This is a warning for all avid gym-goers.
Fitness enthusiast Hillary Nguyen recently shared a video on TikTok describing the health crisis she dealt with after interacting dirty gym equipment.
“PSA to all my gym girlies, if you’re not wiping down every single piece of equipment before you use it you’re gonna want to start,” Nguyen said, per Daily Dot, in a clip shared on the now-defunct video-sharing platform.
“Three months ago I discovered that I had scalp ringworm and it literally made go bald,” she explained
Nguyen continued, “That same day I went to the doctor’s and they did a black light test on me and that’s how they discovered that it was ringworm. She asked me if I go to the gym and I said basically every day, so that was most likely why.”
In another video, Nguyen said that her scalp improved after three months of treatment.
Nguyen’s first video had over 40,000 likes and over 491,000 views on Saturday before TikTok was shut down that night following a temporary federal ban on the app.
Viewers weighed in on her PSA about gym sanitation in the comments section.
“I sanitize my phone with alcohol wipes and wash my hands right after the gym. I’m so scared to catch something!!! No one wipes stuff down at my gym,” one person wrote.
Another said, “Well new fear re-unlocked. I do wipe all equipment but this was like not an active conscious thought about ringworm avoidance til now.”
Someone else commented, “I got ringworm from the mats at my gym a while back it sucked! Def bring wipes and disinfectant if you can [i know] some gyms don’t keep up with it like 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 to develop, thrive in warm, moist places like sweaty exercise equipment and locker room showers,” the AAD’s website says.
The AAD recommends several tips for preventing skin infections at the gym, including wearing loose-fitting, moisture-wicking clothes, always wearing shoes, disinfecting equipment before and after using it, washing or sanitizing your hands immediately after working out, and showering as soon as possible.
