A small piece of cloth can have such a big effect! How much do you know about underwear?

A small pair of underwear, although just a piece of cloth, has a great function - on the one hand, it can block the invasion of external stimulation and various dirt; on the other hand, it can also isolate the pants and reduce the friction between the genitals, vulva skin and the pants.

However, do you really know this "close partner" who spends every day with you? Take a look at the following questions and see if you can answer them correctly.

1

How dirty are underwear?

Although underwear tries its best to block external intrusions, it cannot avoid the "filth" from the inside. So this small piece of cloth will slowly be stained with urine, feces, reproductive tract secretions, sweat, sebum, and even various pathogens that parasitize on the vulva, E. coli carried in feces and their metabolic waste, etc.

To sum it up in a simple sentence, underwear is very dirty!

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

Foreign studies have been conducted on students' underwear after wearing it, and the results show that on average each pair contains 0.1 grams of feces, and the maximum contains 10 grams. And 1 gram of feces contains 10 million viruses, 1 million bacteria, 1,000 parasite cysts and 100 eggs.

So changing it every day is a basic habit.

2

What is secretion on underwear?

Normally, there will be no secretions on the underwear of healthy men. The so-called "dirty things" on men's underwear are usually urine stains or feces. However, once secretions are found on men's underwear, it is mostly a pathological phenomenon and the cause needs to be found.

The discharge on women's underwear is usually "leucorrhea". Leucorrhea is a mixture of vaginal mucosal exudate, cervical canal and endometrial gland secretions.

Physiological or normal leucorrhea is white, thin, paste-like or egg white-like, with no odor and a small amount. It does no harm to the body, but is beneficial to the cleansing of the vagina, helps maintain the acid-base balance of the vagina, and prevents the reproduction of pathogenic bacteria.

However, if the properties, odor, and amount of leucorrhea change, such as if the leucorrhea becomes like tofu dregs, it may be candidal vaginitis; if the leucorrhea becomes yellow and sticky with blood, it may be chronic cervicitis... Be sure to seek medical attention in time.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

3

Can underwear be washed together with socks?

It’s best not to.

If you are a healthy person with no foot disease, skin disease, genital disease and good immunity, there is no big problem in washing the two together; but if not, cross-infection is likely to occur.

Moreover, the editor also wants to tell you that although we subconsciously think that socks are dirtier than underwear, the truth is:

Sweat, old keratin, Staphylococcus aureus, fungi, etc. can be basically eliminated by simple washing.

A dirty pair of underwear carries an average of 0.1 grams of feces, and if it contains tens of billions of bacteria and viruses such as hepatitis A virus, rotavirus, salmonella and E. coli, some of them will remain even after washing.

So your socks are not necessarily dirtier than your underwear. But it is not recommended to wash them together.

4

How to sterilize underwear effectively?

Since there are so many bacteria and viruses on underwear, how can we clean it more cleanly? Use disinfectant, hot water...

If you use hot water to iron your underwear: when the boiling water is poured into the basin, the temperature will drop rapidly, and the duration of 100℃ will only be 3-5 minutes at most, so it is difficult to completely kill bacteria.

What about boiling underwear in boiling water? The effect is good, but boiling underwear for a long time will damage the fabric fibers of the underwear and affect the wearing experience.

As for disinfectant, although it can kill bacteria on underwear, a large part of its ingredients are strong oxidants. If it is not rinsed clean, it may cause some potential harm to the human body.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

It is best to use soap to wash underwear. Because soap is alkaline, it can effectively remove acidic secretions on underwear and eliminate mold and trichomonas, two common gynecological pathogens.

The correct cleaning method is to apply soap, scrub for 3 to 5 minutes to allow the soap to fully contact the germs on the underwear, and then rinse with running water.

5

Should washed underwear be turned inside out to dry?

For the human body, underwear is the closest clothing, so it is best to dry it facing the outside.

If you turn your underwear inside out to dry, you will definitely feel uncomfortable thinking about the dust and microorganisms in the air. If a strong wind blows, the wind will carry dust and sand, and you may have to wash it again.

However, some people have questioned this: if it is exposed to the sun upside down and there is no direct sunlight, the sterilization will not be effective!

You are underestimating the penetrating power of sunlight... Underwear is just one or two layers of thin cloth, and the fabric has many gaps, so don't worry about not sterilizing it properly. The important thing is to dry it completely.

If there is little sunlight at home, or if it is cloudy and rainy for a period of time, you should hang your underwear in a ventilated place to dry, or directly use a dryer, hair dryer, etc. to treat it at high temperature.

6

Why do underwear become yellower and harder the more you wash it?

Every time you wash your underwear, the crotch is the area that is rubbed the most. Over time, the fibers inside will break and fall off, and it will become dry and hard to the touch. In addition, if you expose your underwear to the sun for a long time, the cotton fabric in the crotch of your underwear will age faster, easily deform, and become dry and hard.

Therefore, you should pay attention to the issue of "changing" your underwear. If a pair of underwear has been visibly colored and cannot be washed out, or if the underwear has become deformed and has lost its elasticity due to long-term wear, it means that your underwear should be "discarded".

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

7

Why do women like briefs?

And men prefer boxer briefs?

Women's body structure is different from men's. For women, briefs can fit their curves more easily. For example, when wearing tight pants, briefs can be close to the body and comfortable. In addition, women have their menstrual period every month, and the most important thing about briefs is that they are convenient for wearing sanitary napkins.

For men, wearing briefs can easily expose the sides of the body and can also make the crotch feel stuck. Studies have found that men wearing boxer briefs are more sperm-protective.

In 2012, British scientists found that men who wore tight underwear had lower sperm concentrations than those who wore boxer briefs (commonly known as boxer briefs). Boxer briefs can provide a relatively suitable temperature for the testicles, which can better ensure the quality of sperm.

But no matter what kind of underwear you buy, you should pay attention to 3 points:

* Material: The quality of underwear should be cotton, linen, silk, etc., which are not easy to cause allergies, itching and other symptoms. Chemical fiber materials, such as acrylic, cotton (nylon), etc., have poor air permeability and sweat absorption, and are not suitable for long-term wear.

* Size: Underwear that is too tight or too small will make the environment of the vulva humid and hot, which is easy to breed bacteria and cause urinary and reproductive system infections. Therefore, you should choose underwear that fits you well and is conducive to air circulation.

* Color: Light-colored underwear is helpful for timely detection of disease signals. For example, women with vaginitis tend to have yellow or even bloody vaginal discharge, and dark-colored underwear can easily cover up these signals.

8

Women should pay attention to 2 things when wearing underwear

Special underwear for menstrual period

During menstruation, female friends have to use sanitary napkins, and the current designs of sanitary napkins are basically wing-type.

Although it is convenient to tear it off, the adhesive on the back may stick to the underwear, and this adhesive cannot be easily removed from the underwear. If it is a poor quality sanitary napkin, too much adhesive will stick to the underwear, which can be felt by hand or even seen with the naked eye.

For candidal vaginitis, disposable underwear is more suitable

Vaginitis candidiasis is a common disease among women. Most women have suffered from vaginitis candidiasis, especially those who have sexual life, and some even suffer from vaginitis repeatedly.

During the onset of candidal vaginitis, disposable underwear can be used. This is because it can be thrown away at any time to avoid unclean cleaning, which can aggravate the condition or cause a relapse after recovery. In addition to underwear, towels, quilts, basins, etc. will carry bacteria after vaginitis is cured, so they must all be disinfected or purchased again.

Source: I am a great doctor official account

The cover of this article and the pictures with watermarks in the text are from the copyright library and are not authorized for reproduction