Allergic to bra

[Catherine145]

I recently bought a Victoria Secret padded demi bra.  I am also dieting so when my top began to itch I originally associated it with the fact that everything was shrinking.  I spoke with my sister and she told me that she had the same reaction to thier bras.  Is it possible that I am allergic the bra?  The entire breast itches not just the area around the band....what ingredient in the padding would cause this reaction?  I was curious since it seems that several brand are copying their materials.  

[oldrat]

I bought a 3-pack of Fruit Of The Loom racer back sports bras from Walmart last week. Never having broken out before, I thought nothing of it when I just detached the tags and put one of the bras on without washing. After just a few days, the entire undersides of my breasts and the band area across the front of my rib cage has broken out into a very dark red rash. Some areas are like prickly bumps, other areas are dark patches. The itching is intense, as bad as any poison oak/ivy that I have ever had years ago. As I write this, I am dying to scratch it. It wakes me at all hours of the night. My breasts look like they are being eaten up by some form of chemical (although there are no open wounds or oozing .. yet). I have had this intense rash for several days now. I've put anti-fungal cream on it, calamine lotion on it and now I am attempting to use A&D diaper rash ointment. Nothing seems to bring down the intensity of the itch or the redness. So I will try and wait it out as long as possible and see if it gets better over the next few weeks. As long as it does not spread or develop any severe symptoms, The only thing I can think of is that the sports bra fabric had something in it that I developed an allergic reaction to (it is hot where I live and I was sweating a good bit during the time I wore them). This itch is driving me nuts! I've never endured anything like this before nor do I know of any other women in my family who have experienced it. It's scary going through something like this alone .. and the mere sight of these dark red patches all under my breasts doesn't make the situation any easier to cope with :(

[Sharon_KC]

I have written another letter.  This one went to Toni Gerber Hope, Health Director, Good Housekeeping Magazine, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019.

I am trying to be optimistic that someone will help us!

[Sharon_KC]

I am still writing letters and hope that all of you will please do the same.  Today I wrote to The Doctors, 5555 Melrose Ave., Mae West Building, Second Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90038.

Hopefully we can get someone's attention at NBC, ABC, Dr. Oz or The Doctors.

[catlady1959]

First of all I can't believe this thread has been going on since 2008! I also can't believe with all of these posts nothing has changed in all of these years!

I am just now getting these horrible rashes, but not from new bras! These are all bras that are a couple of years old. None of them the same manufacturer. None have underwires. A couple of weeks ago I got this rash. It is horrible. I knew immediately it was my bra becasuse it was only on my breast where the cup touches. I have not changed my detergent, soap, shampoo you name it. I have tried the 3 different bras.After I go braless for a week or so and the rash clears up, then just a couple of hours of wearing ,and the rash is back worse then ever! It wakes me when I'm sleeping. Sometimes in public I have to go to the restroom so I can scratch my breasts! I'm in such misery.

How can this go on for so many years and nothing be done! I have obviously taken a while to build up an intolerence to whatever is in the bras. You can get away with no bra and layer clothes in the winter, but not easy in the summer.

I agree, we need to write letters, but Dr. Oz would be great because his voice is heard by so many!

[Sharon_KC]

In my last post the website did not allow the e-mail address for Dr. Oz to be displayed.  This is the address if you replace "at" with the @ sign:

viewerfeedback "at" zoco.com

[Sharon_KC]

I have written several letters to try to bring about a change and ask that you do the same.  If they hear from several people it will help get their attention. I wrote to Lester Holt, Andrea Canning and Hoda Kotb and NBC, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112; Robin Roberts, ABC News, 47 West 66th St., New York, NY 10023;  e-mailed Dr. Oz at ***@****.  I brought to their attention that this is happening with many brands so seems to be industry wide and asked that they help investigate, give women a place to report the problem so we can see just how wide-spread this is, and then to help bring about a change to get safe bras back on the market.

I also wrote a letter to Richard A. Noll, Chairman and CEO, Hanesbrands, Inc., 1000 East Hanes Mill Road, Winston Salem, NC 27105, since Barely There has been my favorite brand for many years but is one of the brands that is now causing the skin reaction.  Hanes also manufactures Bali, Hanes ad Playtex bras.  I explained the problem and asked that he be a leader and produce safe bras.

Please take the time to send letters.  If you have an suggestions of people or organizations we can contact to help the cause, please let me know.