Irregular brushing or flossing of your teeth
What would happen if you abandoned your toothbrush and dental floss? “You would first experience swollen, bleeding gums, bad breath and [you] may develop cavities,” says Natasha Lee, DDS, president of the California Dental Association. Untreated cavities would visit the nerve, requiring root canals, and debris in your mouth would cause gum disease, a simple condition that eventually causes your teeth to fall out.
And it gets worse. “There may be a growing amount of research that indicates an association between gum disease and other health problems like heart condition and diabetes,” notes Lee.
Rarely showering or bathing
“Personal hygiene serves a more important purpose than simply keeping B.O. unfree,” says skincare expert Janine Frances, CME, LMT. it isn’t just gross, in other words: Soap and water can prevent acne, rashes and life-threatening infections. “Bacteria grows rapidly on the body, and when it’s plenty of dead skin cells to feed off of, bacteria on your skin can cause, itching, irritation, and inflammation,” says Frances. “If you have already got a skin condition, like eczema, not showering regularly can make it worse.”
Eventually, a condition called dermatitis neglecta would set in if you stop showering completely, says Frances. You’ll notice thick patches of brown plaque on the skin, and they can result in secondary infections. Luckily, dermatitis neglecta is sometimes treatable with regular washing. In severe cases, topical medication may well be needed to interrupt the plaque.
Going to bed with your makeup on
At the tip of an extended day, it’d be tempting to doze off without washing off your makeup. But any makeup artist or skin care professional will tell you this is often one of all the foremost egregious hygiene mistakes you’ll make. “Not washing your face daily can create clogged pores which may not only result in blackheads and pimples but uneven colour thanks to overgrowth of skin cells,” notes Frances.
And that’s not all: Neglecting to scrub off your mascara, eyeliner and other eye makeup can do serious damage to your eyes. Makeup harbours bacteria, which may migrate under your eyelids and cause styes, inflamed follicles on the lash line, and heavy skin infections. Untreated, these infections could eventually cause blindness.
Infrequently washing your bedding
Laundry may be a chore some people try and avoid just like the plague—but if you really do, you’re posing for trouble. And this does not just apply to clothes; bed sheets that haven’t been washed in months (or longer) become a Petri dish of bacteria, fungus, dust mites and more—and it visiting degenerate exponentially, as “bacteria multiply rapidly,” says Frances. within the worst-case scenario, unwashed bed sheets—and pyjamas and clothing for that matter—will result in a staph infection. If a staph infection makes its way into the bloodstream, it can escalate to a more severe condition like septicemia or TSS syndrome, which may be fatal.
Leaving your contact lenses On for days
One of the poorest hygiene habits that ophthalmologist and eye surgeon Alan Mendelsohn, MD, has ever seen is the overwearing of contact lenses that are never cleaned properly—or the least bit. “Wearing a lens system for every week or longer ends up in an exponential increase in severe eye infections, including corneal ulcers,” says Dr Mendelsohn, who equates this habit to wearing identical dirty underwear each day.
If the term “corneal ulcer” causes you to cringe, it’s a permanent reason. A corneal ulcer is really an open sore on the cornea which causes pain, redness, discharge and blurry vision. Most corneal ulcers are often treated with antibacterial, antifungal or antiviral eye drops, but in some cases, a cornea transplant is critical.
Not washing your bras or underwear regularly
You’re courting yeast infections, thrush and tract infections. Untreated, tract infections can trip the kidneys and cause sepsis, which may be life-threatening, and thrush and yeast infections can cause infertility and internal scarring.
And then there are bras, which most people don’t wash after every wear. like several unwashed clothes, dirty bras trap oils and bacteria, which can eventually cause acne, rashes and worse.
Sharing your toothbrush, razor or hairbrush
Sometimes it is a good thing to be selfish, and private grooming products are an ideal example of a situation during which sharing isn’t necessarily caring. as an example, poor oral hygiene habits are bad enough—you certainly don’t need the bacteria from someone else’s mouth infecting yours. and also the spread of infections is precisely what can happen if you utilize someone else’s toothbrush, says the American Dental Association. the results of oral infections range from gum disease to potentially fatal conditions like heart conditions and diabetes.
Sharing razors isn’t far better, because it cannot only spread skin infections like staph, but the practice can transmit viruses like hepatitis and HIV. Sharing hair brushes can put you in danger of lice and skin rashes.
Reusing towels
It’s common to reuse the identical towel after some showers before tossing it into the laundry. But towels that are used over some times—or are used once at the gym—should be laundered immediately. and that they certainly should not be shared, as they’ll easily harbour bacteria and bodily secretions.
Sharing sweaty towels is a wonderful thanks to spreading dangerous skin conditions and infections, like staph, which may be fatal. Need more reasons to not share towels? How about warts and scabies—or more serious conditions like meningitis, hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia? Chlamydia may be a highly curable condition but left untreated it can cause pelvic disease and even infertility.
Walking barefoot in public showers
They make flip-flops and water shoes for a reason: When sweat, hair and urine collect on shower floors, they will breed bacteria, fungus and mold. Walking barefoot may be a good way to choose up ringworm, tinea and nail fungus, to call some notoriously difficult-to-treat conditions.
Ringworm, a zymosis of the skin, responds well to topical antifungals; however, roundworm is way more persistent. within the worst-case scenario, ringworm may cause a secondary infection which will result in fevers and complications of the systema lymphaticum. Getting a toenail fungus infection means you will be losing your nails on a daily basis—and it’s tough to beat: Not even oral antifungal meds can reliably cure the condition, which can eventually cause permanent deformity of nails and nail beds. In extreme cases, nails infected with fungus have to be permanently removed.
Reusing a bottle without washing it
Staying hydrated is very important, but refilling your disposable plastic bottle too often or refilling your reusable bottle without washing it thoroughly might be as unhygienic as licking on your dog’s toys. In one test, large amounts of bacteria—including the food-poisoning bug E. coli—were found in squeeze-top and screw-top water bottles. Over time, chemicals that leach from dirty plastic bottles can cause conditions like PCOS, endometriosis and possibly carcinoma.
Not washing your produce
How important is it to rinse those apples you acquire from the fruit stand? Pretty darn important, it seems. Ingesting the bacteria on unwashed fruits and veggies can provide you with sickness, and consuming the pesticides on a number of these foods can raise your risk of significant conditions. Pesticides are linked to diarrhoea and insomnia in mild cases; in severe cases, pesticides are often chargeable for conditions like an increased vital sign, respiratory disorder, loss of reflexes, unconsciousness, and even death. Needless to mention, a decent scrub is well well worth the effort.
Not caring properly for eyelash extensions
The most frequent makeup-related reason a patient finishes up in Dr. Mendelsohn’s office, he says, is because of eyelash extensions. “There are varying degrees of toxicity when the glues get into the attention.” He confirms that glue within the eye can cause mild to moderate vision impairment, but within the worst-case scenario, the glue can become embedded within the cornea and cause “keratitis, or inflammation of the cornea, which is acutely painful and typically won’t resolve on its own.”
Leaving in tampons too long
The most notorious consequence of not changing your tampon frequently enough is toxic shock syndrome—a potentially life-threatening infection. The symptoms start with fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and headaches. Left untreated, it can eventually result in failure or death. Luckily, it’s totally rare. the probabilities increase if you mistakenly forget to get rid of a tampon completely—in which case surgical removal could also be necessary.
Never washing your hair
There are hair experts who believe that frequent washing and shampooing can damage your hair. What’s even more damaging? Neglecting to scrub your hair in any respect, ever—even with water. First, your scalp will start to smell. Eventually, bacteria will start to gather and clog your hair follicles, which may lead to infection. Building from oils could cause skin infections, dandruff and yeast to develop. Eventually, with no washing in the slightest degree, your hair could stop growing.
Using your kitchen sponge for too long
Sponges are notorious germ magnets. it is easy to lose track of how long you have been reusing the identical sponge, but you’ll be making yourself sick with the very thing that ought to help protect you. an unclean sponge can spread salmonella, E. coli and Staphylococcus, among other nasty substances. In fact, the typical dirty sponge could also be even more toxic than your toilet. To avoid food- and sponge-borne diseases, replace them frequently.
If you know of any other habits that might cause health concerns, do mention them in the comments section.