Doctors in Bihar and Maharashtra warned that draping your sarees tightly may give you skin cancer, according to a report in IANS. Doctors from Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College in Wardha, and Madhubani Medical College and Hospital in Bihar have treated two women with this type of cancer.

They warned that the tightly tied waist cord of the underskirt (petticoat) traditionally worn under a saree may cause continued friction linked to chronic inflammation, leading to skin ulceration and in some cases, progress to skin cancer. This was earlier described as “saree cancer,” but it is the tightness of the waist cord that’s to blame. The doctors also referred to a study published in the BMJ Case Reports, now also known as ‘petticoat cancer’.

Speaking of the cases, the first one was a 70-year-old woman who needed medical help because of a painful skin ulcer on her right flank that she had for 18 months and which wouldn’t heal. The skin in the surrounding area had lost its pigmentation. She wore her petticoat underneath her Nauvari saree which was tightly tied around her waist. Following her complaints and symptoms, the doctors conducted a biopsy which revealed that the woman had a Marjolin ulcer, also known as squamous cell carcinoma.

Another woman in her late 60s consulted doctors for an ulcer on her right flank that wouldn’t heal for two years. The woman has been wearing a traditional ‘lugda’ saree daily for 40 long years which is tied very tightly around the waist without an underskirt. A biopsy specimen revealed that she too had a Marjolin ulcer. The cancer had already spread to one of the lymph nodes in her groyne.

The doctors explained that while a Marjolin ulcer is rare, it can be aggressive. It develops in chronic burn wounds, non-healing wounds, leg ulcers, tuberculous skin nodules, and in vaccination and snake bite scars.

The authors said, “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.”

Doctors recommend wearing a loose petticoat beneath the saree to ease pressure on the skin, and to wear loose clothing if skin problems develop to allow the area to heal.

The 70-year-old diagnosed with saree cancer said, “I hope my story will raise awareness among women about the potential health risks associated with traditional clothing practices and encourage timely medical consultation for unusual skin conditions.”

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