It can be even worse if your bra is tight and rubbing on your skin. The risk of getting an actual skin infection from a dirty bra—anything beyond pimples and some irritated, itchy skin—is really low, Waleed Javaid, M.D., director of infection prevention and control at Mount Sinai Downtown, tells SELF.
“All the dead skin cells, oils and sweat trapped under your bra make for a cesspool of bacteria and yeast,” Dr. Vij explains. “Not washing frequently enough can lead to stains and persistent odors on the bra — as well as skin irritation, rashes or local skin infections from yeast or bacteria.”
“You want to be mindful of how you position your breasts in a bra, particularly during warmer months. When you wear a larger cup size, skin rubbing can occur along the inframammary fold (the area under the breast crease). If you experience rubbing with moisture, you can develop a fungal infection.
"By not washing bras frequently, body soils like sweat, sebum, and skin cells can build up on bras, which can eventually lead to malodors and even residues and dinginess," Wang warns. And, according to Miller, any bacteria left on the bra can lead to annoying skin problems, such as "irritation or rash."
You should wash your bra after 2 or 3 wears, or once every 1 or 2 weeks if you're not wearing it every day. Wash your jeans as rarely as possible, unless you're going for the distressed look. Wash sweaters as often as needed, but be careful not to stretch or shrink them as they dry.
Overuse will lead to detergent buildup, which in turn will lead to the development of a sort of mildew-y smell, because the soap combined with your sweat, oils, and dander creates a perfect environment for bacterial growth.
The risk of getting an actual skin infection from a dirty bra—anything beyond pimples and some irritated, itchy skin—is really low, Waleed Javaid, M.D., director of infection prevention and control at Mount Sinai Downtown, tells SELF.
Unless you're regularly breaking into a sweat, you don't need to change your regular bra every day. A change twice a week (or at least once a week) is a good guideline to aim for. However, breaking into a sweat isn't the only thing that should prompt you to change bras.
You aren't washing your bra enough.
“Any dirty clothes, including bras, often have bacteria that can irritate and infect the skin,” Dr. Frieling says. Chests tend to especially collect sweat.
Mastitis is painful inflammation in your breast tissue that can lead to a bacterial infection. Anyone can get mastitis. It's most common in women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) who breastfeed (chest feed).
"These [ill-fitting] bras also encourage rash and fungus growth because the skin under and around your breasts don't have access to airflow." Sometimes an ill-fitting bra will leave red marks from friction causing skin irritation such as a rash or even broken skin. None of that is normal.
Women may develop a yeast infection on their breast while pregnant or breastfeeding. Wearing poorly fitted shirts or bras can cause irritating friction against the skin or result in sweat becoming trapped in the folds of the skin. Having excess body fat can create skin folds where yeast infections may develop.
About a third of women surveyed said they wash their bras every two weeks — but nearly half of the women surveyed wash them less often than that. (Sports bras are another story. Nearly all the women surveyed wash those after every workout, which seems like a good idea).
It's generally recommended that a bra should last anywhere between 6-9 months, although we think that with good care your bras should last a lot longer. We encourage you to look after them as much as they look after you - extending the life of your clothes by even a small amount has a significant environmental benefit.
"If you don't wear a bra, your breasts will sag," says Dr. Ross. "If there's a lack of proper, long-term support, breast tissue will stretch and become saggy, regardless of breast size." Still, both experts agree that multiple factors play into if and when sagging (technical term: "ptosis") occurs, bra-wearing aside.
As a general rule, you should never wear the same bra two days in a row. "When you let your bra sit for one day, it allows the elasticity to shoot back into the band, prolonging the life," says Luz Cuevas, chief lingerie stylist at Rigby & Peller.
Is it OK to sleep in my bra? There's nothing wrong with wearing a bra while you sleep if that's what you're comfortable with. Sleeping in a bra will not make a girl's breasts perkier or prevent them from getting saggy. And it will not stop breasts from growing or cause breast cancer.
As a general rule of thumb, it's important to have a healthy rotation of bras at the ready so that you're never left blindsided — and bare chested. All things considered, we'd suggest owning 11 bras in total in a couple of distinctive styles that range from everyday to on-occasion.
A rash under your breast or breasts, between the folds of skin, is usually caused by a benign (not cancer) skin condition called intertrigo. It is a very common condition that can occur throughout life. You may hear it called candida intertrigo.
Under-breast soreness (Intertrigo) is a very common problem where moisture and friction can cause redness and pain in the under-breast fold. Although anyone can get it, it is most common in women who have large breasts or sweat a lot. Causes. The main causes are a sweat rash with –“skin to skin”- rubbing and moisture.
If you have a heavily soiled bra that needs a little extra cleaning, there are a few things you can do to provide a deeper clean. You can pretreat sweat stains with mild detergent before washing and target sweat odors by soaking bras in a mixture of water and ¼ cup of vinegar before washing in the washing machine.
While it is correct not to overwash your bras, as it can damage the elasticity of the bra, which is crucial for proper support, Pour Moi's Lingerie Technologist, Lois Siciliano, advises washing them every two to three wears.
“Always hand-wash your bras with a gentle detergent,” Garcia says. Sarah Shotton, the creative director of Agent Provocateur, agrees: “Using the washing machine is just too rough for delicate fabrics.” While a specialty detergent is not required for hand-laundering, one can be nice to have.