Bidet brigade's bottoms feel the burn after a nasty bout of 'washlette syndrome'
Just over 25 years after Toto Ltd. introduced bottom-washer equipped toilets to the market, two in three Japanese homes now boast of having cleaning commodes. But it turns out that the cleansing crapper could actually be a literal pain in the ass, leading to an affliction some are calling "washlette syndrome," according to Shukan Asahi (12/1).
"Washlettes," as the popular potties are referred to in Japan, have become indispensable for many Japanese, who follow a squirt downward with another squirt upward to clean up the leftovers. A 30-something Tokyo man and avowed washlette fan is one such person, spending about 15 minutes every morning in the smallest room of his home -- and not because he's either constipated or reading the paper.
"I use the washlette to clean up my bottom after I've defecated, but when I do so, the warm water it emits stimulates my buttocks and I feel like I've got more to let out. That goes on over and over again and makes it hard to leave the toilet," he tells Shukan Asahi.
The man freely admits to being something of a worry wart, saying that in pre-washlette days he would wipe repeatedly with paper, but never be satisfied he was clean enough regardless of how many swipes he'd done. Now, he won't even use a toilet unless it has a washer equipped.
"There was a time when I lived in a place that did not have a washlette toilet, so I used to deliberately hold on until I could find a place to go that had one," he says. "Even now, whenever I'm away from home, I always make sure to look for washlette toilets."
Washlette toilets originated from medical equipment before Toto adapted them for home use. They found a popular market in Japan, where most people are fastidious about personal hygiene. But experts like proctologist Kaoru Kusama warn that the toilets are a danger for the derriere if used to excess.
Kusama says proctologists call it "washlette syndrome," an affliction brought about through over-washing the anus after defecation. Warm water and water pressure applied to the anus stimulate it, occasionally to the extent of causing heat rash, which makes it itchy.
"Before wash toilets were as common as they are now, those people who did use them tended to keep the water relatively tepid and pressure low," Kusama tells Shukan Asahi. "But now, when washlettes are being used even in public toilets and you can wash your anus anywhere, people have become used to them. Many want an ever-stronger stimulation when they wash, turning the pressure up high and making the water hotter."
Kusama says that the warmer water pumped out at greater intensity invites "washlette syndrome."
Immunologist Koichiro Fujita adds that washlettes also have an adverse affect on the skin's pH levels, which increases susceptibility to illness.
"When I was a kid, we used to hang up a bit of rope next to the toilet and we'd rub our butts up against the rope to clean them after we'd had a poo," the doctor says. "People nowadays have gone too far in their quest for cleanliness."
Toto, meanwhile, stands by its potties.
"We've never had a single complaint of this kind from one of our customers," a Toto spokesman tells Shukan Asahi. "However, we would like customers to use our commodes to the extent where they feel comfortable and clean." (By Ryann Connell)
November 21, 2006
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