Picture the scenario: You’ve just completed a relatively low-key workout and are changing out of your gym clothes.
Is your sports bra going in the laundry basket? If the answer is no, you wouldn’t be alone.
According to a recent survey of 2,000 regular exercisers, only half of people wash their sports bras after exercising.
In fact, a fifth said they use the same one up to three times before washing it. And one in 10 said they use it again up to six times.
But how disgusting is this?
Bad news for clothing avoiders: Not washing a sports bra and other underwear worn during exercise immediately afterward could put you at risk for skin irritation and nasty infections, according to experts.
Wearing sweaty gym clothes again can cause bacteria and fungi to grow in greater numbers on the skin, experts say
‘If you are reusing them [gym clothes]”Not only does it probably smell like sweat, but it also traps bacteria and dirt, sebum and oils.” Dr. Antonio Rossia professor of dermatology at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York told DailyMail.com.
Bacteria love water and heat, and both get trapped under sweaty gym clothes, Dr. Rossi explained.
Hot sweat causes bacteria, fungi, and yeast on your skin to multiply, which can reach your hair follicles and cause unsightly bumps or acne.
In addition to the bacteria that naturally live on your skin, there are plenty of bugs you can come into contact with at the gym, Rossi said.
A 2020 study Researchers at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center found evidence of two types of drug-resistant bacteria and flu viruses on 25 percent of all gym surfaces they analyzed.
Those researchers identified a particularly scary drug-resistant bacteria, called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), that lives on gym equipment for hours, days or weeks, according to to the CDC.
Drug-resistant bacteria can live on gym equipment for weeks, CDC says
MRSA, a drug-resistant bacteria, under the microscope. Although skin infections with this bacteria can often be treated, if it enters the bloodstream, it can cause septic infection and death.
If MRSA comes into contact with a cut or scrape, large red boils can develop on the skin that fill with pus, according to Dr. Mark Fisher, a plastic surgeon at Johns Hopkins.
These skin infections are usually treatable, Fisher said in a University Questions and Answers. But in rare cases, if you do not seek help for the condition, bacteria may enter the bloodstream, which can cause serious illness. according to the NIH.
“If you spend time in locker rooms, schools, gyms, or even prisons, be very careful to avoid cuts and scrapes, and if you sustain a skin injury in any of these environments, wash it well,” Dr. Fisher said.
Despite this stark reality, only 46 percent of people surveyed by the UK company Live football tickets reported that they were concerned about the presence of germs when considering washing their underwear after the gym.
Instead, 55 percent said they simply paid attention to their smell and let their clothes be recycled until they stunk.
If for some reason you can’t completely wash your gym clothes, Rossi has some tips.
If you travel, you can at least put your sweaty clothes in hot water at the hotel, dry them, and hang them to dry. He tells his patients that this can help, because it “at least allows the water to evaporate,” which can at least partially prevent bacterial growth.
Additionally, Rossi said some fabrics are more susceptible to harboring bacteria than others.
For example, natural materials like cotton may have a looser weave that allows better air circulation than synthetic fibers.