Expert tell all: Do you REALLY need to wear underwear?

Expert opinion. How important is it really to wear underwear?

According to genital health experts, there are pros and cons.

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WEARING UNDERWEAR – YAY OR NAY?

Growing up, children are being taught the importance of wearing underwear. But is it really all that necessary to wear every day?

Although underwear can help protect delicate genital skin, it might do you good to go commando occasionally.

It may even prevent common concerns like yeast infections, UTI’s or jock itch, Business Insider reports.

A survey done by Vanity Fair found that 25% of participants go commando or skip wearing underwear, at least occasionally. 

So wear does the term “going commando” come from anyway?

Business Insider reports that it might have originated during the Vietnam War when soldiers sometimes didn’t wear underwear to prevent fungal infections when they couldn’t shower. 

But are there really health benefits to ditching your panties?

Here are a few pros and cons, according to a genital health expert.

PROS OF GOING COMMANDO

According to Business Insider, the potential benefits of ditching your underwear mainly depends on what’s in your pants. 

The pros if you are a vulva owner:

• Lowered risk of yeast infections
  Yeast infections are vaginal fungal infections that can cause irritation, itchiness, and vaginal discharge. Certain kinds of underwear, like those made of materials other than cotton, may lead to higher rates of yeast infections. So, limiting the times when you wear underwear may help prevent them, according to Aleece Fosnight, medical advisor and urologist at Aeroflow Urology. 
• Fewer UTIs
  People with vaginas get urinary tract infections (UTIs) up to 30 times more often — and non-cotton undies may raise your risk of UTIs. If you frequently get UTIs when you wear underwear in fabrics other than cotton, going commando may help you avoid the issue. 
• Reducing vaginal odor
  Throughout your day, you can sweat in your genital area, and your underwear may trap moisture or odor-causing organisms around the vulva. If you’re concerned about how you smell down there, skipping underwear might help you. 
• Less irritation
  Tight underwear can cause rubbing or chafing, and some underwear may irritate the sensitive skin of your vulva, Fosnight says. 

The pros if you are a penis owner: 

• Lower risk of jock itch
  Underwear can trap sweat close to your body — and fungal infections like tinea cruris, aka jock Itch, thrive in damp environments. If you sweat heavily during workouts, skipping underwear might help air out your genitals and prevent fungal infections. 
• The reduced smell of sweat
  Damp underwear isn’t only a breeding ground for fungal infections. “Not wearing underwear can help decrease genital odor,” Fosnight says. 
• Potentially increased sperm count
  When your testes become too warm, the increased temperature decreases their ability to make optimal sperm, Fosnight says.
• Freedom of movement
  If you find underwear restricts your movements, going commando could allow you more freedom during workouts — or just let you appreciate a fresh breeze as you go about your daily life.

CONS OF GOING COMMANDO

Before you ditch and burn all your underwear, there are cons to going commando.

Sometimes, going without underwear might actually leave you more open to chafing or infections — particularly if you have a vulva, says Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, a gynecologist at Yale Medicine. 

Minkin says she’s treated several people for irritation to the vulva and urethra — caused by the coarse cloth of their pants after they skipped underwear. 

Other cons include: 

• Less protection from leakage
  Skipping underwear might leave you without an extra barrier between your genitals and your pants, should any leakage occur. 
• Lowered support
  If you have a penis, you may find that going commando leaves you without as much support as you might like during physical activities. Wearing a cup can protect you during close-contact sports, but you’ll want to wear these with a jockstrap and snug briefs for best results. 
• Stains from vaginal fluids
  If you have a vulva, skipping underwear might allow your regular vaginal discharge to get on your clothes. 
• Protection from zippers
  Without underwear as a barrier between your body and your pants, it’s possible to snag your skin or pubic hair in a zipper accidentally. 

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