I wash my hands before using the WC. I’m a
dermatologist. That’s what we do. The reason? The infections you can give
yourself from dirty hands touching private parts are probably more likely than
those that come from the private parts. This is not to discourage washing hands
AFTER using the toilet as well, but the clean skin of, say, a penis is probably
less contaminated than the objects you have been touching all morning
or afternoon on the subway and at work.
Genitals are not inherently colonized with
bacteria. There are exceptions, the so-called carrier state, where bacteria do
colonize the genito-urinary skin. The largest potential for introducing infection, however, lies with fecal
contamination. The risk there is E. coli
(always present in the colon) and other pathogens (Hepatitis A, Norwalk virus,
etc). These can be effectively washed off.
Here’s a partial list of how hands can
infect genital skin:
Warts. HPV. Especially genital
HPV, the kind that causes cancer of the cervix, penis, and anus. While most HPV
is transmitted directly through sexual contact, HPV can definitely be
transmitted by hands. This presents big issues when a child has HPV in the
anogenital region: could it have been accidental contact from someone’s hands
or do we need to call Child Protection Services?
Herpes. Also famous for being
transmitted through sexual contact and vaginal delivery of a baby, the Herpes Simplex
Virus (types 1 and 2) can be transmitted manually. Hand contact with active
genital or mouth lesions can then deliver the virus to susceptible sites. Broken
skin and friction may play a role as well.
Candida yeast infection.
Candida likes warm, moist areas, but an unwashed hand, in the right setting,
could transmit Candidiasis.
Jock itch: by this I mean other
fungal infections of the groin and anogenital areas. Many people have this on
their feet, and transmission would, in theory, be easy. The first place
dermatologists look when someone has fungus in the groin, are the patient’s
feet.
Staph infections. Staphylococcus aureus is the most common
skin infection from bacteria. Handling genitals with dirty hands could
transmit Staph to the skin.
Syphilis. This can definitely
be transmitted skin to skin, although it is most commonly transmitted to moist
membranes (mouth, tongue, vagina, anus) and genitals.
Trichomonas. Not likely since
moist-to-moist is the usual route.
So there it is. Something to consider.
Best regards,
