personal hygiene

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Business advertisement for a grooming salon from 1901

Body care is the care of the skin and its appendages (hair, nails) as well as dental and oral care . The aim is the prevention of diseases and the maintenance and consolidation of health ( hygiene ). In a broader sense, body care also serves to maintain and increase well-being and attractiveness.

species

In addition to the regular cleaning of skin and hair, skin care , hair care , dental and oral care as well as the cleaning and care of fingernails ( manicure ) and feet ( pedicure ) are part of body care. Influencing body odor with deodorants and fragrances ( perfume ) and the use of decorative cosmetics ( make-up ) are also part of body care. Other areas include shaving , beard care and hair removal ( depilation ).

Historical meaning

Personal care has always been practiced. There was a highly developed bathing culture in ancient Rome . However, this was largely lost with the collapse of the empire in Western and Central Europe. But not in the eastern half of the empire or the Byzantine Empire. The Ottoman Empire later followed up on the local bathing tradition. The Romans mainly cleaned their skin with perfumed oils and a scraper, the so-called strigilis . Cleansing the skin with early forms of soap was already known in other cultures at that time. The soap in its present form probably originated in the 7th century.

Until well into the 18th century, however, even doctors in Europe were of the opinion that water and air were harmful to the body. Clothing served as protection from these "harmful" elements. Also, the A powder filled the purpose to complete the body to the outside. This attitude only changed with the development of programmatic hygiene in the 19th century. The industrial revolution later laid the foundation for the mass production of soap .

health

The main goal of body care is to cleanse dirt, avoid diseases and, depending on the culture, body odors that are perceived as inappropriate. By using cosmetics for cleaning and skin care, people ensure, for example, that they reduce their natural perspiration and the associated odor in order to “feel good in their skin” or appear desirable. In industrialized countries, the health aspect is far behind the cosmetic aspect.

Excessive cleanliness can have negative effects on health . Water and other cleaning agents not only remove sweat and body odors, but also attack the water-fat film on the skin . Frequent washing, showering or bathing can be problematic, especially with dry skin, and cause eczema , for example .

In addition, some cosmetics contain substances that are controversial because of their possible health effects, for example hormonally active chemicals such as propyl paraben , formaldehyde , which is a contact allergen, or PEG derivatives , which make the skin more permeable to foreign substances.

If personal hygiene is neglected over a longer period of time, infections can occur due to poor hygiene. In addition to a strong body odor, dead skin cells, sweat and dust form brownish crusts under which the skin becomes bloated and sore. Ulcers can appear on the legs and skin irritation, inflammation and abscesses can occur, especially in the genital area . Inadequate oral hygiene leads to tooth decay and periodontitis ; Teeth are exposed or break off, which leads to more difficult or painful food intake, which can lead to malnutrition as a result.

Pathological cleanliness : The according to ICD-10 as OCD classified morbid Waschzwang expressed in unnecessarily frequent washing actions that may, among other things lead to eczema and significantly affect the everyday life and social life.

Personal care and body odor

One of the main reasons for personal hygiene is to avoid inappropriately strong body odors . The body's own smells are natural and part of non-verbal communication . Since the olfactory receptors within the nose ( vomeronasal organ ) also pick up odors below the threshold of perception and send such information directly to the brain stem, people react instinctively to many smells, especially the pheromones , before they are even aware of them. Experiences of sympathy and antipathy are thus significantly determined. In this respect, human body sweat is also a carrier of information , but it is minimized in the context of personal hygiene.

There are essentially three different principles used to influence body odor: Odor masking is achieved by means of fragrances . Antimicrobial substances control the formation of unpleasant degradation products in sweat . Antiperspirants reduce perspiration. Other active ingredients such as odor absorbers, enzyme inhibitors and antioxidants also contribute to deodorization . Sex pheromones are used in some perfumes . The stimulating effect on humans is, however, controversial.

education

As a teacher for vocational schools Toiletries can at several universities are studied. Aspiring hairdressers and beauticians are taught this subject, especially at vocational schools .

See also

literature

  • Moriz Heyne : Personal hygiene and clothing among Germans from the earliest historical times to the 16th century. (= Five books of German household antiquities from the earliest historical times up to the 16th century. A textbook. Volume 3), Leipzig 1903.
  • Willi Gramm: The body care of the Anglo-Saxons. A cultural-historical-etymological investigation. Heidelberg 1938 (= English Research. Volume 86).
  • Siegfried Lane: Medicine and Personal Care. Göttingen 1983 (= Archaeologia Homerica ).

Web links

Wiktionary: Personal care  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Showering too often is harmful to the skin. In: Mitteldeutsche Zeitung. March 14, 2013 ( mz-web.de ).
  2. The cosmetic check. Hormone cocktail in the bathroom. (PDF) BUND study on hormonally active substances in cosmetics, 2013. Accessed on October 2, 2019.
  3. Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety: Formaldehyde in Cosmetics - Test results 2017. As of March 25, 2019. Accessed on October 2, 2019.
  4. ^ ÖKO-TEST Cosmetics Yearbook 2013. Accessed on October 2, 2019.
  5. S. Jochum et al .: ATL To wash and dress. In: Susanne Schewior-Popp (Ed.): Thiemes Pflege. The textbook for nurses in training. 11th edition, Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-3-13-500011-4 , p. 316.
  6. Pschyrembel Online; accessed on October 2, 2019.
  7. ^ Umbach: Cosmetics and Hygiene. 3rd edition 2004, Wiley-VCH Verlag, Weinheim, ISBN 3-527-30996-9 , p. 157 ff.
  8. Christiane Bertelsmann: "Personal hygiene? You can study that?" In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . May 23, 2019 ( sueddeutsche.de Accessed October 2, 2019).