Antibac attack: Can you be too clean?

Despite recent concerns that antibacterial products might force bacteria to become more resistant, stores are still stocked with antibacterial soaps, cleaners, toothbrushes -- even socks and ink pens. Local health experts sound off on whether it's dangerous or even possible to overuse antibacterial products.

According to Carol Jordan, director of infection control at Southeast Missouri Hospital, studies have shown there is no significant difference between antibacterial and regular soaps used on wet hands. The main difference between the two, she says, is that soaps containing antibacterial agents like triclosan last longer because they leave a residue on the skin. Jordan also notes that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not found any increase in bacterial resistance when using antibacterial products, though the organization is beginning more research on this topic.

"Like anything else, antibacterial products have a time and a place, but under most household situations, they're probably not warranted," says Jordan. She says antibacterial products are a good idea for people who work in health care or are concerned with an illness or weakened immune system. For everyone else, she believes regular soap is fine on a daily basis.

Dolores McDowell, a family nurse practitioner at A Woman's Life Family Healthcare in Cape Girardeau, sees no problem with antibacterial products, either, but warns that antibacterial soaps can be harsh on skin.

"They can break down the skin, causing it to crack and dry out, leading to a skin infection," she explains. If you use antibacterial soaps, balance out the use with a moisturizing lotion.

Antibacterial products have been around for more than 30 years, so why the sudden worry about overuse? Jordan thinks people are simply more concerned with health, especially since the breakout of the H1N1 flu virus. When people read the word "antibacterial," they equate it with being healthy, says Jordan. McDowell has seen a similar pattern in the use of antibiotics, where she sees a definite overuse.

"It's because we have it. We have access to it," says McDowell. "We've come to think that antibiotics are the answer to everything."

McDowell and Jordan agree that when it comes to antibacterial versus regular soaps, the answer is simply to wash your hands -- with any soap. At the very least, says McDowell, the prevalence of antibacterial products is a reminder for people to wash their hands, a practice that prevents many diseases.

"I just recommend that you wash your hands and use soap of some form -- one or the other," says Jordan.