'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAFAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC/9oADAMBAAIQAxAAAACuIa//xAAhEAABBAEDBQAAAAAAAAAAAAACAQMEEQUAEiITFiFR4f/aAAgBAQABPwCPiOjiIsmQ8kkX0Q22jDgwhEViNqvrXYWNc502O7zSN/df/8QAFxEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDAP/aAAgBAgEBPwDPWiQO/8QAFBEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/aAAgBAwEBPwB//9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
A viral YouTube short video by the channel Style Theory (@StyleTheorists) caused an online stir after claiming that washing legs with soap water makes the legs dirtier. The team experimented with a few people and asked them to wash one leg with just water and the other with soap and water.
In the video, they showed a plate of bacterial cultures differentiating the microbes collected from each leg and claimed that there were more microbes on the leg tht was washed with soap water.
The video gained a lot of views and likes. There were several comments on the video, with some users supporting the claim while others opposed it.
Is soap water enough to kill all microbes?
There have been many controversies online regarding the use of soap to deal with bad microbes on the skin. Common microbes are usually destroyed by soap, and hence it's always recommended by dermatologists to use a skin-friendly soap while bathing.
Trending
However, these claims regarding the ineffectiveness of soap water are not new. Similar debates have erupted on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) before.
Conor Arpwel (@Arpwel) posted a question in 2019:
"Do you wash your legs when you take a shower?"
More than 820,000 users have voted, among which about 80% have voted yes and 20% no, which means approximately 164,000 people do not wash their legs regularly. Most of them believe that soap water trickling down from the upper body will eventually wash off the dirt on the legs.
The claim regarding the ineffectiveness of soap could not be verified, and there's no scientific evidence to support the claim. In general, it's always recommended to wash your body well, head to toe during a shower. Hygienic practices are essential to ward off any harmful pathogenic infections.
Indranil Biswas is a nutritionist and personal trainer with a diploma in dietetics and personal training with a specialization in sports nutrition and strength training.
What do you think of this story? Tell us in the comments section below.
