Dear Readers,

After a recent column about a study that has shown men wash their hands less than women in public bathrooms, I was deluged with comments.

Thank you for the responses that raised many important issues.

It appears the act of hand-washing is viewed by many men as an insult to the cleanliness of one's penis. However pure you think your genitals are, there are a number of reasons to wash your hands after touching them.

I'm going to do my best to address many of the common questions raised about hand-washing in the bathroom. If you have more, feel free to write in.

"Shouldn't I wash before urination rather than after since my hands are dirtier than my penis?"
Far be it for me to say that one should ever pass on an opportunity to wash one's hands pre- or post-penis touching. If you are concerned about what germs may have reached your genitals as a result of touching, showering at the end of the day will probably be sufficient to return your genitals to a state of cleanliness, albeit temporarily.

Read more of Dr. Ken's answers (after the jump).


"You talk about men's privates as if they're evil. They aren't."
 While you won't find "the plague" lurking in the Underoos of a healthy male, the genitals aren't free of microbes, either. There's merely bacteria and fungus. Why? Like other areas of the body, such as the armpits, moisture (sweat or urine drops) plus heat (body temperature) plus darkness (under your clothes) adds up to an incubator for microbes.

"My pee is sterile. I don't need to wash my hands."
or
"I don't pee on myself. I don't need to wash my hands."
Remember that the genitals share a yard with their dirty neighbor, the anus. The bacteria from the anal area can and do migrate, often without any symptoms you can see or smell. That's another reason for hand-washing, as well as other controversial acts such as regular bathing.

"Aren't bathrooms dirtier than your body?"
It doesn't take a microbiologist to figure out that bathrooms aren't exactly sterile environments. Public bathrooms run the gamut from pretty gross to condemnable. As a result, the microbe potential is quite high. So by virtue of having touched what countless other have touched (urinals, toilets, doors knobs, stall doors, etc.) you do yourself and others a favor by washing your hands after going to the bathroom.

"My hands are clean. Why do I need to wash?"
Unless you're a shut-in or are spending 24/7 in your parents' basement, being out in the world means getting your hands dirty. An opportunity to wash away the schmutz, both microbial and otherwise, that's accumulated since your previous washing is never a bad thing.

"What about people in the Third World who don't wash? They survive."
There's a preponderance of evidence from many studies in many countries that hand-washing helps decrease the spread of infections and infectious illnesses.

"Doesn't cleaning too much weaken your immune system?"
Rest easy; even with clean hands there are still plenty of other bacteria, fungi, viruses and other fun stuff all around you keeping your immune system on its toes.

"I like antibacterial soap. Why dis it?"
Washing your hands with regular soap works just as well to clean your hands. What's more, there is some evidence that use of antimicrobial soaps promote the development of 'super" bacteria; that is, bacterial strains that are resistant to antibiotics. FYI, hand sanitizers are a fine option if you are out and about and not near a sink.

"Stop picking on men; women are dirty, too!"
Women, in general, are more hygienic than men. But that has nothing to do with it. Boys, this is a website for men -- so the focus of the article is men. If it makes you feel better, were this a website for women the pro-hand-washing message would be the same.

Dr. Ken's controversial take-home message: Wash your hands.