Do not touch! 5 dangerous body parts to touch unnecessarily

Or rather, what’s under the fingernails. Many unpleasant bacteria can live there, including staphylococcus. It doesn’t matter whether you wear long nails or prefer short nails – in any case, you can only clean them with a brush. And it’s not just that you can’t clean them with sharp objects – you don’t have to get a fingernail under the other fingernail! It can also hurt. And then bacteria and fungi can cause other problems, like onycholysis, when the nail detaches from the nail bed. And it’s good if the inflammation does not start, after which the nail will have to be completely removed from the surgeon and a new one will grow. For a long time.

Never put your fingers or anything else (including cotton swabs!) in your ears. This can damage the thin skin lining the ear canal or push wax or a foreign body so deep that you need to see a doctor. By the way, if the ear itches a lot, there is a feeling of a foreign body inside, or the hearing has deteriorated, then you need to go there and not climb into the ear with your fingers. The doctor will determine that it is a simple blockage, eczema or an infection and will prescribe the appropriate treatment. And cotton swabs are needed to clean the auricle, not the ear canal. Well, or to fix a missed arrow.

You can climb there only with clean fingers and only to put in contact lenses or remove a straw that has entered the eye. It’s very easy to catch an infection in your eyes, so if your hands feel like rubbing them again, hold back. If you often experience itching, dryness, or discomfort from contact lenses, see an eye doctor. And if not, remember: catching conjunctivitis is easier than ever if you rub your eyes with dirty hands (they’ll get dirty as soon as you pick up your phone, by the way).

British scientists recently found that people who are bored at work touch their mouth or around their mouth an average of 23 times an hour (“Straighten your back and take your left hand away from your face!”). And when they are busy, they still do it on average six times. That’s a problem: According to the Journal of Applied Microbiology, between a third and a quarter of bacteria enter the mouth through the fingers. By the way, you are probably used to touching your lips not only at work, but also at home – for example, when holding the phone in one hand and scrolling through the stream. Better to get an anti-stress toy and play with it.

According to a 2006 study, picking your nose increases the likelihood of the harmful bacteria Staphylococcus aureus taking up residence in the nostrils by 51%. Fighting it is long and difficult, so best to forget the ingenious “There’s nothing nicer to do than picking your nose.” Honestly, blowing your nose is enough. And most importantly – safe!