Whether you use toilet paper, wet wipes, or a bidet, cleaning yourself properly after pooping or peeing is an important hygiene practice that helps to prevent the spread of germs and bacteria.
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While we might think of wiping oneself after using the bathroom as basic practice, turns out, not all of us might actually be doing it right.
BuzzFeed News spoke to Dr. Allison Rodgers, who’s an OB-GYN and endocrinologist at Fertility Centers of Illinois, to reveal the best way we should be wiping.
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Always go from front to back
As per Dr. Rogers, both people with penis and people with vagina should be going from front to back while wiping. In other words, from ‘clean to dirty’. Dr. Rogers explains this saying,
Our rectum and our stool have a lot of bacteria that can be harmful to the vagina and to the urethra, which is where the urine comes out.
I think that a lot of people will, not because they're trying to, but inadvertently, get stool from their rectum up to their vagina if wiping from back to front.
As per the doctor, wiping properly is especially important in case of people with vaginas.
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Be gentle while wiping and don’t go overboard
The article states that improper wiping includes both wiping not enough and wiping too much. For example, not wiping yourself properly after pooping can give rise to an itchy butthole, and no one wants that right! As Dr. Rogers says,
It can be incredibly irritating to the skin, and then you have an itchy butthole — and that’s embarrassing.
As per the doctor, there is no standard medical advice as to whether we should be sitting down or standing while wiping.
Sources used:
BuzzFeed News: ‘Here’s How To Properly Wipe Yourself After Using The Bathroom. Yes, There’s A Right Way To Do It.’
