Sharing your bathing suit may not be the healthiest idea!
Summer time is in full swing, meaning it’s time to hit the beaches and look STUNNING in your fashionable swimwear. It doesn’t matter if you wear a bikini, a tankini, or a one-piece bathing suit, you’re going to look good once you spend some time out in the sun.
But tell me if this has ever happened to you: Time to hit the beach, so you throw all of your gear into a bag. When you finally reach the beach, it’s time to swim but “Oh no! I forgot my swimsuit!” Thankfully, there is someone there to lend you one of theirs, and so you hit the beach in your borrowed bikini or bathing suit.
Did you know that could be one of the worst things you can do? You can catch disease from swimwear!
The Danger of Shared Swimwear
Would you wear your friend’s underwear? Probably not, or at least I wouldn’t!
Underwear covers the private parts, the part of your body where you are very likely to develop infections. Whether it’s a yeast infection, a urinary tract infection, or even herpes, a surprising number of people suffer from infections in their genitals. For example, did you know that 1 out of every 6 people between the age of 14 and 49 suffer from herpes? That’s a whole lot of risk to take just by sharing someone’s bathing suit!
Viruses, yeast, and bacteria love to live in warm, moist places. When you get in the pool for a swim, the bikini stays wet for long minutes after you get out of the pool. All the time that the bikini is damp, it’s rubbing up against your private parts and increasing the risk of these pathogens forming. It’s why your mother always told you to change out of your bikini as soon as you got out of the pool, as sitting around in a damp bikini can lead to a yeast infection.
Now, imagine what would happen if your friend suffered from some sort of infection when they were last using their bikini. Not all infections are communicable, but the bacteria that cause the infection may linger on the bikini. When you put it on, it comes in contact with your own “bathing suit parts”, and you end up with far more bacteria, fungi, or viruses than you might like. The risk of infection is much higher, and it’s all thanks to that bikini!
For this reason, it’s better to NOT borrow a bikini or bathing suit from a friend. You should never wear anyone else’s underthings next to your private parts, as you don’t want to risk their bacteria or yeast–the ones that ALWAYS live in the genitals–spreading to yours!
READ MORE: Bathing Suits Should Fit Like Bras
Why NOT to Try On Bikinis
Another very important thing to remember: Don’t try on bikinis naked!
“But how else am I going to know how it looks?” you may ask. It’s a valid question, but the truth is that you’re putting yourself at risk as much as you are when trying on a friend’s bikini.
Think about it: that bikini has been in the store for a few weeks/months, and how many other people do you think have tried it on? How many of them wore their underwear while trying it on? That means that your private parts are essentially coming in contact with a bikini that has come in contact with dozens of other people’s private parts.
When bikini shopping, do the smart thing and try it on over your underwear, or just don’t try it on. ALWAYS wash it when you get home, and don’t use it until it has gone through the machine.
If you absolutely must share swimwear, consider buying these swimwear liners first.
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