Dermatitis Neglect: When Not Washing

What happens to our body when we don’t take a shower is pretty weird. The results of poor hygiene are bad body odor and skin infections. In fact, science has studied these effects and even identified a pathology known as dermatitis neglecta (negligent dermatitis).

You may not know this, but the skin is constantly colonized by microorganisms. This microbiota, present in the epidermis, is made up of bacteria and fungi. There are different types of bacteria and fungi. They vary depending on the climate and age of the person.

The skin microbiota performs various functions, and body hygiene plays an important role in the process of maintaining it in optimal condition. When we do not take a shower, we no longer intervene positively in stopping the growth of bacteria and fungi. Thus, we offer them an opportunity for uncontrolled reproduction.

Lack of hygiene facilitates the multiplication of bacteria, and the body begins to assimilate pathogenic microorganisms that no longer perform healthy functions in the body. In short, we become more susceptible to infections with bacteria and external fungi.

• Slow metabolism. Showers and baths stimulate internal cellular processes. Thus, the metabolic rate increases with hygiene, because it receives a stimulus to generate energy. On the contrary, without proper hygiene, the processes of energy generation become slower.
• Accumulation of dead tissue. Washing removes the dead cells of the epidermis so that the new cells take their place. This also reduces sebum production. Therefore, dermatitis neglecta negatively affects people with acne.
• Skin infections. As you can imagine, when we do not take a shower, the skin is filled with pathogenic microorganisms. Negligence dermatitis is a clinical pathology that we will analyze later.
• The smell is bad. The skin starts to smell bad if we do not wash regularly. And, although the cause of the unpleasant odor is attributed to perspiration, this is not the real source of the problem. The lack of showers generates the implantation of bacteria that are not part of the normal microbiota of the skin. Thus, bacteria accumulate and the skin stores the remains of rotten dead cells. This is where the unpleasant smell comes from.

Neglected dermatitis

Relatively recently, in 1987, researchers described this pathology. Therefore, it is not a new disease, and researchers continue to study this condition.

Negligence dermatitis occurs when we do not wash frequently. It is manifested by a scaly skin. These scales are textured and have a high concentration of sebum. The main cause is poor hygiene.

Poor hygiene does not always have to do with laziness or lack of interest in physical appearance. For example, when it comes to the mentally ill, these people do not take care of themselves as a consequence of their condition. There are also local forms of this condition, often around surgical scars that are not sanitized because the process would be painful.

Another clinical condition that people often confuse with dermatitis neglecta is dermatitis terra firma-forme. The main difference is the age of onset, because teenagers are the most affected by the latter. They neglect hygiene due to behavioral changes typical of this stage of life. These changes include poor body hygiene habits.

Scales are the only symptom of negligent dermatitis. The bad smell accompanies the lesions caused by the accumulation of cell debris and proliferating bacteria. Washing is the only treatment and no antibiotics are needed.

Conclusion