We all grew up practically drowning in hand sanitizer. You can find it in classrooms, on trains, at the gym, or in a little holster that you wear on your belt. Our national psyche is haunted by the threat of bacteria. Slogans like "Kills the Most Germs" and "Kills 99.99% of All Germs" are burned into our brains. We must kill it all!

But some time not too long ago, that messaging took something of a 180-degree turn. Suddenly we were told that this focus on eliminating bacteria would eventually make it resistant, thus creating super-bacteria that would be the end of mankind. Dr. Stuart Levy of Tufts University School of Medicine, a big boy in the pro-bacteria field, said that we must “save antibiotics from themselves.”

Erin Assenza, an integrative nutrition coach, is also against over-sterilization. "Antibacterial things we plop on our hands every 20 seconds are not helpful," she said. "They reduce the bacteria that we need. The dirt is good for you. Hand sanitizer is completely unnecessary." Take that, anti-bacteria industrial complex!

Okay, so there's a counter-narrative to the whole "kill everything" approach. And there’s no arguing with scientific findings that drug-resistant bacteria now exist. But to what extent should that hinder our use of these antibacterial products? It’s all too easy to reach for your portable alcoholic sanitizer. (Raise your clean hands high.) You get that urge to disinfect your fingers after exiting the subway, or yanking open a 7-Eleven door, or sneezing, or just about whenever, really. It seems easy to swap your antibacterial sink-ledge hand soap for a “standard” one, but hand sanitizer without the sterilizing effects would be...pointless, right?

We wanted to know, once and for all, if we should stop using hand sanitizers. To find out, we sought the expertise of Lindsey Bordone, M.D. and assistant professor of dermatology at Columbia University. Here’s what she had to say.

Does using hand sanitizer really protect us from contracting sicknesses like the flu?

Yes, but not entirely. “Flu viruses specifically have been shown to survive on hard surfaces for up to 24 hours,” Bordone notes. “In New York City, for instance, subway riders hold on to the metal rails when riding the trains. It would be very easy to those suffering with flu to transfer this virus to subsequent riders who touch the same railing touched by the infected rider. In this scenario, the use of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer can prevent the spread of flu. Though there are no studies showing the efficacy of these hand sanitizers against the current flu virus, it is known that alcohol-based hand sanitizers kill the majority of viruses, bacteria, and fungi.” And while we’re on the topic of the flu specifically, Bordone has one more thing to add: “Keep in mind that the majority of people will contract the flu and other viruses by inhaling droplets in the air rather than touching contaminated surfaces.”

Can you debunk or confirm the notion that all these antibacterial products are actually bad for us? Has their mass use made bacteria more resistant?

Again, yes and no, says Bordone. Hand sanitizer use isn’t at the center of this concern—that's more about bacteria that have grown to resist hardcore antibiotics. The greater concern is that “antibacterial” has become too common across the board. So in that sense, we shouldn’t prioritize an antibacterial hand soap over a standard soap in most cleaning cases—changing the public’s acceptance of this is most important.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) still recommends using sanitizer in many professional settings, which you can use as a gauge for whether or not they frown on its use. That’s because it sometimes is important to sterilize, and the height of flu season is probably one of the best times. “However, one issue that I see as a result of frequent hand-sanitizer use is hand eczema,” she says. “The alcohol can dry the skin significantly, and when used frequently causes overdrying of the skin, plus irritation and rashes.” Germophobes, take note!

Watch:Logic Shows Off His Favorite TattoosShould people use antibacterial soap over sanitizer, if that's an option?

Bordone says that there are no conclusive studies suggesting that one is more effective at sterilizing your hands than the other—and the CDC has also confirmed this.

So what the hell should our hand-cleaning philosophy actually be?

First, consider the ways that bacteria can easily get into your body, and then work to prevent those. “I recommend people avoid touching mucosal surfaces on their eyes, nose, and mouth,” Bordone says. “Because germs from your hands can be easily spread if they gain entry through these thin skin surfaces.” She stresses the importance of washing your hands before eating, too, since you’ll otherwise touch the food that goes into the body, thus transferring the germs. (Obviously, hand sanitizer will suffice, too. And, although it kills bacteria, it may not rinse away dirt and grime as easily.) “Lastly, if there is a cut on your hand, it is important to keep it covered with petrolatum jelly and a Band-Aid to avoid bacteria getting into the broken skin and causing infection,” she says.

Adam Hurly has been covering men's grooming since 2013 (and for GQ since 2016). He is also a travel writer. In Fall 2024, Adam is launching Blue Print by Adam Hurly, a men's grooming platform. Adam resides in Lisbon (previously Berlin, NYC, and San Francisco). He is a Sioux Falls, SD, native... Read moreWriterInstagramRelated Stories for GQHealth