If you don’t wash your butt properly, you may suffer from itching, pain, hemorrhoids, etc.! How important is it to wash your butt?

Reviewer of this article: Chen Haixu, Deputy Director and Master Supervisor of the Second Medical Center of PLA General Hospital

In daily life, most people will take into account the "face" problem, and put a lot of effort into washing their faces, using facial cleansers, facial cleansing devices, cleansing masks... for fear that they can't wash their faces clean.

But did you know that there is another part that needs to be cleaned carefully, and that is the "buttocks".

1

How important is it to wash your butt?

The skin over the anus is full of wrinkles, so even if you wipe the anus after defecation, it is easy for feces and other secretions to remain.

A professor of microbiology and pathology at New York University said in an interview that no matter how carefully you wipe with toilet paper, about 0.1 grams of feces will remain in the folds of the anus, and this 0.1 gram of feces contains about millions of viruses and about 100,000 bacteria!

Long-term dirt residue, coupled with the airtightness, can easily make the anus a breeding ground for bacteria, which can cause a variety of anorectal diseases, such as:

Perianal eczema

Perianal eczema is common among men, women, young and old, regardless of age or gender.

Anal eczema often first presents with papules, erythema, exudation, and erosion before itching occurs. It is paroxysmal and extremely itchy. Scratching the area can cause skin damage and aggravate the itching and pain. In addition, if scratching causes ulceration, cracking, and infection, anal pain and pain during defecation often occur.

In addition to the skin around the anus, eczema may also spread to the perineum, buttocks, thighs and other parts.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

Perianal inflammation

Perianal inflammation often occurs in young and middle-aged people, mostly caused by Staphylococcus aureus, and sometimes caused by infection with Streptococcus, Escherichia coli, and Proteus.

At the beginning of perianal inflammation, patients will find one or more subcutaneous nodules of varying sizes around the anus, with redness, swelling, itching and pain on the surface; as the disease progresses, the nodules gradually soften, suppuration appears inside, the itching and pain will increase, and after they rupture, ulcers will form, which gradually develop and may form anal fistula.

Anal fistula not only causes symptoms such as pain, difficulty in defecation, and anal incontinence, but in a small number of patients, it may also lead to malignant lesions due to long-term inflammatory stimulation.

hemorrhoid

Many modern people suffer from hemorrhoids. The main reasons are long-term constipation, long-term drinking, eating a lot of irritating food and sitting or standing for a long time, which cause venous congestion, dilation and buckling, and eventually form meat lumps.

After hemorrhoids are formed, some secretions will be produced. If the anus is not cleaned properly at this time, if the hemorrhoids rupture, it will cause secondary infection, which may lead to suppuration of the surrounding tissues.

2

Wash your buttocks properly.

These are the 4 things you need to know

01

Don't do it too often, just once a day is enough

Some people like to be clean and wash two or three times a day or even more. Every time they wash, they want to clean the inside of the anus as much as possible, but it is not necessary.

Excessive cleaning will change the local physiological state and disrupt the normal secretory function of the anal canal. Too much retrograde stimulation will cause the anal canal and the end of the rectum to be in a state of congestion, which will make it more likely to suffer from anorectal diseases in the long run.

The correct way should be to wash it once a day, clean it in a natural state, and do not wash too deeply, just clean the skin around the anus.

02

No soap or shower gel, just water

In order to wash more thoroughly, many people use shower gel, soap, etc., but doing so will reduce the anus's resistance to disease.

The skin around the anus is weakly acidic and has a lipid layer on the surface. Most soaps are alkaline, and shower gels contain some chemical ingredients that will affect the pH value of the skin around the anus and interfere with the acid-base balance. In addition, washing away the lipid layer will make the skin dry, which may cause discomfort such as itching around the anus in the long run.

The correct way: just wash with warm water.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

03

Use a shower head whenever possible

It is cleaner and more sanitary to rinse with running water. When washing, control the water temperature, about 40℃ is more appropriate, not too hot or too cold.

04

Special basin for special use

If there is no shower, you can also choose to wash in a basin, but be sure to use a dedicated basin for each purpose. Do not mix them or use the basin for washing your butt to wash socks, etc.

3

Regarding buttocks care,

You also need to do these

Wipe your butt correctly

Wiping the buttocks requires careful considerations - if the direction is wrong, it can easily induce infection; if it is not wiped clean, bacteria can hide and may cause inflammatory irritation of the mucous membrane and burning pain in the anus; if the technique is too rough, it may cause poor microcirculation and easily induce hemorrhoids.

①Direction: From front to back

Whether defecating or urinating, women are best to wipe from front to back when wiping their buttocks.

Because the defense ability against pathogenic bacteria is anus > vagina > urethra, wiping from front to back can better reduce the risk of urinary tract infection.

For men, wiping like this after defecation is also healthier.

② Technique: "One dip, two wipe, three turn" principle

"One dip" means folding the toilet paper and pressing it vertically and lightly on the anus.

"Two wipes" means wiping with even force, and it is best to wipe in one direction from front to back.

"Three turns" means turning two and a half turns clockwise to wipe more cleanly.

In addition, if conditions permit, using wet toilet paper can wipe more thoroughly.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

Change underwear frequently

I would especially like to remind some male friends that it is best to change your underwear once a day. Don’t think it is unnecessary. Also, wash your underwear in time and don’t pile them up for a week.

In addition, underwear should be replaced every 3-6 months. If it has become obviously yellow and difficult to wash off, and has become increasingly hard, you should consider replacing it in time.

Breaking the sedentary habit

Sitting for a long time can easily put the buttocks in a humid environment, which is more likely to produce bacteria and affect health. Moreover, people who are accustomed to sitting for a long time accumulate fat in the buttocks muscle tissue twice as fast as the average person's fat cells, which will make the buttocks large and flat.

Wear less tight pants

Whether men or women, it is not recommended to wear tight pants for a long time. The poor ventilation makes it easy for bacteria to grow. Moreover, for women, the urethra, vagina, and anus are very close. Wearing tight pants can easily bring feces to the vaginal opening during friction, which can easily increase the chance of infection. For men, the biggest impact is that tight underwear may affect the sperm count of adult men.

Source: I am a great doctor official account

The watermarked images and cover images in this article are from the copyright gallery, and the image content is not authorized for reprinting