Expert Q+A
This comes from a longstanding argument with my girlfriend, but is it strictly necessary for guys to wash their hands after going "No. 1"? It's not like I'm really touching anything dirty.
ANSWER:
Washing one’s hands after any activity is never a bad idea, no matter what you do. However, urine is theoretically sterile, so it may not be necessary to wash your hands after going to the bathroom, believe it or not. (Unless you have some sort of urinary infection, which is unlikely in men.)
On the other hand, while it may not be medically imperative, it is certainly socially and aesthetically preferred. No one wants to come into contact with someone who has not bothered to wash urine off of his hands. It’s unpleasant, predominantly unacceptable and a little more than off-putting. What’s more troubling about this question is that you seem to want to stand your ground on this issue. To me the bigger question here is … why? -- As told to Mike Hammer
About the Expert
Dr. Alana Varano is a board-certified general
practitioner who currently specializes in emergency medicine at the Somerset
Valley Urgent Care facility in Bedminster, N.J. She has come into contact with
numerous hygienically challenged patients in her professional life, as well as clinically
stubborn dudes both on and off the job.
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