The human body is a truly amazing thing. It can heal scars, grow a whole new human, and boasts beautiful, unique features like our eyes. Medical science keeps revealing just how incredible and resilient our bodies are.
But, let’s be real, our bodies can also be home to some pretty strange stuff. From odd growths to skin conditions and even unwanted tiny guests, here are 10 of the weirdest things you might find on your own body. You might want to forget some of these after reading!
10. Dandruff: The Great White Way
Dandruff is a common skin condition that affects the scalp, causing itchiness and flaking. Our scalp constantly produces new skin cells and sheds the old ones. With dandruff, this process speeds up, and the scalp’s natural oils cause these dead cells to clump together, resulting in those white flakes you see.
What causes it? Several factors can contribute, including seborrheic dermatitis, a condition causing red, greasy skin with flaky white scales. This often affects oily areas like the scalp, ears, nose, and armpits. Infrequent shampooing can also worsen dandruff, as oils and dead skin cells build up. While annoying and sometimes embarrassing, dandruff is a common condition many people experience.
9. Holy Moly
Moles are benign growths that appear as bumps on the skin. They can be present at birth or develop later in life. Moles vary in color from brown to black and may be hairless or have hairs growing from them. Usually, they are round and reddish. Moles are generally harmless unless they change in appearance.
If a doctor suspects a mole might be cancerous, they may recommend a biopsy. This involves removing a small piece of the mole for analysis to check for cancerous cells. If cancer is detected, the mole and surrounding skin are surgically removed. Moles can also be removed for cosmetic reasons with a simple surgical procedure that leaves a small scar that fades over time.
8. Count Lice-ula
Lice are unwelcome parasites that survive by feeding on blood. These tiny, wingless insects are hard to spot and can infest the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, or groin.
Even worse, lice nits (eggs) are even smaller and easily mistaken for dandruff. They are crucial to eliminate to stop the infestation. If someone in your family has lice, thoroughly check your home and car for eggs and avoid sharing hats!
7. Ring Around the Worm
Despite its name, ringworm isn’t a worm. It’s a fungal skin infection caused by various fungi, including Trichophyton, Microsporum, and Epidermophyton. Ringworm can affect different parts of the body and is easily spread, but it’s generally less dangerous than other highly contagious diseases.
Our bodies have some natural defenses against ringworm. Keratin, found in our hair, nails, and skin cells, protects against the fungus penetrating deeper. Doctors usually diagnose ringworm by using a harmless blacklight, as some ringworm fungi naturally fluoresce. They may also scrape the infected skin and examine it under a microscope to identify the fungal cells.
6. Bacteria, Virus, and Microbial-Related Cells
Get ready for a shock: Only about 10% of the cells in your body are actually human! The other 90% consist of microbes, viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms – over 90 trillion of them! These microorganisms work together to maintain our health. Of course, bacteria can be good or bad, and an overgrowth of harmful bacteria can make you sick.
Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that can cause stomach ulcers. While it used to be more common, now only about half the world’s population has it. Many people with H. pylori don’t experience symptoms, but some develop painful ulcers in their digestive tract.
5. Snot Galore
Snot, or mucus, often grosses us out, but it serves a crucial purpose. Mucus traps invading viruses and bacteria before they can enter our bodies. Fun fact: we swallow about a quarter of a snot per day! Mucus travels from our nose to the back of our throat and down we go, thanks to the connection between our sinuses and face.
Mucus plays a significant role in protecting our health by warming and humidifying the air we breathe and trapping unwanted particles. When we’re sick, mucus production increases to help fight off infection.
4. Lipoma Livin’
A lipoma is a benign growth made up of fat cells that develops between your skin and muscle. Lipomas can also grow in deeper tissues, such as abdominal organs. They grow slowly and usually don’t cause symptoms or require treatment. Though the cause isn’t clear, lipomas aren’t related to being overweight, but they can be congenital.
Lipomas might be removed for cosmetic reasons or if they cause pain or become infected. Removal typically involves a surgical procedure with a local anesthetic to remove the tumor.
3. Twinkle Toes
Ever noticed your toenails turning yellow? Our feet come into contact with some of the dirtiest surfaces, exposing them to countless germs daily. Toenails collect millions of microorganisms, including fungi, which can cause discoloration. So, keeping those toenails trimmed is a simple way to protect yourself.
2. Waxy Differences
Earwax isn’t as simple as you might think! There are two main types: wet and dry. The type of earwax you have is determined by your genetics. The body makes earwax to clean and protect the ears.
The wax traps dust and other particles that could harm the eardrum. Too little earwax can lead to itchy ears and increased vulnerability to disease, while too much can cause mild deafness, earaches, tinnitus, infections, and other problems.
1. Bat your Lashes
Think your face is spotless after washing? Think again! We all have mites living in our pores, especially around our eyelashes. They feed on our oils and dead skin. These mites, called Demodex mites, increase in population as we age. Don’t worry, they are so tiny you can’t feel them.
Demodex folliculorum live in hair follicles and eat dead skin cells. These mites become problematic only if they worsen skin conditions like rosacea or cause other skin complications in large numbers.
Our bodies are full of surprises, some pleasant and others, well, a little less so. From common conditions like dandruff to the microscopic mites living on our faces, there’s always something interesting happening on or within us.
Which of these facts surprised you the most? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
