Listen up, people. I have a Public Service Announcement.
Nylon mesh “poufs” are BAD for you. Very, very bad. They carry bacteria, since they are impossible to clean unless you soak them in bleach, which nobody does. A dermatologist that I work for saw ten patients today with rashes due to these things, and that number is average for one day. These people come in thinking they have ringworm, scabies, ezcema, or any number of horrible disorders, and they’re always so surprised to learn it all boils down to their shower pouf.
They’re also extremely abrasive. You may as well use a pot-scrubber. You think you’re cleaning your skin, when in reality what you are doing is grinding bacteria into it.
The reason they’re still being produced and sold? Because they cost about a penny to make, and sell for at least a dollar- 100% profit! I cannot stress enough how bad they are for your skin. So if you use one, stop! The only thing you should use is a clean washcloth, every time.
You’ll get my shower pouff when you pry it from my cold dead hands! I just lathers so well!
FWIW, I change it about once a week, and wash the dirty one in the washing machine.
I hear ya, Alice. We all love lather. However, you should know that washing anything in a washing machine doesn’t necessarily kill bacteria, unless you use bleach.
Also, people wash too much of their body. You really only need to wash the “stinky areas”- face, pits, crotch and butt, and feet. Your arms, legs, back, and chest don’t get that dirty. Too much soap causes dryness, especially if you live in a dry climate like I do.
My doctors recommend Dove bar soap. Ivory is the worst soap on the market.
I am glad to hear you change it once a week, though. That helps.
Poufs were invented by the liquid soap-makers because people use more liquid soap when they wash with these things.
Maybe I have overactive skin cells but I need to scrub everywhere or I get ITCHY. It’s especially bad on my back, ankles/feet and chest. If I don’t scrub and I start to get itchy there, I scratch and end up with dry skin/oils caked up under my fingernails. :eek: Kinda gross, sorry.
Well, the pouff coming out of my washing machine is at least as clean as the towel I’m going to use to dry with. Right? Or the washcloth I would use as an alternative. Right?
Not that I disagree with them collecting bacteria - I mean, you have to WASH the damn thing, but I’m not sure I think it’s any worse than a washcloth or whatever. I’m just not ready to start using those Clorox disposable wipes on myself.
Not sure I know what a Buf-Puf is, but if you’re to reuse it over and over, then yeah, you should junk it. It’s just unbelievable to me how many problems we see in our office due to these things. I’ve even seen staph infections caused by them.
On second thought, if people didn’t use them, our patient load would drop and I might be out of a job. Um… never mind, poufs are awesome!
I can see why shower poufs would harbour bacteria. However, I need to exfoliate my skin as it’s very prone to ingrown hairs. If I can’t use a shower pouff, buf puf or a loofah, what can I use to exfoliate with? Any bacteria-free suggestions?
A good nubby washcloth will exfoliate. If that’s not enough, you could try a lotion with salicylic acid or lactic acid in it. There’s also soap with tiny scrubbers. Anything labeled “polishing” or “exfoliating” will do. St. Ives makes some decent cheap ones.
I’m intrigued that Ivory is the worst soap on the market. Why?
When I was in college I discovered that using Ivory gives me little pink bumps all over my skin. I discovered that when I bought a bar. I had to take cortisone for a week and stop using Ivory before it went away. With all the advertising about 99 and 44/100 pure, I had to laugh and blame the 56/100ths because it sure did a number on me. Then I found 2 or 3 people who had the same reaction.
Apparently, it’s very alkaline. I don’t know exactly why that’s bad. The most intelligent (in my opinion) doctor in our practice hates Ivory; maybe on Monday I’ll remember to ask him why it’s so bad.
I think something about the ph of Ivory just wreaks havoc on all but the most hardy skin. It used to be the only thing my mom would ever buy… and I have sensitive, dermographia-plagued skin. Sigh.
I ditched the shower pouf a while ago in favor of Dove bar soap, washcloths, and fun shower scrubs. I never looked back, and I’m having the shower-time of my life! FUCK YOU, POUFS!
We used to joke, in my family, that the other 56/100ths was pure nuclear waste.
< hijack >
So, trublmakr, could we turn this into an “Ask the dermotologist’s staff” thread?
Any good skincare tips to pass along other than drink plenty of water and stay out of the sun? Do those hair, skin, and nails specialty vitamins really work any better than a regular multivitamin?
< /hijack >
