Nearly half of those times — 44% — involved contact with their eyes, nose or mouth.
“Viruses that affect the respiratory system enter the body through mucosal membranes which are found in the nose, oral cavity and lips. With poor hand hygiene, it’s easy to acquire a viral infection this way,” says Dr. Dawn Mueni Becker, an infectious disease specialist in Gainesville, Florida.
But we’ve been touching our faces all our lives, and stopping that habit is easier said than done.
“Start working on not touching your face, because one main way viruses spread is when you touch your own mouth, nose or eyes,” she says. Then she licks her finger to flip to the next page of her remarks — seemingly unaware she was not following her own advice.
Touching your face is at times tied to stress
There are safe ways to touch your face
If you can’t stop yourself, it’s not the end of the world, Becker says. There are ways to lower your chances of infections from face touching.
“Being conscious or aware of this habit is helpful when it comes to avoiding touching the face,” Becker says. “Identifying triggers such as runny nose or urge to sneeze is important. In this case, having tissue close by is helpful — it’s better to use that to touch your face than bare hands.”
Soap and water are especially preferred if hands are visibly dirty, the CDC says, and especially after using the bathroom, blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
Think of all the germy things people touch all day. Cellphones, car keys, doors and elevators — even wads of cash that you have no idea the places they’ve been. Now imagine transferring all the bacteria, viruses and allergens from those items into your body through the mucous membranes in your nose, mouth and eyes. Or through a cut in your face or neck that you have no idea exists.
Source : Nbcnewyork