Adding Antiseptic to bath water can damage your skin & a waste of money – Medical Expert
Yet again, UK based medical doctor and social media influencer, Dr Olufunmilayo has advised the general public to top adding antiseptics and other disinfectants to bath water saying it does not only expose the skin to bacteria and fungi infections, but also a total waste of money and a scam.
Read his tweets below .. and some reactions from notable dermatologists. … .based in Nigeria .
NEVER add antiseptic to bath water.
NEVER add antiseptic to bath water.
NEVER add antiseptic to bath water.
NEVER add antiseptic to bath water.
NEVER add antiseptic to bath water.
NEVER add antiseptic to bath water.
Waste of time. Waste of money. And it would ruin your skin.
Antiseptic, a waste of money
There is NO evidence that adding “antiseptic” to bath water makes it safer for you to bath. The idea that using antiseptic is somehow “superior” or “better” is a SCAM and a MYTH only used in marketing to defraud people.
You do NOT need/have to add antiseptic to your bath water.
On our skins and inside the woman’s vagina are helpful protective bacteria called “normal flora” which are like foot soldiers that defend and protect our skins and the woman’s vagina from outside infections.
Antiseptic liquids kill and wipe away these protective footsoldiers.
And what happens next- as you can imagine- is the skin starts having infections and the vagina starts to have bad odour, terrible discharge and severe itching. This is why you notice that you become very dependent on the antiseptic soap/liquids and your skin can’t do without it.
Just the same way, ROUTINE use of antibiotics is bad for you- the routine use of antiseptic liquids/soaps is BAD FOR YOUR SKIN. Stop wasting your money. Stop adding antiseptic to bath water. A simple plain soap and water is perfect for you to have your bath. That’s the truth.
In fact if there’s any risk to routine use of antiseptic liquids- it is the fact that they kill the beneficial bacteria from your skin and allow very dangerous and potentially antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria to thrive. That’s why you keep getting repeated skin problems.
That’s why some of you notice that after using antiseptic liquid in bath water for a long time- the moment you try to stop it- your skin starts breaking out. It’s because the antiseptic made your skin so dependent on it. That’s very very bad for your skin and for your health.
There’s also research suggesting that too long exposure of the skin especially in children may lead to having skin allergies and hay fever- because the lack of exposure to normal bacteria that antiseptic liquids routinely wipe out.
And these bacteria help develop immune system.
Bottomline RUN from antiseptic liquids.
They are bad for your skin.
They are bad for your body.
Except and unless a dermatologist particularly recommends it for you, run from them. Use plain simple soap and water to have your bath. That is 100% effective for cleaning your body.
“What if there are germs in the water?” Actually your body needs those germs to develop a stronger defence system. Your skin has its natural protective system that automatically fights it off.
The possibility of germs is NOT an excuse to routinely add antiseptic to bath water.
If you think the bath water may not be safe, boil a hot water till it’s really hot and add that to the rest of your bath water- or simply have a hot water bath- That is a safer, healthier, medically better option to bathing than a routine daily use of antiseptic in bath water.
“Oh but dr olufunmilayo is in the UK” Please let’s be sensible, guys. I lived and schooled for over 25years in Nigeria before travelling. Let’s stop using silly excuses to propagate mediocrity. There is NO medical doctor or specialist worth his onions that recommends such nonsense.
“What if the water makes me itch?”
If water makes you itch, and it does that all the time, an antiseptic is NOT the answer to that.
You need to speak to a doctor and find out what exactly is causing it because there are many medical causes to itching. I will advise you do that.
Sometimes water makes you itch because you tend to itch easily. It is a psychological deception to assume an antiseptic soap or antiseptic in the bath water is the automatic answer to that. Again, let me be quite clear: That is NOT the answer. You have been scammed/deceived.
So are antiseptic liquids totally useless?
Of course not. They can be used to clean dirty wounds. They may be recommended ONLY by a DERMATOLOGIST for a SHORT PERIOD of time- if the expert thinks it may help. But ROUTINE DAILY use of antiseptic in bath water is medically unsafe.
“But nurses ask for it after delivery”
It’s unnecessary and those “nurses” are only enforcing a mediocre mentality. Simple soap and water is enough to bath a baby. You can boil the water. But no baby needs to have routine antiseptic in their bath water always. It’s too unsafe.
“Oh but so-so company advertises that we must use their antiseptic in bath water”
Lol. Of course any company that produces these things will market it and try sell it to you. But you must understand that many times, “marketing” is mostly lies and propaganda – not facts or truth.
What many antiseptic liquid companies are doing in their adverts is to exploit your ignorance about how your skin NATURALLY fights off germs and also use your fear about germs against you. They then use that to smuggle in a magic antiseptic liquid that you need to routinely use.
This is a scam and a lie. So all they are doing is make money off your ignorance and your fears. They know you don’t know any better and they make money off you. It’s simply business. They didn’t force you to buy. You were only ignorant- And it’s not just you. It’s all of us.
Again a few ideas for people who say the “water is dirty”:
Leave the water to settle. All the dirt will go down. Pour the clean top to another bucket. Boil it if you can. And use it to bath. If water is so visibly dirty it will not even settle, there’s no point bathing with it.
Another option, which is quite common in many nigerian homes, is to get a water filter. See the pics attached. A water filter can help to make your water clean and you can then use it to bathe afterwards. And if you can, boiling the water and bathing with hot water is enough.
I hear some people even put antiseptic liquid in drinking water. Please jokes aside: This is VERY dangerous And you should NEVER do such. If water is too dirty or unclean for you to drink, stay away from it. DO NOT DRINK antiseptic liquids (inside water). Please never do such.
You can also get a water filter for your drinking water too. Ask at any of the big supermarkets or shopping malls. Filter your water. Boil your water. And use it for bathing or drinking. That’s ALL you need to do. NO need for antiseptic soaps or antiseptic liquid in bath water.
You can also get a water filter for your drinking water too. Ask at any of the big supermarkets or shopping malls. Filter your water. Boil your water. And use it for bathing or drinking.
That’s ALL you need to do. NO need for antiseptic soaps or antiseptic liquid in bath water.
“So what do I do with all the antiseptic liquids that I already have in my house?”
Use it to wash your floors, wash your sink, wash your tiles, wash your toilet, and go wash strictly your hands after using toilet or doing anything dirty. But NEVER use it in bath water please
And now that you know better:
Change your ways. Not because the routine use of antiseptic in bath water is pointless, it is a waste of money and it is potentially harmful by destroying your skin and making it dependent on it.
So please tell your parents. Tell your friends. Tell your partners. Tell your school teachers. And everyone out there who is under the illusion that routine daily antiseptic in bath water is superior or better. It is a scam and a myth.
Comments from some Dermatologists
Folakemi Cole – Adeife
Antiseptic soaps and liquids may also increase the risk of fungal infections because most of them have no antifungal properties. Their frequent use is one causes of recurrent fungal skin infections in our environment. I often advice my patients to install a water filter on the pipes that bring water into their home. That will ensure water is fit for use. But regular antiseptics are a no no and in the long term cause more harm than good. Antiseptics actually worsen pimples and dandruff
Gold Olufadi – Shakirat
How many times have we said this? Disinfectants and Antiseptics not needed routine daily skin care. But will people listen? No…. Local dermatologist is tired. Lol
An important comment by Ayodele
And at the end of their adverts they would say endorsed by the Nigerian Medical Association .The NMA too has explanations to give. Is it that all d Doctors were ignorant of this or they just decided to trade on the ignorance of the populace for their selfish gains and interest?
