Female underpants
Health & Fitness By KEMI ILORI
Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Women are physiologically very different from men. Maybe this is the reason why their underwear are described with all kinds of names. The general name for all categories of female underwear is lingerie. Underpants are, however, specifically described as, panties, pants, intimate clothing or knickers. Boxers shorts are fashionable, but not a must for women. To borrow the words of the popular comedian Gbenga Adeyinka; we do not have to worry that “Mandela has to be free!”. Women are the victims of all kinds of designs of underwear, ranging from the ridiculous/ weird, to the sensible.

Ridiculous female underpants dates back to the medieval times when women used to wear “chastity belts”. It was believed that these belts prevented sexual assault as well as helped to prevent promiscusity. These chastity belts had a key which was kept by the woman or her husband (the Crusaders in history, specifically used them to keep their wives faithful). Unfortunately, no museum in the world today, has a sample of such a belt that was used at that time(sorry men who are thinking of getting it for their spouses!). Interestingly, the modern woman believes that sexy underpants are part of her attraction.

Women contrive to wear underpants which they believe will make them more desirable. This natural disposition makes women the target of the most aggressive and sometimes unrealistic marketing where underwears are concerned.

When women buy underpants, they usually buy it with their heart and not their heads; except of course the more conservative ones (usually older or religious women). Women also tend to want to follow the current fashion with regards to underpants. Such is the “G – string showing at the top of your trouser” fashion. This was in vogue a few years back. I had never seen anything so ridiculous and fortunately, that tarty fashion is now obsolete.

You sometimes feel as if these designs are to make women appear like a plaything. Sensible and comfortable underpants can also be attractive. What type of underpants are suitable for good health, especially with regards to the area that the pants are supposed to protect? Like with men, the problems can basically be categorized into two types. The design of the underwear and the material. What should we look out for when selecting underpants as females?

Design: A lot of female underpants designs are tight fitting. This is especially to contour with the body and give a sexy look. Whilst these designs may appear sexy; they are not healthy. Tight underpants may irritate the skin. Irritated tissue is more susceptible to infection than normal tissue. Tight underpants also make the skin hot due to lack of circulating air and many infection-causing organisms thrive in environments that are warm, damp, and dark. Such organisms include bacteria, yeasts, viruses, and other parasites.

A combination of these two factors can contribute to the cause of vulvovaginitis. Vulvovaginitis simply means inflammation or infection of the vulva and vagina. Not only do tight underpants contribute to these infections, they also frequently prolong the recovery period. This means that if you are treating such conditions, you will not respond to treatment as quickly as you should. Female underpants designs are replete with uncomfortable tight and irritating types. Some of these are thongs, G – strings, tight bikini shaped pants, etc. Loose fitting female underpants are by far the more comfortable and healthy design for women. Most women consider them to be unattractive and dowdy. Some attractive but healthy designs are bikini styles which are not tight fitting.

Material: Several important qualities in materials are important. These qualities include the ability of the material to ventilate the area, potential for electrostatic charge build up, allergen potential (i.e. the ability of the material to irritate the skin), etc. The material should allow free flow of air for proper ventilation of the genital area. Non – ventilating materials encourage heat built up, damp and thereby microbial growth (as per the description above).

Electrostatic charge increases the heating up of the genital area. Anything that heats up the genital area can cause heat rash, besides promoting microbial growth. Highly allergic fibres will cause irritation and can cause allergic reactions like angry red rashes, itching, etc. Materials that cause all these problems are usually synthetic by nature. People find synthetic materials easier to maintain because they are easy to wash and a lot of them do not need to be ironed. They also tend to carry colours very well and can be very colourful. Such materials include rayon, polyester, etc. Nice looking lacy pants are usually made from synthetic materials.

They may look nice, but they are usually very irritating to the skin, especially in hot climates like ours. This is probably why most panties have cotton inner linings. The female genital area is sensitive and highly susceptible to irritation from allergic materials. Natural fibres tend to be better. The most advisable fibre for underwear is cotton. Cotton provides quality, comfort and purity. The cotton industry has reacted positively to the initial threat from synthetic materials. Nowadays, you can find cotton underwear that are shrink - proof, colourful and easy to maintain. Ladies should choose comfortable, loose fitting cotton underpants as their preferred underpants. it is also advised not to sleep in your underpants. Not wearing underpants is called free - buffing.

This should be kept to the nighttime. Underpants should be changed everyday and washed before next usage. They should be hung to dry in an airy location, preferably with adequate sunshine. Moist improperly dried underpants can encourage mildew and other microbial growth which can lead to genital infections.