Doctors reveal 3 body parts often neglected in the shower

Keep it clean!

Dr. Jason Singha primary care physician in Virginia, reveals three body parts you might be neglecting in the shower — your belly button, your feet, and your ears.

“Let’s face it – when was the last time you pampered your belly button?” Singh asked his 96,300 TikTok followers. In a video last month.

“This area harbors dirt, sweat, and bacteria, especially in those with a deep navel, known as an introvert,” Singh continues. “The anatomy of the navel creates a warm, moist environment that can be a breeding ground for bacteria and fungi, which can lead to discharge, bad odor, and infection.”

Teen Vogue reports Once or twice a week, people with an inverted belly button should clean the belly button area with a cotton swab and mild soap, while people with an outward-facing belly button should lather it with a washcloth or sponge.

Next, Singh says you need to focus on your feet. He points out Soles There are more sweat glands than anywhere else in the body.

“It’s like a hormonal teenager with toes,” he joked. “The sweat, combined with the warm environment created by wearing shoes and socks, provides an ideal habitat for bacteria and fungi.”

He added: “Keratin, a protein found in skin, nails and hair, can also serve as a food source for these microbes, further exacerbating the problem.”

Poor foot hygiene can lead to Fungal infection tinea pedis or Staphylococcal infectionwhich is when bacteria enter the skin through a cut or wound.

Finally, don’t forget to clean behind your ears.

“The sebaceous glands behind the ears produce sebum, which is a mixture of sweat and dirt,” Singh explains. “The folds and crevices of the skin in this area hold these substances and can create an environment conducive to bacterial overgrowth, and because it’s close to the hair, which also contains a lot of oil, a lot of nasty gunk can form and build up there.”

Singh’s proposal reflects “Grandmother hypothesis”.

Keith Crandall, founding director of the Institute for Computational Biology and professor of biostatistics and bioinformatics at George Washington University, said his grandmother told him and other children in the family to “scrub behind their ears, between their toes and in their belly buttons.”

Crandall speculates that these three areas are washed less frequently and therefore may harbor different bacteria than other parts of the body.

His team of students recently tested this hypothesis by Collecting skin samples From the perspective of three major hot spots.

They found that these areas were likely to harbor higher numbers of unhealthy microorganisms than areas that were frequently scrubbed.