For many, a normal day begins with a cup of coffee while checking email, a shower, a breakfast … These actions are daily and also already very routine, but there are some that are also done on a regular basis and could be damaging your health , we would be talking about sharing personal items with another member of the family or friends. It is not necessary to panic, but it is interesting to know the dangers of sharing personal hygiene items with other people and the consequences of these types of mistakes. Avoid it and improve your health now.
Infections associated with sharing personal hygiene items
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
This type of bacteria can be quite dangerous because it is resistant to some antibiotics . A person can be infected through direct contact with the wound of a person who has this bacteria or by sharing personal hygiene items with them, even by touching contaminated surfaces.
The most common symptom is hot, pus-filled bumps . Faced with this situation, a specialist should assess whether a drainage is necessary and will decide what kind of antibiotic may be better.
Herpes labialis
This disease is caused by the herpes simplex virus type 1. Symptoms are pain, fever, itching, tingling, and blisters on the lips, gums, mouth, and throat . For a healthy person it is not a serious disease, but for people with a weak immune system it is. It is also serious when herpes develops near the eyes .
To treat it, antiviral drugs prescribed by a doctor are used.
Hepatitis B and C
Hepatitis B and C are spread by contact with body fluids or blood from infected people. It is a very serious disease because it affects the liver and can become a chronic disease that leads to cirrhosis.
Symptoms of B are abdominal pain, dark urine, fever, joint pain, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, weakness and fatigue, and yellow pigmentation of the skin and sclera (white of the eye). C causes pain in the abdomen, bloating, clay-colored or pale stools, cloudy urine, fatigue, fever, itching, and jaundice. Before the appearance of these symptoms, it is necessary to go to the doctor so that he indicates the treatment to follow.
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)
Its contagion occurs with an exchange of body fluids or blood between an affected person and a healthy person. This disease weakens the immune system and makes the person who suffers from it more vulnerable to infections , which can lead to death if proper treatment is not done.
Keratitis
Keratitis is the inflammation of the cornea, it can be ulcerative or not, and it is caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses, parasites or autoimmune diseases . Before this disease, you have to be very careful because it can cause total loss of vision . It is spread through saliva or physical contact.
When the keratitis is not infectious it can be treated with artificial tears, if there is a tear it will have to be treated with topical ocular medications. When it is infectious, oral medications will be needed in addition to topical ones. In either case, only a doctor can detect the type of keratitis and know which treatment is best to follow.
Strep A infection
It can cause scarlet fever, which follows acute pharyngitis and causes a red rash on the body; impetigo, which is a skin infection; throat infection, toxic shock syndrome and necrotizing fasciitis. These bacteria are spread by direct contact with nasal or throat secretions from an infected person. It can be treated with medications prescribed by a doctor.
Plantar warts
They are benign skin lesions related to human papillomavirus 1 and 2. These wounds can be deep and painful or simply superficial, forming a kind of callus.
Not everyone who comes into contact with the virus gets warts. And although it is not easily spread from one person to another, it tends to proliferate in humid and warm environments. They can disappear without treatment , but in some cases the doctor may recommend their removal.
Mushrooms
They cause skin infections and are usually very common in the foot area , especially the nails. A person can become infected if they come into contact with contaminated objects. Before the infection spreads, a treatment with drugs with an antifungal effect has to be followed .
Improve your health by avoiding sharing some personal hygiene items
Razor blades
With each use, the blades collect bacteria and dead skin cells. It is very important not to leave someone else’s razor blade or use someone else’s, especially if your health status is unknown.
Bar soap
When the soap is in a humid environment, it grows bacteria, fungi and viruses that do not disappear when washed . A person with gastroenteritis, for example, should not use the same hand soap as others, especially if it is bar soap, because it could transmit the disease to them.
Toothbrush
Although it seems very obvious, you should never share your toothbrush with another person because it always contains bacteria even if you wash it several times . This is the easiest and fastest way to transmit infections and various diseases.
Towels
In addition to being very unhygienic because a towel serves to dry all parts of the body, it accumulates bacteria when it is used .
Nail clipper
It is very common for several family members to share nail clippers. It must be taken into account that the hands and feet are areas that are exposed to fungi and bacteria, so if this utensil is not disinfected correctly, this type of infection can be transmitted between family members. When you go to a hairdresser or beauty salon, it is very important that this object is disinfected very well afterwards for the same reason.
Stick deodorant
In the armpits, a lot of bacteria accumulate that later will remain on the deodorant stick. These bacteria can carry contagious diseases or infections.
Makeup
It is very common to share makeup between friends, but you must be very aware that with a lipstick you can transmit a cold sore or with an eyeliner you can pass an eye infection such as keratitis , which is very serious. The best thing is that each one uses theirs.
Needles
Needles should never be shared, because they come into contact with blood and can transmit very serious diseases such as HIV or hepatitis. They do not need to be injection needles, the ones used for tattooing can also be a danger, even those used for sewing.
Although some objects can be strange to be shared, there are people who do it out of ignorance without being aware that it is more dangerous than it seems. Knowing all this, you can already avoid scares. Your personal items are only yours, do not share them with anyone and protect your health. With all this we do not mean that a family member or friend wants to transmit a disease to someone close. Many times the person is not aware that they have this disease because they have not yet had symptoms or have not been able to identify them.
