Love wearing sarees? Beware: tight petticoats can lead to cancer, new study shows

A recent study documents two women treated for “petticoat cancer,” a condition possibly triggered by tightly tying the waist cord of a saree's underskirt or petticoat. The study, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Case Reports, highlights the health risks associated with this practice.

Doctors, including those from Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College in Uttar Pradesh, explained that continuous pressure and friction from a tight waist cord can cause long-term skin irritation. This irritation can lead to ulcers, which, in some cases, may develop into skin cancer, as reported by PTI.

One of the affected women said the study brought to light “potential health risks associated with traditional clothing practices,” as quoted by PTI.

Doctors clarified that, while the phenomenon was previously described as ‘saree cancer,’ it is the tightness of the waist cord that is to blame.

All you need to know about the two cases

According to the authors, a 70-year-old woman sought medical treatment for a painful skin ulcer on her right side, i.e., between ribs and hip bone, which had been present for 18 months and refused to heal.

The authors noted that the skin around the ulcer had lost its pigmentation. They also mentioned that the woman wore her petticoat tightly tied around her waist beneath her saree.

In the second case, a woman in her late 60s was reported to have had an ulcer on her right flank that had not healed for two years.

"A woman in her late 60s presented with a two-year history of an ulcerating lesion on her right flank. She wore a lugda daily for 40 years. A lugda is tied very tightly around the waist without a petticoat," the authors wrote, as quoted by PTI.

The authors further noted that the biopsies revealed that both women had a Marjolin ulcer, also known as squamous cell carcinoma (ulcerating skin cancer). In the second woman, the cancer had spread to one of the lymph nodes in her groin at the time of diagnosis, the authors said.

Authors warn chronic pressure from tight clothing can lead to non-healing ulcers and potential skin cancer

“Constant pressure at the waist often leads to cutaneous atrophy, which ultimately breaks down to form an erosion or an ulcer. The ulcer at this site does not heal entirely due to ongoing pressure from tight clothing. A chronic non-healing wound results, which may develop malignant change,” the authors wrote in the study, as quoted by PTI. They advised wearing a loose petticoat beneath the saree to ease pressure on the skin and loose clothing if skin problems develop to allow the area to heal.

One of the women diagnosed with skin cancer said, “I have been wearing a Nauvari saree, tightly wrapped around my waist, for most of my adult life. Six years ago, I noticed a small area of depigmentation on my right flank, which I initially dismissed as a minor skin issue.”

With time, the abnormality developed into a non-healing ulcer, causing her concern and discomfort. Upon consulting a dermatologist, the woman said she was diagnosed with skin cancer, which was made worse, largely due to ever-present friction and pressure from tying the saree tightly around her waist.