Dermatologist reveals gross places people are forgetting to wash
A dermatologist has revealed the gross places that people aren’t washing themselves, which can create serious long term issues.
Failing to shower properly can leave you with a potentially fatal infection, according to a dermatologist.
Lindsey Zubritsky, who calls herself the Dermguru on TikTok, posted a video detailing the three parts of your body you’re probably not washing enough.
“I’m a dermatologist and these are the places you absolutely need to be washing more often than you are,” she said in her video, which has over three million views.
The grossest spot that people are missing is behind the ear, the New York Post reported.
If you put your finger behind your ear and “you notice an odour to it or you feel something “you should be washing it more,” Zubritsky cautioned, explaining that dandruff, sebum and other head-based build-ups often collect there.
The second most neglected spot is the belly button — and what happens if you don’t clean it may be difficult to stomach.
If neglected, the belly button can develop an omphalolith, also known as a navel stone.
“This is a super common area to collect sweat, debris, dirt build-up,” Zubritsky said.
“In fact, if you’re not cleaning it enough, you’ll have so much debris and dirt in there that you’ll develop a navel stone that looks like this,” she said as she shared a photo of a dirty pebble-like monstrosity in someone’s belly button.
Lastly, you’re merely scraping by on hygiene if you’re not regularly washing underneath your nails.
“When you’re showering, you really need to get under those nails with a scrub brush to get rid of the dirt, debris, and build-up,” she explained.
Not cleaning those three areas properly could mean you are a carrier of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a bacteria that is resistant to several antibiotics.
Untreated MRSA infections can lead to sepsis, the body’s extreme — and sometimes deadly — response to an infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The symptoms of MRSA infection can include swelling, warmth, redness and pain.
“If you keep getting bacterial infections on the skin, you could be a coloniser of MRSA in those areas,” Zubritsky warned.
The Post reached out to the dermatologist for additional comment.
Meanwhile, her followers took to the comments section of her video to thank her and tell her about their own cleaning habits.
“Every day I’m reminded I’m cleaner than most ppl,” one gloated.
“I was floored to see how many ppl did not wash their belly button … found out the hard way as an OR nurse,” another lamented.
Zubritsky isn’t the only person encouraging her TikTok followers to improve their bathing habits.
Last year, Dr. Jen Caudle shared the five body parts people aren’t washing enough. She included Zubritsky’s three spots and also told people not to neglect washing their legs as well as their toes.
This story originally appeared on the New York Post and reproduced with permission