and avoiding the triggers. We have the ability to protect our own health. And here’s something to consider: Those of us with the allergy are the lucky ones. Our bodies alert us when we’re coming in contact with a toxin. Those who don’t react to the chemicals are continuing to saturate their skin with toxins, which build up in your bloodstream and tissues.

Our skin isn’t merely a covering. It’s an organ, and it absorbs chemicals. That’s why nicotine or hormone patches work: the skin slowly, constantly, absorbs the chemicals, just as it will in a lesser but more pernicious way from chemically laden fabric.

The real concern is “toxic load.” How much cumulative chemical exposure can our bodies handle before our own genetic triggers go off and react with cancer or immune disorders? That’s still a medical a mystery. Until the mystery is solved, here’s the takeaway about toxic load: the less, the better. There are chemicals in our air, our water, our food (yes, even organic food, unless it’s not exposed to natural air or water), and most of this is unavoidable. But we can avoid the products that our bodies tell us are harmful. Once you’ve experienced the allergic reaction, you’ll recognize it immediately. Your body is telling you “stop!” Your body is right.

(For more information about breast rashes caused by bras and fabrics, search “boob blog” right here on this blog.)

 

 

6 Comments

  1. Janet

    You are so right Debra. And the problem continues with many other manufacturers of clothing and not just bras and underwear. I wrote in about 2 years ago with a raging rash from the VS bra. I left pigmentation marks (scarring) under my breast that will never go away. I have since found a couple of better options, one is TRUE and it seems to be an alternative (so far). It’s very soft fabric and doesn’t put any undo pressure anywhere. Very comfortable as well. We’ll see how it goes.

    But other clothing can be a problem due to toxic fabric as well. I notice some of the legging fabrics are pretty risky and the stretchy jogging (that smell like petroleum when you buy them……big red flag!!). We shouldn’t ignore these signs (smells, etc) that clothing carries and we should all be bringing it up to the merchandiser (in this case it was Talbots). I don’t understand how these clothing stores just turn a blind eye to this “toxic” reality.

    • Thanks for the tip on a less lethal bra, Janet! And you are so right… once you recognize the reaction, you know that item has toxic chemicals in it. I recently needed a tennis elbow brace, and by the second time I wore it, my arm was itching like poison ivy. The third time, I got welts everywhere it touched. And I thought… aha! Allergic Contact Dermatitis!
      The stores turn a blind eye to all of this because they make lots of money on the majority of people who don’t react as well as those who don’t realize what is going on, and are living in fear that they have some horrible breast disease. They don’t! It’s the bra!

  2. "RACHEL"

    Agree also !!
    5 years and zero accountability. 5 years and zero correction to the problem. 5 years of itchy boobs or worse.

    You are also correct about how awful many of us have been treated thru-out our attempts to hold VS accountable. I am not easily tossed away. Still waiting on VS.

    What ever caused this rash in the first place must be found.

    • I agree, Rachel! Maybe someone will finally take interest, and the chances are better for that happening if those of us who have found the cause keep spreading the word!
      Thanks for commenting!

  3. Christina Chalifour

    This just happened to me and I had no idea it was a problem! An anonymous post on my towns ‘mommy page’ a reply came with this link and another! I now know why they were so nice on the phone, immediately refunded and told me to toss the bra- they didn’t even want a picture or for me to bring to the store (I bought direct from them online)n

    • Debra DeAngelo

      Oh, yes. VS knows. They absolutely don’t care, however. My solution: Complete boycott of VS. All products. And I used to be a loyal customer.

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