2024-07-16 11:00:31
Leaving the house without panties? For most people, it’s unimaginable. But from a health perspective, it can be worthwhile to air out the downstairs area from time to time.
Some people think it’s unhygienic. Others say it’s liberating. When it comes to leaving underwear off sometimes, everyone has a clear opinion. But from a medical point of view, doing without does have advantages. Find out here why fresh air in the intimate area is useful – and why we actually consider it normal to wear underwear.
Gynecologist Tobias Sanden from Mainz sees many advantages in occasionally going “bottomless”. Tight underwear, for example, increases the risk of skin irritation in the intimate area or infections if bodily excretions remain on the skin for a longer period of time. Wearing panty liners or synthetic underwear that does not allow the skin to breathe can also encourage infections.
However, you should not completely do without briefs and the like. Because if outer clothing generally becomes underwear, it becomes unhygienic. Jeans, leggings or trousers are often worn several days in a row and are not changed and washed as often as underwear.
From a medical point of view, it is always better if the skin can breathe. In certain health conditions, it makes a lot of sense to avoid it, says Sanden. In the case of neurodermatitis, for example, wearing underwear can irritate the skin and make it more itchy. It also helps to keep the skin dry in the case of fungal infections, as fungi prefer moist environments.
In general, the expert recommends that you also – or at least – “ventilate” your bottom while you sleep. However, if you like to wear something at night, you can also wear loose pajamas.
“For the most part, wearing underwear is shaped by social expectations. Clothing itself is more of a social convention and does not necessarily offer any health or hygiene benefits,” says gynecologist Sanden. Instead, it can often be uncomfortable.
But underwear also has practical reasons. For example, for women during their period: if alternatives such as tampons or menstrual cups are not possible or desired, pads can be used. And briefs are perfect for this.