This is a warning to all avid gym goers.
Fitness enthusiast Hillary Nguyen recently shared a video on TikTok describing the health crisis she faced after interacting with dirty gym equipment.
“PSA to all my gym girls: If you don’t clean every piece of equipment before you use it, you’re going to want to start,” Nguyen told Daily Dot in a clip shared on the now-defunct video-sharing platform.
“Three months ago I discovered I had ringworm on the scalp, which was literally making me bald,” she explained
Nguyen continued: “That same day I went to the doctor and they did a black light test on me and that’s how they discovered it was ringworm. She asked me if I went to the gym and I said basically every day, so that was probably why.”
In another video, Nguyen said her scalp improved after three months of treatment.
Nguyen’s first video had more than 40,000 likes and more than 491,000 views on Saturday before TikTok was shut down that evening following a temporary federal ban on the app.
Viewers commented on her PSA about gym sanitation in the comments section.
“I disinfect my phone with alcohol wipes and wash my hands immediately after the gym. I’m so scared of catching anything!!! No one wipes stuff down at my gym,” one person wrote.
Another said: “Well new fear has been unlocked again. I wipe down all equipment, but this has not been an active, conscious thought about avoiding ringworm until now.
Someone else commented: ‘I got ringworm from the mats at my gym a while ago, it was bad! Be sure to bring wipes and disinfectant if you can [i know] some gyms don’t keep track as they should.”
According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association (AAD), people are at risk of getting ringworm at the gym.
“This is because bacteria, viruses and fungi that cause skin infections thrive in warm, moist places such as sweaty gym equipment and locker room showers,” the AAD website says.
The AAD recommends several tips to prevent skin infections at the gym, including wearing loose-fitting, moisture-wicking clothing, wearing shoes at all times, disinfecting equipment before and after use, washing or sanitizing your hands immediately after exercising, and showering as quickly as possible. possible.