7 Surprising Benefits of Wearing Silk PJs
By LJ LONDON - Silk can improve your skin, appearance, and overall health. Make this affordable luxury a beauty mainstay.
Actress Jane Birkin’s mother may have been onto something when she told her daughter, “When you’ve got nothing left, all you can do is get into silk underwear and start reading Proust.”
Silk underwear — or silk anything, really — is a small luxury, but it has big benefits. The soft, strong substance not only makes great protection for a silkworm’s pupal stage but also has tremendous effects on women’s health. When spun into sheets, pajamas, and scarves, silk may help ease menopausal hot flashes, prevent the effects of aging, and relieve certain skin conditions. Read on to find out more about why silk may be the other fabric of our lives.
A Cool Haven From Hot Flashes

Hot flashes, that sudden warmth in the face, neck, and chest, are among the most common — and uncomfortable — symptoms of menopause. They’re caused by fluctuating hormones and by a lower threshold for heat that occurs as women age, says Charla Blacker, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. For the 75 to 85 percent of women who suffer from this women’s health issue, she suggests sleeping in light, breathable silk pajamas or on cool silk sheets to help turn down the heat.
A Youthful, Glowing Complexion

The tightly-woven, smooth fibers of silk help keep moisture close to the skin, says Jennifer Peterson, MD, a dermatologist at the Dermatology & Laser Surgery Center in Houston. When you wake up after sleeping on a silk pillowcase, your face will be better hydrated than if you slept on cotton. This is a great beauty tip for those with dry, flaky skin. As a bonus, she says, hydrated, plump skin cells show fewer fine lines (wrinkles!) and more luminosity than dehydrated skin cells.