Wiping thoroughly and washing your hands after a bowel movement are the two most important ways to prevent odor and the spread of pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria. For people who have solid bowel movements, this will mean wiping with toilet tissue.
A Consultant Public Health Physician at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Prof. Tanimola Akande, says washing with water, rather than wiping with tissue paper, is more hygienic after defecating.
Failure to wipe correctly could leave you vulnerable to a urinary tract infection or aggravate any existing rectal issues, like hemorrhoids or anal fissures. That's why Health turned to a gynecologist, a medical doctor specializing in the female reproductive tract. They get asked about wiping quite often.
Turns out, wiping isn't even the best move in this case. The International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders recommends washing rather than wiping when you have anal discomfort. If you're at home, you can: Wash in the shower with lukewarm water, especially if you have a handheld showerhead.
What should I use to wipe my butt instead? According to Dr. Goldstein, wet wipes should never, ever be used. Instead, your options are toilet paper and bidets.
Wiping thoroughly and washing your hands after a bowel movement are the two most important ways to prevent odor and the spread of pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria. For people who have solid bowel movements, this will mean wiping with toilet tissue.
The scientific objective of post-defecation cleansing is to prevent exposure to pathogens while socially it becomes a cultural norm. The process of post-defecation cleansing involves either rinsing the anus and inner part of the buttocks with water or wiping the area with dry materials such as toilet paper.
It's best to make sure you're washing this regularly because it's your butthole we're talking about here. No matter which method you choose, getting the soap to a lather and washing or gently scrubbing should take care of most of the debris.
Is it really necessary? No, it's not. Your rectum is a marvelous thing that's designed to keep poop up high until it's time to have a bowel movement. A good wash in the bath or shower should take care of any stragglers.
If the staining only happens occasionally and after you use dry tissue to clean yourself after a bowel movement, this may be due to inadequate cleaning. When you have a bowel movement, there will be faeces that stains the inner lining of the anus. We need to clean the anus of this faeces to prevent skidmarks.
Wiping Front to Back
The reason is that you'll be moving feces away from your more delicate parts, lowering the risk of infection. This prevents the transmission of bacteria and goes a long way in preventing UTIs or an itchy, uncomfortable bum.
In most cases, the best remedy to clean (if you must) is as close as the water that comes from our pipes. Water will easily wash away any particulates without causing abrasions or irritation. If you must use something other than plain water, witch hazel or Balneol can be used in conjunction with your bath or shower.
Unless you have physical limitations that prevent you from doing so (more on this later), it's best to reach around your body, behind your back and through your legs. This position allows you to wipe your anus from front to back, ensuring that feces is always moving away from your urethra.
Yes, it's normal! Let's get straight to the point: butt hair is perfectly normal, just like having hair on your legs and hair down there (aka pubic hair). In fact, most people have hair on their butt cheeks, in between their butt cheeks, or in both places.
Not much is known about how cavemen wiped their butts. But it stands to reason early humans used whatever was on hand. Leaves, sticks, moss, sand and water were common choices, depending on early humans' environment. Once we developed agriculture, we had options like hay and corn husks.
Cleaning your private parts after peeing is an important part of overall hygiene. It helps get rid of odors caused by leftover urine droplets and keeps your genitals healthy. Bacteria need warmth and moisture to grow, so keeping the area clean reduces the risk of skin irritation and bladder and yeast infections.
Lesson number one: "Always wipe from front to back," says Alyssa Dweck, M.D., an ob-gyn and author of V is for Vagina. "Wiping from back to front can bring bacteria from the rectum toward the urethra and increase your chances of a urinary tract infection," she explains.
The truth is that while urine isn't as clean and pure as some people think it is, most of the time it's not likely to cause health problems if you occasionally opt for the shower drain instead of the toilet bowl.
You see, when you don't clean yourself down there after peeing, the urine droplets stuck in your pubes get transferred to your underwear. This gives rise to a foul odour. Moreover, it also gives birth to bacteria in your underwear, increasing the risk of urinary tract infections (UTI).
Unlike in developed countries, most public toilets in China do not provide toilet paper onsite and users must bring their toilet paper. Moreover, an open waste bin is placed in each user's cubicle to collect used toilet paper and tissues.
In China, many people use what's called a "chamber pot". This is a small pot that you can use to urinate or defecate in. After you're done, you simply empty it out. They also use bidets in China.
The fundamental problem is that the area used for releasing urine and faeces is compressed between thighs and buttocks, so we are more likely than other animals to foul ourselves. We also differ from other animals in our response to our waste, which we tend to regard with disgust.
Many people use muriatic acid. Muriatic acid is also known as hydrogen chloride acid. This is the yellow acid sold in grocery stores here. It works like magic on build up but also eats away at plastic toilet seats.
You really don't need to remove your pubic hair for any health reasons, sexual or otherwise, other than perhaps decreasing odor from sweat. When it comes down to it, pubic hair grooming is a personal preference.
Pubic hair serves a similar function to eyelashes or nose hair. That is, it traps dirt, debris, and potentially harmful microorganisms. In addition, hair follicles produce sebum, an oil which actually prevents bacteria from reproducing.