If you have sensitive skin you know perfectly well the unpleasant sensation that an irritating garment can cause. This happens when you wear garments made of fabrics and yarns that are too aggressive for your skin. And it becomes a real problem when choosing underwear that’s not suitable for sensitive skin.

Sensitive skin and clothing: how can you choose the right fabric to avoid unpleasant rashes, irritation and itching? These problems can compromise a person's peace of mind, ruin their day and cause serious discomfort. 

Fortunately, there are garments for delicate and sensitive skin made with specific materials that can provide maximum comfort for the skin. Let's find out which they are in this guide to choosing underwear for sensitive skin. 

NATURAL VS. SYNTHETIC MATERIALS: PROS AND CONS

To understand which underwear fabrics to choose for sensitive skin, we can first divide the types of fabric into two macro categories:

• natural materials, such as cotton and silk;
• synthetic materials, such as microfibre and modal.

Natural materials offer numerous benefits for sensitive skins, as they are always soft, breathable and hypoallergenic. Natural materials significantly reduce the risk of allergies and irritation. The disadvantages of this type of material are cost, delicacy and maintenance. 

Cotton and silk allow air to circulate and prevent irritation caused by excessive sweating. They are gentle on the skin, but also delicate in themselves and therefore require more attention during washing. In addition, underwear in natural materials is more expensive than synthetic fabrics and tends to discolour over time.

Synthetic materials, on the other hand, are cheaper and easier to care for than natural fabrics. They are easy to wash and do not shrink, guaranteeing a longer life and greater resistance. They may be specially designed to be antibacterial and breathable, but they do not always provide these benefits. 

These materials often cause irritation due to retained heat and moisture. They are less comfortable for sensitive skin and, finally, some people may be allergic to these types of material. Despite this, two synthetic materials are excellent alternatives for sensitive skin, but only when you choose high-quality underwear. Let's find out more...

FROM SENSITIVE SKIN TO UNDERWEAR: WHAT ARE THE RIGHT FABRICS? 

So what are the most suitable underwear materials for sensitive skin? There are 5 possible options to consider:

• cotton, a soft, breathable and hypoallergenic natural material. Cotton is very durable and easy to wash;
• silk, light and natural, but also luxurious. Its natural softness and hypoallergenic nature make it a perfect choice for sensitive skin. Being more delicate than cotton, it needs more attention during washing;
• modal. This semi-synthetic material is produced from wood cellulose. It is a soft, resistant and breathable material like cotton, but much more elastic. It has two other qualities: it is eco-sustainable and biodegradable. However, make sure you choose quality underwear to avoid irritation and discomfort;
• high quality microfibre. Soft, hypoallergenic and breathable, easy to wash and fast drying. It is important to choose microfibre of the highest quality to avoid irritation. Focenza offers fine underwear such as women's briefs, men's briefs, girls' and boys' underwear in high-quality microfibre;
• tencel. An eco-sustainable material made from eucalyptus pulp. It has several qualities: it is soft, antibacterial, naturally hypoallergenic, breathable, resistant and easy to wash. In this case too, however, it’s essential to choose a high quality product to avoid the risk of irritation to sensitive skin.