Beware of mysophobia: cutting nails can lead to amputation

Cleansing action 1: Picking ears

Health disaster: Using cotton swabs to clean your ears can not only cause earwax blockage and inflammation, but may also cause the eardrum to rupture. In fact, the ear canal does not need manual cleaning. A few people may be troubled by earwax accumulation, but this can be solved by just a few drops of hydrogen peroxide ear drops or mineral oil, or even olive oil.

Mysophobia action 2: clearing the nose

Health Disaster: Otolaryngologists often encounter patients who use nasal sprays frantically when they feel a little discomfort in their nasal cavity. Since excessive use of nasal sprays can cause nasal swelling and congestion, and even affect blood pressure, nasal sprays or drops are not recommended for long-term use. Next time your nasal cavity is blocked, just go to the drugstore and buy a saline spray. Saline can moisten the dry nasal cavity and relieve nasal congestion without any side effects. Using antihistamines or steaming your face can also thin out mucus in your nasal passages.

Health Disaster: Trimming nails too frequently will cause the nails to grow into the flesh. In severe cases, it may cause bone inflammation or ulceration and eventually lead to amputation. Even common cases of ingrown nails may require a nail transplant or burning the base of the nail to stop it from growing in the opposite direction.

Doctors recommend: Don't wear shoes that are too small or too tight, and don't trim your nails lengthwise or cut them too short.

Health disaster: Don't brush your teeth too hard, otherwise it will damage the tooth enamel and gum tissue. Brushing your teeth too hard will also wear away the cementum covering the roots, causing tooth sensitivity, decay or deformity. If after a few months, a new toothbrush becomes worn out and has bristles flying all over it, it's obvious that you used too much force. If you brush your teeth with the right force, a toothbrush should still be as smooth as a new one after 6 months of use. You should consult your dentist about the specific method and strength of brushing your teeth.

Flossing is a smart idea, but it doesn't involve tightening the floss so tightly that it's sawing against your gums. Instead, you just need to move the floss up and down against the side of your teeth to remove any food particles.

Mysophobia Action 5: Excessive Skin Cleansing

Health disaster: Nearly half of men use the toilet without washing their hands, which is certainly not hygienic. However, there are still some people who feel that their hands are not clean enough after repeated washing, and they keep rubbing until the surface of the skin is damaged and the nerve endings are stimulated, causing the skin to swell and itch.

Being overly clean may cause a loss of natural oils on the body surface, leading to various skin problems. For example, washing your face many times a day may dry out your facial skin, increase oil secretion, and cause clogged pores and acne. Remember not to shower more than once a day and try to use alcohol-free cleansing products. Also, don't scrub your skin frantically with a rough bath towel. The skin sheds thousands of cells every second, so it is normal to have shed tissue on the body surface.

Cleansing action six: washing private parts

Health Disaster: Finally, let’s talk about the cleanliness of private parts. Lack of hygiene is definitely a health hazard. Feces retained around the anus can cause various itching and inflammation, but the itching feeling may also be caused by excessive scrubbing. When you wipe or wash your anus too much, its natural oils are stripped away, causing dryness and itchiness.

The same thing happens around your penis; over-cleaning can cause your pubic hair to grow into the flesh and cause small abscesses, so you should be careful rather than rough with your cleaning to give your private parts the privacy they deserve.