J. Hill is worried: Can bacteria (for example, E. coli) live on shower poofs? I’ve always thought the bacteria couldn’t live on the synthetic material, but I haven’t been able to find evidence of that. I throw mine out every month or two, but after a recent bout of frequent UTIs, I wonder if the shower poof might harbor bacteria. Any thoughts on that? Thanks!
The Right Brain responds: 
Not to freak you out, J, but the quick answer is yes, shower poofs CAN harbor bacteria. With a good food and water supply, bacteria thrive on synthetic materials like plastic and rubber. They form a hard to remove layer, known as a biofilm, that can give your poof a light orangish pink color. So changing your shower poof often is a good idea.
However, these bacteria are not likely to be the cause of your Urinary Tract Infection. Even if your poof was contaminated, it’s unlikely that many bacteria could have been transferred with that kind of contact. It’s your own biology that’s probably causing the problem. According to the Mayo Clinic “girls and women …are susceptible to lower urinary tract infections because the anus is so close to the female urethra.”
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Changing poofs on a regular basis is a good idea. But if you’re having frequent infections you should see your doctor.
What do YOU think? Do you have problems with UTIs? How often do you change you shower poof or brush? Leave a comment and share your thoughts with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
译文:
你的淋浴喷头会让你得病吗？
J.Hill 很担心：细菌（比如大肠杆菌）能在淋浴喷头上生存吗？我总觉得细菌无法在合成材料上生存，可是我一直没有找到相关证据可以证明。一般我一两个月就更换一次我的喷头，但最近由于我频繁的尿道感染，我开始怀疑是不是喷头里有细菌。有什么建议吗？谢谢。
The Right Brain回答：
不是吓唬你，J，简而言之，是的，喷头里可以滋生细菌。只要有很好的食物和水做供应，细菌就会在塑料，橡胶等合成材料上大量繁殖。形成一层很难去除的，我们称之为生物被膜的东西，让你得喷头染上一层浅橘黄色。所以经常更换喷头是个很好的主意.
不过，这些细菌不大可能是你尿道感染的罪魁祸首。即使你的喷头被细菌污染了，细菌也不大可能以这种接触方式大量转移。很有可能是你自身生理上的一些毛病。根据Mayo Clinic 的说法：女性……由于肛门和尿道位置很接近更容易患上尿道感染。
The beauty Brains的总结：
定期更换喷头是个很好的办法，不过如果你要是频繁的被细菌感染就得去看看医生了。
你觉得怎么样？你有尿道感染的困扰吗？你多久换一次你得喷头和刷子？说说你的看法，和Beauty Brains一起交流一下吧。