A New Study Suggests You Should Throw Out Your Shower Puff
Those shower puffs that do such a great job exfoliating your skin could actually be doing more harm than good.
You're probably wondering how that's possible - Shower puffs get rid of dead skin cells and leave your skin feeling smooth and nice. How can they be bad for you or your skin? Well, a dermatologist is warning against using the skin-softening tool. According to AWM,
J. Matthew Knight, from the Knight Dermatology Institute is one dermatologist who is urging us to toss the puffs... ...Apparently, after you use the puff to exfoliate your skin, those dead skins skills get trapped in the multiple layers of the puff’s material. And here’s the final straw-when you leave that puff in the shower after you do your business, all the moisture that remains in the aftermath of the warm water, causes bacteria to fester within the puffy layers. Which then leads to the growth of yeast and mold.
Sounds pretty disgusting, right? Well, there's more to the story too. Ladies using that puff filled with bacteria after shaving can actually cause infections if there is a cut on the skin. Now that sounds scary!
So what are you supposed to do? If you can't use a puff, how are you supposed to spread the soap around and wash up? Well, AWM suggests using "scrubbing gloves" or a loofah. Apparently, a loofah - That scrubs dead skin cells away - is still safer than the shower puff.
If you still don't want to give up that shower puff they have another suggestion for you. According to AWM,
...rinse the puff excessively to ensure all the dead skin is removed and take it away from the shower for a good drying session...
But don't start panicking yet. This is the account of one dermatologist and one story that has been going around the internet. If you would rather be safe than sorry, trash the puff and go for a different option. If you think it may just be an overreaction to everyday germs that we're already exposed to, don't worry about it - Wait until further proof comes out about these claims, or until the claims are debunked.
We want to know where you stand - Do you think this is something we should be worried about? Will you be getting rid of your shower puff? Or do you think this is just an overreaction and there is nothing to worry about? Let us know in the "comments section" at the bottom of the page.
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