The link between towels and health

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Extract from the article: The towel is an object that everyone uses every day. And it's true that towels influence the health of those who use them. For Dr Dovonou Dieudide, a general practitioner at the Le Safran clinic in Baguida, the towel is apparently harmless, but can b

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The towel is an object that everyone uses every day. And it's true that towels influence the health of those who use them. For Dr Dovonou Dieudide, a general practitioner at the Le Safran clinic in Baguida, the towel is apparently harmless, but can become a source of transmission of disease and other undesirable effects on the body.

The towel can become a source of illness and discomfort if it is not kept properly clean, says Dr Dovonou Dieudide, General Practitioner at the « Le Safran » clinic in Baguida. Towels go all over the body, keeping out water, sweat and other germs. As such, they can get dirty very quickly. That's why they need to be washed and disinfected every time.

Unfortunately, towels are often used incorrectly in the home. Many households rarely wash their towels. Eventually they become very dirty, with a rotten smell and a colour that has nothing to do with the original. Such towels contain bacteria that can sometimes be harmful to health, says Dr Dovonou Dieudide, a general practitioner. « Some skin irritations, itching, fungal infections, even some sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and other ailments we have, come from our towels », says Dr Dovonou Dieudide.

The situation becomes extraordinary when an entire family uses a single towel. Dad, mum, the children, cousins, uncles and aunts all run after a single towel: the family towel.In this case, apart from the risks of transmitting certain diseases, exceptional situations such as endogenous-familial pregnancies can quickly arise.

There are also cases where the towel has a transversal role in a household.It is used to clean oneself after an intimate encounter, and is immediately used in the kitchen to remove pots from the stove and clean the cook's hand. Immediately afterwards, it is used as a guest to wipe a family member's hands after a bath, and to clean the hands and lips after an evening meal.

For some people, the bad smell of their towel follows them everywhere. Even after a perfumed bath and a trendy deodorant, the smell of the towel breaks the harmony.

Towels suffer in some households. It is subject to unhealthy use.Instead of being the gentle tool that caresses us and removes water and sweat from our bodies, it is transformed into a pocket for germs. « The towel is a toiletry item that should be individual. There are as many people in a family as there are towels.They must be washed and dried regularly. After use during the week, the towel should be washed thoroughly at the weekend.According to specialists, after three months, a towel should normally be abandoned », stresses Dr Dovonou Dieudide, General Practitioner.Hygiene is the key to this health tool.

Elom AKAKPO