Trust me, you know exactly where they’ve been.
When you’re lounging on a couch, what do you usually do with your hands? Put one on your cheek to prop up your head, perhaps? It’s a pretty normal position, and a… relatively comfortable one. But you might want to consider breaking that habit, because the last place you want to put your hands is near or on your face.
Even putting aside the matter of certain illnesses, your hands are regularly crawling with all kinds of bacteria and germs. Remember, your hands are your primary means of interacting with the world around you, and you can’t know every last thing you’ve touched has itself been in contact with. Granted, the bacteria that sticks to your hands won’t kill you or anything if it gets on your face, but it can lead to something fairly unpleasant: acne.
One of the primary causes of acne is dead skin and bacteria clogging up the pores of your face. When you put your unwashed hands right on your face, you’re giving that bacteria a fast-pass to your pores. It’s even worse if you’re the kind of person who feels compelled to pop pimples. I ain’t judging you, I feel that same siren song, but if you pop a pimple with your unwashed hands, that’ll give all that crud an even bigger point of entry into your skin, which could potentially lead to infections and even worse acne, not to mention unsightly scarring.
Try to be mindful of what you’re doing with your hands when you’re idle. If you need something to keep them busy, try a stress ball or a fidget cube. And if you need something to prop your head up while lounging, just use a pillow. Preferably a clean one.
