Health Benefits of Wearing Pantyhose

Whether you want to keep warm or sometimes you want a polished look. We prefer our appearance to be one where thigh dimples and midsection bulges are smooth out or appear to be nonexistent. To camouflage such imperfections, some of us slip into a well-fitting pair of pantyhose.

One might argue that a polished look can be achieved without hosiery and that pantyhose are an unnecessary addition to any wardrobe. But when it comes to the health benefits that pantyhose offer, that argument becomes challenged and even weakened.

Pantyhose provide an array of benefits for our body's lower extremities. These benefits range from protecting the skin to reducing risks of blood clots.

Protection of Skin

Pantyhose reduce friction and protect the skin on the feet and legs.

Reduces Friction

Wearing shoes without pantyhose is especially hard on our feet. Friction between the shoe and foot causes discomfort. It also leads to bruises, abrasions, and even unsightly corns on our feet. Properly fitting pantyhose absorbs sweat. They also keep our feet from sliding and scraping the inside of a shoe. This protects the skin on our feet and aids in comfort.

Pantyhose reduce friction for our legs too. Legs in motion present more opportunity for friction as inner thighs sometimes rubs together. The continuous rubbing of thighs sometimes results in an unpleasant skin irritation called chafing. Keeping chafe at bay is another way pantyhose reduce friction. Pantyhose create a comfortable barrier between our thighs.

When we wear pantyhose, the natural movement of our legs is not disturbed. It is enhanced by nylons that allow our inner thighs to meet and move past each other in a smooth, continuous motion. The presence of pantyhose eases the discomfort of inner thigh friction and decreases the possibility of chafing. It also helps us maintain the stride of our fluid, confident walk.

Blocks Ultraviolet Rays

Damage from ultraviolet (UV) rays affects us [women] more than men. We wear dresses and skirts, so our legs are exposed to the sun on a more regular basis. Exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays can result in sunburn, premature aging of the skin, and even cancer.

Preventative measures for the risks associated with UV rays are a top priority for some of us. And manufacturers of pantyhose are responsive to this priority. Some pantyhose provide protective agents against these harmful effects from the sun. Pantyhose with an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) provide varying degrees of blockage to protect the skin on our legs.

Controls Temperature

The versatility of pantyhose provides benefits no matter what the temperature is outside. Thicker nylons keep bites of the cold from nipping at our legs during cooler months. Cold air causes more than shivers. Those of us who sport a pair of pantyhose during cooler weather do so with an extra layer of protection from frigid air that could dry out our skin. Since pantyhose hug the skin, they effectively secure the natural warmth, oils, and moisture around our legs. The combination of heat and moisture protects our legs. Heat and moisture from wearing pantyhose provide us with softer legs during cooler weather.

However, the heat-moisture duo becomes more of a nuisance during hot, humid weather. Trapped heat and moisture leave behind sweaty and smelly areas. Of course, we want to take any measures that we can to avoid this. Some nylons offer moisture-wicking material to reduce sweat and odor. Others, such as ultra-sheer nylons, offer light breathable support during warmer months.

Thigh-highs are a nice summer alternative. Although they do not offer full support like pantyhose, they still provide a layer of protection for our legs.

Nasty bacteria may be another concern when temperatures rise. Bacteria thrive in warm wet places. Nylons might appear to be a breeding ground for bacteria, especially in areas like our toes. We still have options for this particular threat. Some pantyhose combat this with anti-microbial properties that ward off these unwanted organisms. There are even toeless options that offer more breathability and reduce nasty bacteria associated with moisture.

These are just a few benefits to wearing hosiery. More will be explored and explained.

But first, let's pause to revisit the case that questions the necessity of pantyhose to an everyday wardrobe.

The following two questions might be worth thinking about: Do health benefits provided by pantyhose complement the polished look of wearing pantyhose? Or does the polished look of wearing pantyhose complement the health benefits they provide? In other words, which one helps which? For some of us, health benefits far outweigh a polished look. So, health benefits complement a polished look. For others, achieving a polished look is the only thing that entices us to wear pantyhose and is, therefore, more important.

It doesn't matter which response was chosen because pantyhose are a necessary part of both.

Explanation of the first few health benefits of pantyhose helps us to realize just how necessary they are for an everyday wardrobe. Having a polished look in addition to the first few health benefits discussed is simply a bonus. There may be other ways to accomplish a polished look. However, very few of those ways provide health benefits such as protection and comfort for our skin.

What has been explained so far may seem more related to benefits for comfort rather than health. In fact, each benefit previously mentioned concerns surface-level situations and may seem minor. But if neglected, each one could result in a situation that would require more serious attention to health.

Most of us might agree that protecting our skin with pantyhose largely relates to easing discomfort. If we think about it, discomfort is our body's way of letting us know that something is wrong. Pantyhose ease a variety of everyday discomforts. In quite a few cases, they also treat the central cause of that discomfort.

Ease of Everyday Discomforts

We often experience discomfort when our leg muscles have been over or under-stimulated. Compression pantyhose provide benefits for either condition.

Leg Exhaustion

Those of us with jobs that require standing or walking for long periods of time likely experience aches in our feet and pain in our legs. These aches and pains let us know that our legs are exhausted. Leg exhaustion happens when our muscles grow tired. Pantyhose provide extra support for our overworked leg muscles. In addition, support hose energizes our tired muscles so they can hold up through long periods of standing or walking.

Leg Immobility

Sitting for a long period of time creates a state of long, drawn-out rest for our leg muscles. For many of us, this immobile state of our muscles delays the circulation of vital fluids throughout our bodies. This prolonged rest makes our muscles too weak. Weakened muscles hardly perform their normal task of pumping important fluids through our lower extremities and up towards other vital organs. Pantyhose assist weakened muscles. Slight compression from the support hose work to keep excess fluids from collecting in our leg tissues that may cause swelling.

Swelling

Normally, the pumping action of our muscles keeps bodily fluids moving. Our tired or immobile muscles become too weak to encourage movement of bodily fluids. Tiredness, exhaustion, and sluggishness of our underworked or overworked muscles allow accumulation of water in leg tissues and results in edema. Edema is the collection of excessive fluids in tissues. It causes our feet, ankle, and lower legs to swell.

While our legs rest, the gentle compression of pantyhose continues to work. Compression from pantyhose encourages movement of fluids inside our legs, even if our legs have remained still for a long period of time. The benefits of pantyhose work even when our parts of our legs are too weak to do so.

Pantyhose defy gravity. Because of this, they assist our circulatory system.

Help for Circulatory System

Blood naturally flows down. Even when we stand up, gravity is still at work. It constantly tugs at parts on and inside of our bodies in a downward direction. This includes blood constantly drawn from our upper body to our lower body. Healthy circulation of blood goes from the upper body to the lower body and then back to the upper body.

Blood Circulation

Good blood circulation is one of the most important functions in the body. It supplies oxygen to the brain and other organs, tissues, and cells. It supplies vital nutrients to various parts of the body. Without proper circulation of our blood, different parts of our bodies would lack the essential nutrients to function.

In order to go from the lower body to the upper body, blood flow requires the assistance of our legs. Each of our legs contains a calf muscle, which is often referred to as "the second heart."

Now we know that our heart is the main part of the circulatory system. And it plays an important role in pumping blood throughout our bodies. The heart does quite a bit of work, but it cannot do all of the work alone. It has a helper placed in our legs.

This system of muscles, blood vessels, and veins also works to encourage the movement of blood. This keeps the heart in our chest from being overwhelmed with the grand task of maintaining circulation throughout the entire body. The second heart's job is a bit harder. It is responsible for working against gravity and pushing healthy blood back up toward the heart and lungs.

The gentle compression from pantyhose teams up with our second heart to encourage the upward flow of healthy blood. It squeezes and stimulates the blood vessels and veins in our feet, ankles, and legs. Without adequate stimulation, blood backs up into blood vessels. This leads to clogged vessels and poor circulation.

If we have improper circulation or stagnant blood, we will also experience swelling in the feet, ankles, and legs. This swelling may cause tingling sensations or more intense pain. Moreover, swelling restricts movement. Lack of movement or immobility further compounds the problem of poor circulation.

A good fitting pair of nylons promotes better circulation in our bodies. They also reduce risks and pain associated with spider and varicose veins.

Spider and Varicose Veins

Spider veins are small webbed veins commonly found in the legs. They are believed to be caused by damaged blood vessels that are not strong enough to promote the adequate and upward flow of blood. When enlarged and swollen with blood, spider veins increase in size and become varicose veins.

Pantyhose cannot be fully credited for preventing varicose and spider veins. However, pantyhose support encourages blood circulation which alleviates discomfort we may experience because of inflammation of our veins. The light coverage of pantyhose also conceals the unpleasant presence of them.

Aside from poor blood circulation, varicose veins may appear to be harmless blemishes. However, there may be more to varicose veins. They also may be associated with blood clots.

Blood Clots

Blood clots are also related to circulation. They may form in the legs during long periods of inactivity. They block sufficient blood flow. A blood clot becomes life-threatening when it forms in a major vein of the leg. This is known as deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and could result in death if the clot moves to the lung. The gentle pressure of pantyhose combined with leg movement reduces this risk for us.

Pantyhose prove themselves to be a great addition to any wardrobe. They relieve discomfort associated with everyday tasks. Moreover, they help our bodies carry out the essential function of circulation.

Even if we choose to wear pantyhose as enhancements for our physical appearance, we are doing a greater good for other vital parts of our bodies.

Our feet, ankles, and legs carry the bulk of our body weight. Therefore, it is very important that we provide optimal care to each of these lower extremities. A nice pair of hosiery offers delicate care that far surpasses superficial benefits that can only be seen with the naked eye.

The small cost associated with purchasing pantyhose is insignificant in comparison to the health benefits they provide us. Achieving a polished look in the process is only a bonus.