We all touch our faces, you rest your chin on your hand, rub your forehead, rub your eyes, perhaps brush a hair off your face itching your nose. There are countless reasons why we touch our faces, without thinking about hand hygiene.
Research differs on how many times a day a person touches their face from 23 times an hour to 50 times an hour on average according to the NIH. Recent Cleveland Clinic research suggests that it varies between 9 and 162 times per hour. While the research may differ, these are some important numbers to remember when you realize how often unconsciously people touch their faces every day.
You may be asking why we are mentioning touching your face, and it is for good reason. Most experts suggest that the number one reason why they recommend that you avoid touching your face is because touching it can spread germs/viruses that make you sick.
Surface life
According to the Cleveland Clinic, cold germs can live on surfaces for up to one week, however, they lose effectiveness after the first 24 hours and can live on your hand for up to one hour. Influenza virus can live for up to 24 to 48 hours on hard surfaces, and coronaviruses can live anywhere from a few hours to a few days on hard surfaces. That’s alarming when you think of how often you touch your face.
Research suggests that nearly half the time a person touches their face the touches are on mucous membranes like our mouth, eyes, and nose. Research also suggests that the majority of people are unlikely to be washing their hands at a rate anywhere near the frequency needed to keep them free of dirt, germs, and viruses that are looking for opportunities to set up shop within us.
Cell phone contamination
Speaking of contamination, when was the last time you cleaned your cell phone? Research shows that cell phones are very dirty, containing up to 10 times more bacteria than a toilet seat. The average cell phone contains around 7,000 to 25,127 types of bacteria per square inch, toilet seats have around 1,201, kitchen countertops have 1,736 per square inch, pet food dishes have 2,110, a checkout screen has 4,500, and a doorknob can have 8,643 different types of bacteria per square inch. Your cell phone is most likely one of the dirtiest objects you come in contact with every day, and you put that in your hand to your face without even thinking about it.
Going to work sick
This brings us to people going to work while they are sick. They may be coughing, sneezing, or touching their nose to remove mucus running from their nose. What are the chances they clean up their mess or wash their hands to stop contamination of the surfaces they come into contact with?
Let’s put that into the context of a person working at a grocery store, whether that be stocking the shelves or checking your items at the register. Those dirty hands are all over everything you just purchased and are about to bring home. To add to this, less than 1 in 5 people wash their hands after handling money, credit cards, or ATM machines.
Money can reportedly carry more germs than a household toilet. Money exchanging from hand to hand is a hospitable environment for gross microbes: viruses and bacteria can live on most surfaces for about 48 hours, but paper money can reportedly transport a live flu virus for up to 17 days, according to TIME.
This reminds us of the importance of thoroughly cleaning fruits and vegetables before you eat them. Around 86% of Americans wash their produce before they eat it. However, a significant portion only wash it when the produce visibly appears dirty. Washing produce is crucial to remove dirt, bacteria, and pesticide residues that may not be visible to the naked eye which could cause illness, highlighting the importance of always washing fruits and vegetables regardless of appearance.
Another important tip that seems to have been forgotten is to remove meat from the original packaging before freezing it. The original packaging is permeable to air, meaning that the quality of the meat will diminish in a few weeks. Changing the packaging helps to avoid wasting food and the possibility of putting contaminated surfaces into your fridge.
Masks
You may be thinking, oh I’ll just wear a mask. If we have learned anything from recent events, no mask is 100% effective for the general public. An N95 is named as such because it is at least 95% efficient at blocking airborne particles, but it needs to be cared for and used properly.
Research shows that high-quality masks such as an N95 can block particles that are the same size as those carrying coronaviruses. These high-quality masks act as a filter, not as a sieve. Virus particles must weave around the layers of fibers, and as they do so, they may crash into those fibers and become trapped. But again, they need to be cared for and worn properly.
However, there is no evidence that any mask works for the general public. According to Dr. Tom Jefferson, author of the Cochrane Review, it is “more likely than not they don’t work.”
If you are sick, please be inconsiderate to others and stay home.
Hand hygiene
Every day you are touching surfaces that could be the breeding ground for all kinds of nastiness. Stair rails, elevator buttons, door handles, pens, ATMs, money, grocery carts, the counter at a coffee shop, a table at a restaurant, checkout machines, hangers at department stores, the surfaces we touch daily have a wide variety, which may or may not have been cleaned recently.
So, what is a person to do? You may not be able to wash your hands as much as you should, but you can use hand sanitizer until you are able to wash with soap and water. Hand washing is the best way to prevent the spread of germs. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, washing in between your fingers, and around your thumbs.
Tips to stop touching your face
Respiratory infections are generally spread by inhaling droplets expelled from a sick person. But they commonly land on surfaces, which makes hand hygiene so important considering how often we touch our faces.
Stopping the face-touching habit is easier said than done, but it can be done.
Start by correcting the habit when you recognize that you are doing it. To do this you need to become aware of when and how often you are doing it. Sometimes it helps to observe other people to see when they are touching their face with their hands and reflect on whether you are as well.
Some people have luck putting scents on their hands or wrists which makes it more likely to notice due to the smell.
If you keep your hands busy you may be less likely to touch your face. You could get a stress ball, a fidget spinner, or anything that fits into the palm of your hand as a deterrent.
Avoid putting your elbows on the table to keep distance between your face and hands. The farther away your hands are from your face provides your brain more time to see them coming in for a face rub.
There will be times when you need to scratch an itch or get an eyelash but try to have tissues nearby to keep a barrier between your face and hands.
Did you notice that in the time it took you to read this, you probably touched your face about 10 times?
As with anything you read on the internet, this article should not be construed as medical advice; please talk to your doctor or primary care provider before changing your wellness routine. WHN does not agree or disagree with any of the materials posted. This article is not intended to provide a medical diagnosis, recommendation, treatment, or endorsement. Additionally, it is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
Content may be edited for style and length.
References/Sources/Materials provided by:
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-stop-touching-your-face
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25637115
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7350942
The Dirty Cell Phone: 25,127 Bacteria
https://nypost.com/2023/02/14/face-masks-made-little-to-no-difference-in-study
https://www.cnn.com/videos/health/2023/09/09/smr-author-of-mask-study-on-effectiveness.cnn
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