Fashionable tight-fitting jeans can cause bladder weakness and long- term health consequences, medical experts have warned. The uber-cool skinny denims, favoured by celebs such as Russell Brand, Jude Law and Joey Essex can increase the risk of urinary tract infections and in some agonising cases, men can even suffer with twisted testicles.
A study of 2,000 British men, conducted by TENA Men, the leading male bladder weakness brand, has revealed that 10% of men have experienced an unpleasant side-effect as a result of wearing skinny jeans.
Dr Hilary Jones, TENA Brand Ambassador and campaign spokesperson, said:
“Men who wear tight or ill-fitting trousers or underwear which is restrictive around the groin area could be damaging their health.
“Wearing tight-fitting clothing over a prolonged period of time can lead to urinary tract infections leading to over-activity of the bladder- a type of bladder weakness as well as a low sperm count and fungal infections.
“I have seen several cases of men who have twisted their testicles due to wearing jeans that are far too tight.
“My advice would be to make sure you leave plenty of room around the groin area and that your pants and trousers feel comfortable so you’re not being restricted in any way.
“Please don’t put style before health.”
Tight-fitting jeans around the groin area can put additional pressure on the bladder but can also lead to bacteria breeding and re-entering the body causing urinary tract infections; this increases the need to urinate more frequently and can cause severe pain.
Of those men suffering from skinny jeans, half had experienced groin discomfort, over a quarter had bladder troubles and one in five suffered a twisted testicle.
Worryingly, one in four regularly squeeze into jeans- with the biggest reasons given for enduring tightness being ‘to show I can still fit in them’ and ‘because they look good.’
In fact, three in ten has suffered discomfort from tight jeans and 40% of men admit they sometimes sacrifice comfort over style.
One in seven British men regularly wear skinny jeans, but more than a third confess they don’t actually know their correct jean size, whilst when it comes to picking jeans, just 7% described softness and comfort as an important factor.
Zoe Brimfield, TENA Men Brand Manager says:
“With this survey we were keen to highlight that while men may like the look of tight-fitting jeans, it’s important that they are not compromising their health.
Wearing skinny or ill-fitting jeans can lead to bladder weakness as a longer-term consequence. Male bladder weakness is more common than people think, with 1 in 9 men in the UK currently experiencing some form of the condition.
For further help and advice on male bladder weakness visit www.tenamen.co.uk or seek medical advice".
Sales executive James Coleman, 27, of Ealing, west London has suffered bladder issues from wearing tight jeans.
He said:
''I bought my pair of skinny jeans because they were fashionable, I'd recently moved to London where every street feels like a catwalk so I wanted to look good.
''My friends used to joke I looked like something out of the Wanted or One Direction but I didn't take notice.
''At first I didn't really have a problem and felt good wearing them but a couple of colleagues did comment on the fact they were skin tight and made my legs look ridiculously long.
''I then noticed they felt uncomfortable to wear, especially when sat down and put pressure against my bladder and stomach.
''I found myself going to the toilet more frequently than normal, which just became annoying.
''I didn't bother going to the doctors or anything because it's not something you want to admit - and it never occurred to me that it may have been caused by my skinny jeans.
''Since moving to London I cycle more and I decided to finally ditch the jeans after I split a seam on the tube after bending down to pick up my Oyster card.
''And since reverting back to smarter, looser fitting jeans and trousers I've found the problem has gone away.''
