Drug is anything used in treating, curing, preventing or managing diseases. This definition is however, not exhaustive. Drug can come in different forms called dosage forms. Common examples include tablets, injection, capsules, and creams. Soaps are, at times, used as vehicle to deliver some drugs for the treatment of skin diseases. When this is done, the soap is tagged medicated. The initiator of this probably wanted it used when one has generalized skin infection to augment either systemic drug or cream.
Note this: drugs are not just used because they can cure, prevent, or ameliorate disease conditions. Their safety are considered before being put in use. If they are effective but not safe, they are not used. In cases severe and life threatening adverse effects are noticed when they are already in use, they are banned and recalled consequently by regulatory agents like FDA of US or NAFDAC of Nigeria. For ladies especially, medicated soap should be banned from being used. This is for the reasons below:
1. It clears off protective microorganisms that leave on our skin.
There are microorganisms that leave on human skin. They act like soldiers protecting the skin against harmful microorganisms. This microorganisms are called normal flora. The intention of most people who use medicated soap is to prevent against skin infection. On contrary, it leads to it on a long run. This is due to the fact that protective microorganisms that leave on our skin ate being cleared off by medicated soap leaving our skin at its own mercy. At this point, because we are always in contact with harmful microorganisms, we become prone to their colonization and infection.
2. It makes us become resistance to common antibiotics
Most times, this so called medicated soaps do not contain enough quantity of antimicrobial agents to kill infective microorganisms that cause skin infections. Not having enough antimicrobial agents in these soaps is not the major issue but its effect. Because the antimicrobial agents the manufacturers put in the soaps are, at times, not enough, they don’t kill infective microorganisms they are made to kill; rather they temporarily weaken them. After some time, the weakened microorganisms through adaptive mechanism develop resistance to these antimicrobial agents and become hard to treat (especially when there is cross resistance).
3. It leads to economic waste
When protective microorganisms on or in our skin become infective, due to their balance disruption, in addition to what is called opportunist infections, we would be left to treat the skin infection with a stronger antimicrobial which is always costly. Even when this doesn’t happen, it is still economic waste to use something which wouldn’t give you the expected result. I believe you know the reason.
4. It changes the PH state of women
By women, we mean what makes them whom they are. The change in PH state is because soaps, whether medicated or not, are alkaline in nature. So, on meeting acidic environment, there would be a neutralization reaction. The acidic state of women’s body protects it from harmful microorganisms while allowing candida albicans to leave there. Candida is not harmful to it. When the acidic state is disrupted, it gives room for colonization by harmful microorganisms and infection. At this point, even candida which leaves there peacefully and naturally becomes a problem to its own niche. This results in yeast infection otherwise known as candidiasis.
Soap, both medicated and unmedicated, is not good for washing women’s bodies. Only water is what is needed to it keep it clean. To keep your body clean, bathing with ordinary soap and water is all that’s needed; both for men and women. Medicated soap should be left unless on recommendation by your healthcare provider or a dermatologist.