‘I’m a doctor – here are five body parts you’re not washing enough’
Practising good hygiene is not only important for our mental health and wellbeing, but it can actually have an impact on our physical health. Not washing your hands, for example, can aid the spread of infections and diseases.
Not washing properly can also leave you more vulnerable to skin conditions and fungal infections. With this in mind, a doctor voiced her concerns that some people do not always give themselves a thorough clean.
Family physician, Doctor Jen Caudle from the US, revealed five parts of the body that are often overlooked when it comes to our hygiene routines.
Sharing advice via TikTok she urged people to make sure they clean:
- The belly button
- Behind the ears
- Under the fingernails
- Legs
- Between the toes.
Speaking to her more than 160,000 followers, she said: “These are five body parts you are not washing enough.
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@drjencaudle
Youre Not Washing These Enough! #bath #bathe #shower #wash #loofah #bodywash #loofahsponge #loofahtiktok #washtiktok #tiktoktaughtme #fyp #fypシ
original sound – DrJenCaudle
“Our number one, your belly button. That’s right, a lot of people don’t wash their belly button at all. Guys, it gets gross. Please wash your belly button.
“Number two is behind the ears. The top of the ear behind this little area here, and the back, and also the lobe I want you to specifically wash that area.”
She revealed one way to know if the back of your ears needs a clean.
“And one way to know is if you do this, you rub your ear, you rub somewhere and you smell it and it’s gross, you haven’t washed it recently,” Dr Caudle said.
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She then moved on to the fingernails.
“The next thing is making sure that you wash or rather scrub underneath your fingernails,” she continued.
“This is where a lot of dirt and grossness gets trapped under our fingernails. We don’t often think about it.”
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fingernails can harbour dirt and germs “and can contribute to the spread of some infections, such as pinworms”.
It says: “Fingernails should be kept short, and the undersides should be cleaned frequently with soap and water.
“Because of their length, longer fingernails can harbour more dirt and bacteria than short nails, thus potentially contributing to the spread of infection.”
Dr Caudle warned that just letting soap and water run down your legs in the shower is not good enough.
She said: “Number four, our legs. Yeah, I want you to actually wash your legs.
“I’m not talking about letting soap run down your legs in the shower, I’m talking about washing. Wash your legs please.
“And number five, your toes. Okay, get in between those toes and make sure you’re washing them.
“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.”
Some of her followers were horrified, with one commenting: “Me thinking it’s common knowledge to wash all of these.”
Another replied: “I already wash these places, ESPECIALLY belly button and legs.”
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