Most people consider proper personal hygiene to be second nature, even if they occasionally skip a shower, forget to floss or sleep on dirty sheets. What could possibly go wrong? We interviewed the experts, and the results may surprise you.
Continue reading to discover the five awful hygiene habits that are more harmful than you thought.
1. Rarely showering or bathing
Personal hygiene plays a more essential role than just eliminating body odor. In other words, soap and water can help you avoid acne, rashes, and life-threatening diseases. Bacteria on the body spread quickly and cause itching, irritation, and inflammation, feeding on lots of dead skin cells. If you’re already diagnosed with a skin disease like eczema, avoiding showers regularly can exacerbate it. If you avoid showering completely, a condition known as dermatitis neglecta will develop. Brown plaque forms thick spots on the skin, which can lead to secondary infections. However, dermatitis neglecta may easily be treated with proper cleaning. To break down the plaque in severe situations, topical treatment may be required.
2. Avoiding to brush or floss your teeth regularly
What would happen if you stopped brushing and flossing your teeth? You'd have swollen, bleeding gums, terrible breath, and possibly cavities. Cavities that go untreated can spread to the nerve, requiring root canals, and debris in your mouth can develop gum disease, a painless condition that eventually leads to tooth loss. A number of studies show a link between gum disease and other health problems such as heart disease and diabetes. To examine your oral health situation, visit a dental center.
3. Going to bed with your makeup on
It's tempting to fall asleep without wiping off your makeup at the end of a long, stressful day. According to makeup artists and skincare specialists, this is one of the most serious hygiene mistakes you can make. Neglecting to wash your face on a daily basis can cause clogged pores, which can result in blackheads and pimples as well as uneven complexion due to an overgrowth of the epidermis. Additionally, forgetting to remove mascara, eyeliner, and other eye makeup can result in a severe eye infection. Makeup contains bacteria that can move behind your eyelids, causing styes, irritated lash follicles, and dangerous skin disease. Failure to treat these ailments can eventually make you blind.
4. Rarely washing your bedding
Some adults try to avoid doing laundry like the plague, but if you do, you're asking for problems. Bedding sets that haven't been washed in months (or longer) become food for bacteria, fungi, dust mites, and more, and it's just going to get worse day by day because bacteria spread very quickly. Unwashed bed sheets, pajamas, and clothing, in the worst-case situation, may lead to a staph infection. If a staph infection enters your blood vessels, it can lead to a more dangerous ailment such as septicemia or toxic shock syndrome, both of which can be life-threatening.
5. Leaving your contact lenses in for days
Overwearing contact lenses that are never cleaned properly or at all is one of the worst hygiene practices an ophthalmologist has ever seen. "Wearing a contact lens for a week or more increases the risk of severe eye infections, including corneal ulcers," says one expert, who compares this habit to wearing the same dirty underwear every day.
It's understandable if the term "corneal ulcer" makes you shiver. An open sore on the cornea is called a corneal ulcer. It causes pain, redness, and blurry vision. Antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral eye treatments can usually heal corneal ulcers, but in some situations, a cornea transplant is required.
