Personal hygiene encompasses a lot of things. But aside from keeping all parts of the external body clean and healthy, personal hygiene also involves facial hygiene which is important to our overall health. Facial cleanliness/hygiene refers to the use of soap and clean water to remove oil, dirt, and other debris from the face.
You can contract a number of diseases if you are not intentional about keeping appropriate personal hygiene. You should learn to make the washing of the face a constant practice. Caring for the face includes taking care of the teeth, mouth, eyes, contact lenses, and ears.
The hands can be a source of germs and dirt and are instrumental in spreading germs. On average, a person touches their face at least 23 times per hour. When you touch your face with unwashed hands, you unknowingly spread germs to your face. You can avoid this by doing the following:
- Washing your hands with soap and clean, running water periodically.
- Use a tissue for your nose.
- Use a facial moisturizer for dry skin and eye drops for dry eyes. They help to prevent itchiness prone to dry skin and eyes.
Furthermore, wear a mask over your mouth and nose to stop you from contracting some respiratory infections like flu, common cold and COVID-19. Buy disposable face masks and discard them properly after use. You can also get reusable ones but wash them as soon as they become dirty. Ensure to wear only clean masks if you want your face to be healthy.
Respiratory illnesses, which can be caused by many different bacteria and viruses, are usually spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes. You can also get them through direct contact with the bacteria or other disease-causing germs. Do not touch your face; the germs on your hands can enter through your nose, eyes, and mouth, and cause you to be infected. To stop this from happening, you should wash your hands before touching your face.
Conjunctivitis can also spread from person to person. However, when you wash your hands and face regularly, you stand little or no chance of having it. Also, learn not to touch and rub your eyes so that the spread of conjunctivitis is limited. Just like Conjunctivitis, Trachoma can be easily spread from person to person. It is the world’s leading cause of preventable blindness. When you have poor facial hygiene, you will likely contract this disease as it is usually spread through flies and contaminated fingers. Wash your hands and face at least once a day with water to prevent the cycle of trachoma transmission.
Other helpful tips on how to care for your face include:
- Desist from touching your face unless your hands are clean. The bacteria on your hands can cause you to have pimples.
- Resist the urge to pick pimples! Pimples, when they come and go, do not scar. But if you pick them, you will likely get a scar when they are gone.
- Form the habit of washing your face before bedtime. It is advisable to wash your face and to apply night creams one hour before bed so that the products will fully absorb.
- Endeavour to change your pillowcase as often as possible.
- Be consistent with taking care of your face.
- Invest in the correct facial products. Always go for medical-grade products that are recommended by a qualified dermatologist.
- Avoid strong alcohol-based toners.