Doctor shares grim reason you should always wash your belly button properly
When taking care of personal hygiene, people can often forget about their belly buttons.
While it's a small part of the body, just like the rest of your body parts, they need to be cleaned - and often.
A previous study in 2012 found that 67 different types of bacteria are in the average person's belly button, so cleaning it on the regular is an absolute must.
Most belly buttons have crevices that can collect dirt and breed bacteria and one woman found out the hard way when she offered to help her husband clean his after he revealed that it started to 'hurt'.
The wife was left horrified when she started 'digging and digging' in his belly button before she eventually pulled something out.
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Following the woman's revelation TikTok star and NHS doctor, Dr Karan Rajan, explained that if someone develops white, brown or yellow discharge which seeps from their belly button, then it's likely there's an infection brewing in there.
The doctor, who posts under @dr.karanr also told the TikTok user that if someone refuses to wash their belly button in the shower, they can develop 'jewels'.
He explained: "All flesh holes can build up with sweat, dead skin cells, oils, clothing fabric, bacteria and forbidden cheese.
"If not washed out on a regular basis, this material can accumulate and harden into an omphalolith - a belly button stone.
"Belly button stones come in a wide array of colours, it's usually black but can be a light brown."
Theses are most likely to form in someone who practises poor hygiene, a very deep belly button, or someone who is overweight.
If you don’t clean your belly button, a number of problems could occur.
Yeast infections are inevitable if you practise poor hygiene when it comes to the belly button area.
Most belly buttons are a breeding ground for bacteria since they’re a dark, moist area where skin often rests against skin, and as a result, you could get a yeast infection in your belly button.
Although most people don’t spend much time thinking about their bellybuttons, it’s not a bad idea to clean yours every week.
Cleaning your belly button can help you avoid potential infections, smells, and other results of poor hygiene.
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