According to the Mayo Clinic and the FDA, antibacterial soaps DO offer greater protection than regular soaps, but only in one particular instance.
That is: if you have an open cut or sore that could become infected.
Therefore, antibacterial soaps are useful in hospital and school environments, however, they may do more harm than good when used in normal, healthy households.
In reality, regular soap does the job just fine, because it is the combination of scrubbing your hands with ANY kind of soap (antibacterial or regular) and rinsing them with water that actually loosens and removes the bacteria.
The truth is, people who are buying up all the antibaterial products are doing so because they think they're being extra cautious and protecting themselves from disease or infection.
But what they don't realize is that most of the infections people get are of the cold, flu and diarrhea variety -- and those are caused by viruses NOT bacteria!
Here's the complete study on antibacterial products.
RELATED:
- Study: Anti-Bacterial Soaps Don't Cut Cold Risk
- Antibacterial Soaps Cause Concern
- Antibacterial Soaps Popularity May be Spreading Resistant Bacteria
- More About Triclosan & Antibacterial Products
- Anti-bacterial Soaps Contribute To The Rise Of Germs
UPDATE:
According to Dr. Stuart Levy, the antibacterial agent found in these soaps is "triclosan" also known as an antibiotic, and it can pose an unexpected hazard, especially with children.
Specifically, the antibiotic residue of these soaps remains on household surfaces and exterminates the majority of HARMLESS germs that normally reside all around us. And young children need to interact with such germs to "train" their immune systems to ward off such germs as adults.
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