Fashion Health Hazards

Oversized shoulder bags

This season's big bags could give you a lopsided spine. Because you carry the bag on one side, it causes neck, shoulder and arm muscles to stretch as the shoulder takes the strain.

If you carry the bag far, shoulder and neck muscles can end up very sore and tender and some may go into spasm. This spasm is difficult to release and may result in a long-term neck and shoulder problem that makes sleeping difficult.

A heavy bag also pulls on nerves from the vertebral column into the arm, causing pain and pins and needles.

Don't fill up big bags. Alternate carrying the bag on each shoulder. Circle and shrug your shoulders, and swing your arms regularly to undo spasms and relax the muscles. If you're going far, use a backpack instead so weight is evenly distributed between your shoulders, neck and back.

Tight belts

Having something really tight around yourwaist interferes with breathing, which is why corset-wearing Victorian women were always fainting.

Anything very tight around the waist can also give you heartburn as your digestion is restricted. Plus your bowel can't move food along, so you may experience lots of wind after you've undone your belt!

Ease the belt out a notch. Take the belt off and relax your organs now and then. Wear an elastic belt that has a bit of give in it.

High shoes

High heels push your weight forward, squeezing

your foot into the front of the shoe where skin

rubs, causing blisters, hard, dead skin and corns.

The pressure makes the joint between the big

toe and foot produce calcium deposits to protect

it, leading to a painful bunion. And, if you wear

backless high heels, your toes contract into a

claw to keep the shoe on.

Wearing high heels a lot shortens calf muscles

and the Achilles tendon in the heel. Then the

arch of your foot drops, causing pain in your

thighs and knee, and hip problems. But your

spine suffers most. As you lean backwards to

keep your balance, you get lower back problems

if you wear them for long. And knee, back and neck pain is worsened by shockwaves from a spiky heel.

Don't wear high heels before the age of 17 or 18 - until this age your bones are still soft and vulnerable to deformities.

Try to keep highest heels for evening or avoid wearing them for more than three hours.

Alternate your heel height throughout the day, wearing good trainers for a few hours before and after.

Wear chunky heels rather than stilettos - there's more stability for the foot.

Stretch your calf regularly to prevent permanent shortening.

Choose highheeled shoes with a strap or laces over the instep - these act like a seatbelt in a car.

Pointy Shoes

Trying to fit your feet in to pointy shoes can leave you with incredibly sore feet, not to mention disrupt the line of your spine. The best thing you can do for your feet is to break in new shoes before sporting them on the town. Wearing your shoes around the house in wet socks will get them ready for wear in no time. The dampness in your socks will soften the shoe fabric and help mold the shoes to the shape of your feet.

Bra too small

As many as 90% of women are wearing the wrong bra size, many still hanging on to the same bra size they were fitted for years ago – irrespective of growing, losing weight or having children. But wearing the wrong bra could be causing your body serious damage, leading to shoulder tension, spinal restriction, decreased lung function, headaches and arm, chest and back pain, according to by the British College of Osteopathic Medicine. There are even some researchers who believe that tight bras can increase breast cancer risk, due to the restriction causing decreased lymph drainage around the area.

If you push your breasts into a bra that's too small to create an impressive cleavage, you may do yourself damage. Bra straps take the weight of breasts and your shoulders can ache from the strain. You may end up rounding your shoulders, leading to aches in your back and neck.

Have your bra fitted properly at a department store. The result will be much more flattering. To help you pick out the right bra, get measured over your blouse. Or, if you're a bit shy, you can use a bra size calculator in the privacy of your home

Wear underwired bras that take the strain off shoulders. Choose wide bra straps to spread the strain.

Tight jeans

Super-tight jeans can leave you with more than a lean silhouette. Tight denim has been found to cause a nerve condition called meralgia paresthetica aka “tingling thigh syndrome.”

The temporary condition arises when pressure is placed over the nerves around the hips called the lateral femoral cutaneous. Symptoms include numb, tingling or burning sensation along the thighs. The health issue is usually associated with people who carry weight around their middle on a daily basis such as builders, police and even pregnant women. However over recent years, experts have seen a rise in the number of young women suffering usually as a result of tight jeans.

The good news is, it’s not permanent. Leg sensations will return to normal after individuals switch to roomier denims.

However, Low-slung tight jeans put pressure on the urethra - the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside - causing inflammation that may lead to cystitis. Passing urine becomes painful, frequent and urgent and requires medical attention.

Choose a slightly higher cut.

Make sure the denim has a degree of stretch.

Don't add insult to injury with a very tight belt.

Old Makeup

The crusty old makeup at the bottom of your cosmetics bag should be binned immediately to prevent damaging your eyes – in fact, it’s dangerous to hang onto mascara for more than six months.

Research reveals that a quarter of British women are putting their eye health at risk by using bacteria-infected eye make-up that is over four years old. Mascara in particular is a breeding ground for bacteria and can cause itchy, swelling and watery eyes.

But despite recommendations that eye make-up should be thrown away after six months, 92% of women admit to keeping their mascara for longer than that, and nearly two-thirds of women use eye make-up that is over two years old, according to a poll by the College of Optometrists.

The survey also revealed that a quarter of women also confessed to sharing eye make-up with friends, family and colleagues, despite 1 in 10 admitting to frequently suffering from bacterial eye infections such as conjunctivitis.