These 7 parts of your body really don’t need to be cleaned too thoroughly!

Nowadays, the "cleaning" projects on the market are becoming more and more dazzling: head massage, foot bath, ear picking, nose washing... Not only are there many varieties, but the duration is also increasing. Just to pick your ears, you need to use all kinds of weapons, and it can take at least half an hour.

In addition to traditional projects, some new cleaning methods are also quietly being put on the shelves, such as the "eye washing" that makes people's eyes hurt just thinking about it. Merchants call it: wiping away the dust from the windows of the soul.

Even the intestines are included in the cleansing list.

Image source: Screenshot of social platform

Although some people feel relaxed after cleaning, in fact, some parts of the human body do not need to be cleaned too clean. Excessive cleaning may have the opposite effect on them.

ear

Cleaning your ears while lying on your mother's lap is a warm memory shared by many people, but this part of your ears, which many people have been cleaning for decades, actually does not need to be cleaned frequently.

Earwax is not the excretion of the ear canal. Its scientific name is cerumen, which is composed of an antibacterial and waterproof waxy substance secreted by the epidermis and cartilage of the external auditory canal. This waxy substance can prevent foreign objects such as dust and insects from entering, and can also keep the ear canal dry, maintain acid-base balance, and prevent fungal reproduction.

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In our daily chewing, swallowing or exercise, they will continue to move to the external auditory canal and be discharged naturally. Frequent ear cleaning will frequently stimulate the glands in the external auditory canal, causing more waxy substances to be secreted, resulting in more and more ear cleaning.

In addition, the ear picks and cotton swabs that people often use when cleaning their ears are also dangerous. The ear picks are too hard, and if someone does not follow the "don't touch me when cleaning your ears" rule, it is possible to damage the eardrum, causing pain and hearing loss. Cotton swabs will push earwax deeper into the ear canal, and after cleaning for a long time, it is useless.

Some people are used to going to an ear cleaning shop to find a professional technician to clean their ears, but this practice is also not recommended. At present, the profession of "ear cleaning technician" has not been certified in China, and therefore lacks industry standards and audits. According to news reports, the disinfection of instruments in these shops is often not up to standard, which may cause fungal infection in the ears.

If water accidentally enters your ears while you are bathing or swimming, or if your external auditory canal is narrow and the earwax discharge ability is poor, or if you are an elderly or child, you need to go to the hospital and ask a doctor to use professional tools to remove it.

belly button

The habit of belly button picking has always been controversial.

The older generation often said that the belly button is connected to the intestines and picking the belly button can easily cause stomach upset. Some people think that this place is full of wrinkles and is very easy to accumulate dust, sweat, sebum and other dirt.

In fact, the origin of the belly button is very simple: after the baby is born, the umbilical cord connecting the mother will be cut off, and the remaining part outside the belly will slowly shrink to form the belly button. It has nothing to do with the intestines.

However, this does not mean that you can do it with confidence.

Although the navel is not connected to the internal organs, it is close to the peritoneum and is also the weakest part of the abdominal cavity. It only has surface skin and fibrous connective tissue under the skin, but no muscle layer. If you scratch it with your fingernails, you may scratch the surface skin and cause bacterial infection.

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In addition, the nails contain a large number of bacteria. If they accidentally enter the body through the navel, they may cause inflammation and, in severe cases, peritonitis.

Studies have shown that there are 2,368 types of bacteria in the human belly button, but most of them are common bacteria such as Staphylococcus and Bacillus, which will not cause much harm to the skin.

If you don't clean this area, the biggest problem may be: there is a peculiar smell and it looks unsightly. If you want to clean it, it is best to use a cotton swab dipped in a proper amount of clean water and alcohol, and gently rub it in the belly button, but don't do it too frequently.

nostril

Many people are accustomed to picking their noses and trimming their nose hairs every day, but these two behaviors pose great safety risks.

The "boogers" that people pick out when they pick their noses are not actually "boogers" in the strict sense, but mucus secreted by the nasal mucosa. It has many functions: moistening the nose, catching dust and cell debris. Frequent nose picking will stimulate the nasal mucosa to secrete more mucus.

In addition, the capillaries in the nose are very rich and fragile. You may have had a similar experience: you put your finger in, but you can't reach the booger you want to pick out. If you use force, it will bleed accidentally. You should know that the gaps between people's fingernails often hide dirt and grime, especially many people use their little fingers to pick, and this nail may have just been used to pick teeth and ears. Therefore, picking your nose is equivalent to transporting bacteria.

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There is nothing wrong with trimming nose hair. But just imagine if you meet your crush one day and one of his/her nose hairs sticks out of his/her nostril, that would be really unsightly.

However, many people may not be able to trim their nose hair in a scientific way, such as plucking nose hair or trimming nose hair frequently when it does not grow out of the nostrils.

Nose hair is actually a line of defense inside the nasal cavity. Excessive trimming will cause your respiratory system to lack the first round of protection. Pulling out nose hair will damage the hair follicles, allowing bacteria to invade and cause symptoms such as vestibulitis.

Trimming is necessary when the nose hair is too long and grows outside the nostrils. You can use safer tools such as eyebrow scissors to cut off the long part without having to "eradicate the roots".

hair

On many social media platforms, you can see the promotion of head treatment projects: with just a few dozen yuan, you can relieve stress on your head and promote hair growth. The steps involved in the project are also very cumbersome, with various products being applied in turn, and the staff performing various treatments on the hair over and over again.

But in reality, hair doesn't need to be washed so ceremoniously.

If your scalp rarely produces oil and your living and working environment is clean, you can wash your hair every two or three days. If your hair will smell and your scalp will itch if you don't wash it for a day, then washing it once a day is fine.

But when washing your hair, it is best to use your fingertips to make circles on the hair and scalp, so that you can clean it while protecting the hair follicles.

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For example, in a head massage parlor, a wash may take at least an hour, and the scalp will be pulled, stretched, and scratched. Various tools (such as massage tools with many sharp tentacles) will be used to press the scalp repeatedly, which will damage the hair follicles and cause traction alopecia.

Eye

Eyewashing is a new cleaning item in many health stores. With the lubrication of eyewashing liquid and other tools, a bunch of "tiny garbage" can be easily cleaned out. Many stores will say: This is old dirt. After all, few people have washed their eyes by themselves.

But in reality, human eyes don't need to be cleaned at all in most cases.

The human eye has its own cleaning system: whether crying or laughing, opening or closing the eyes, the goblet cells and accessory lacrimal glands of the conjunctiva will secrete basal tears, which include sterilizing substances such as salt and globulin. Every time you blink, they will be brushed onto the surface of the eyeball to form a tear film. When dust enters, the eyes will naturally shed tears to wash away the foreign matter.

If you frequently use eyewash solutions with complex ingredients, it will not only destroy the normal flora of the eyes, but may also damage the corneal mucin.

The so-called dirt washed out by eye washing is actually nothing more than eye surface secretions, lipids, detached tissue debris, or facial dust.

Intestinal

Many celebrities have advocated colon cleansing, believing it can detoxify and maintain health, but at present, there is no scientific basis for this. Except for patients with severe constipation who need to go to regular institutions for treatment, there is no need for others to "enema" in health institutions.

Intestinal cleansing and enema refer to the insertion of a catheter from the anus through the rectum into the colon (part of the large intestine). Frequent enema will destroy the intestinal flora and affect the excretion, digestion and absorption functions of the intestine. If it is not done by a professional, it may also cause the risk of intestinal perforation.

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There are many similar news reports: a citizen experienced severe pain in the lower abdomen and lower back after having an enema at a health care institution and was diagnosed with intestinal perforation; another citizen felt severe pain in the lower abdomen while having an enema and was diagnosed with rectal injury.

Private Parts

There are countless rumors about women's bodies, such as: menstrual blood is waste blood, menstruation is a way to expel toxins; cervical erosion is a serious disease that needs to be treated quickly; and: women's vaginas are not clean and need to be cleaned frequently with gynecological wash.

In fact, there are many kinds of microorganisms in the female vagina, which are relatively stable under the action of lactobacillus and work together to resist the entry of foreign bacteria. It can be said that it has the ability to clean itself, and only needs to be cleaned with warm water every day.

Gynecological washes with bactericidal effects can only be used for a short period of time. Frequent use will destroy the self-cleaning environment of the female vulva.

If you feel unwell, it is best to seek medical attention rather than cleaning yourself.

Being too clean may be a disease

There is nothing wrong with loving cleanliness. It means that a person is diligent and wants to keep himself clean and leave a good impression on others. However, some people may not just love cleanliness, but may have mysophobia.

Mysophobia in the medical field is different from the one in daily conversation. It is a psychological disease and belongs to obsessive-compulsive disorder. If you have the following conditions, you may have mysophobia:

1. Repeated cleaning beyond the normal range.

2. Avoid contact with other people and their belongings.

3. You know that excessive cleaning is unnecessary, but you still can’t help doing it.

4. Not only will you over-clean yourself, but the people around you must do the same.

When the above four points are met and one feels anxious, disgusted, or angry if these four points cannot be achieved, then one is suffering from mysophobia.

Once such a situation seriously affects the normal life and work of you or the people around you, for example, you dare not go out for fear of being contaminated by bacteria, and even if you go out you have to wear protective clothing. If there is a small gap in the protective clothing, you will be nervous and anxious. You should consult a doctor in time.

In short, many parts of the human body have self-cleaning capabilities, and they can be kept very clean without excessive cleaning. Once they are over-cleaned and their original environment is destroyed, various problems may arise.

References

[1]HulcrJ,LatimerAM,HenleyJB,etal.Ajungleinthere:bacteriainbellybuttonsarehighlydiverse,butpredictable[J].PloSone,2012,7(11):e47712.

[2] OkudaI, BinghamB, StoneyP, HawkeM (June1991). "Theorganiccompositionofearwax".TheJournalofOtolaryngology.20(3):212–5.P.

[3]Earwax:MedlinePlusMedicalEncyclopedia.medlineplus.gov.[2021-03-07].

[4]ShahS,Donze-ReinerT,ShahV.Diversityofnavelmicrobiomeinyoungadults.JMedMicrobiol.2020;69(5):721-727.doi:10.1099/jmm.0.001192IF:3.196Q3

[5]GuptaA,DhingraA.ChronicRhinotillexomaniaLeadingtoUnilateralExternalNareStenosis[J].Cureus,2018,10(8).

[6] OkudaI, BinghamB, StoneyP, HawkeM (June1991). "Theorganiccompositionofearwax".TheJournalofOtolaryngology.20(3):212–5.P.

Planning and production

Author: Li Mi, popular science creator

Reviewer: Tang Qin, Director of the Science Popularization Department of the Chinese Medical Association, National Health Science Popularization Expert