Doctor Reveals the Body Parts We Aren’t Washing Enough
Be brutally honest: do you always give your whole body a scrub when you get in the shower?
You may be rushing out of the door and trying to freshen up as quickly as possible, or perhaps you only focus on a few key areas during your post-gym hose down.
According to Dr Jen Caudle, however, skipping the thorough ‘everything shower’ too often can impact your health.
By Jessica Lindsay
The US-based family doctor shared two TikTok videos detailing the body parts we’re not washing enough, racking up over 2.5million views for her sage hygiene advice.
In the first clip, Dr Jen highlights the importance of cleaning your belly button and behind your ears, advising to remind yourself to do so by rubbing your ear and giving your finger a sniff: ‘If it and it’s gross, you haven’t washed it recently.’
Abbas Kanani, pharmacist at Chemist Click, previously told Metro: ‘Your belly button is a bit of an obscure location where moisture can cause a build up of bacteria. Behind the ears should also be on the list, as sebaceous glands collect sweat and release sebum, causing a build up of dirt.’
Next up, Dr Jen called out nails as potential hubs of germs, saying: ‘A lot of dirt and grossness gets trapped under our fingernails. We don’t often think about it.’
Fingernails can harbour (and spread) infections like pinworms and bacteria that could cause diarrhoea and vomiting, so it’s worth regularly giving them a good clean.
Legs were the next to take Dr Jen’s attention, echoing the age-old Twitter meme about how they’re often missed out.
‘I want you to actually wash your legs,’ said the health expert. ‘I’m not talking about letting soap run down your legs in the shower, I’m talking about washing.’
Fresh shower behind wet glass window with water drops splashing.
Ears and feet are rarely cleaned as often as they should be (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Finally, she claims toes are the fifth most commonly-forgotten area, adding: ‘You want to make sure you’re providing infections of many different sorts, so make sure you’re deliberately washing your toes – and the rest of your body, by the way.’
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According to Abbas, the ‘accumulation of sweat can cause fungal infections’ on our toes, and smelly feet can be as a result of bad hygiene habits.
In her second video on the topic, Dr Jen prompted her 160,000 followers to wash the crease around their nose, as it can become ‘oily’ and ‘greasy’ if you don’t get right into the nooks and crannies while cleansing.
For those who have ‘backne’, she also recommends spending more time washing your back, properly with a washcloth and soap instead of just letting the water run over it.
The bottoms of feet come next, with Dr Jen saying: ‘No, it’s not just enough that you’re in a wet environment in the shower. Make sure you get the bottom of your feet to reduce your chances of infection.
‘It also helps exfoliate, and everybody wants soft feet, right?’
Dr Jen’s top 10 areas not to forget in the shower
The belly button
Behind the ears
Under the fingernails
Legs
Between the toes
The crease around the nose
Back
Bottoms of the feet
Underneath folds and rolls
Inside the ears
She continues by mentioning ‘folds’ – the skin underneath breasts, tummy rolls and anywhere else that needs to be lifted or moved to get clean.
And, last but not least, inside the ears. Although Dr Jen doesn’t endorse cotton buds (Q-tips in the US), she does say it’s safe to take a cloth, wrap it around your finger and get the wax that’s ‘coming out of the canal’.
Perhaps it all seems like common sense to you, but proper hygiene is essential for preventing contagious diseases, something doctors know only too well.
Not only that, it keeps you smelling fresh and looking sharp – good for both yourself and those around you.
Source: Metro.co.uk
