Lesson video

Hello, I'm Mrs. O'Neill.

This is lesson four of our six-lesson unit on the changing adolescent body.

We've already looked at the changes we can expect to take place during puberty, both to the body and the brain.

We've looked at first sexual feelings and relationships.

We're now going to look at the importance of hygiene during puberty, which is in direct relation to the changes happening to the body that we've already discussed in previous lessons.

I'm looking forward to today's lesson.

I hope that you will enjoy it too.

Thank you.

Do remember, if this lesson topic is a little bit sensitive to you do complete it with a trusted adult nearby.

Let's begin.

So for today's lesson, you are going to need something to write on, your exercise book, or a piece of paper, or something.

In today's lesson, you are going to need something to write on, so an exercise book, or a piece of paper, and something to write with.

A pen or a pencil of any kind.

On to today's agenda.

As usual, we will have an exit quiz at the end that I'll direct you to.

And you should already have completed today's introductory quiz.

The topics that we'll be learning about during today's lesson are going to be general hygiene during puberty.

We'll also then move on to more specifically, hygiene related to the penis, and then hygiene related to the vulva, which are the male and female genitalia.

However, even though you might think, well, I don't have a penis, that part of the lesson isn't relevant to me, it's still really important you understand, because one day you might have children.

You might have family members that you need to advise.

So the whole of today's lesson is really important not just the parts that you might think are more specifically relevant to you.

Keywords for today.

Hygiene simply means keeping clean to be healthy.

Discharge, so the mucus produced by the vagina.

And cystitis, which is an unpleasant and uncomfortable inflammation of the bladder.

We'll also be mentioning the term smegma today, which is a thick, white substance that collects under the foreskin.

So the word foreskin itself is also important that we understand that that means, refers to the skin that covers the end of the penis.

It's the skin that circumcised people have had removed.

Often males at birth are circumcised, sometimes for religious reasons, sometimes for health reasons.

And often many, many males are circumcised later on during their life for a variation of reasons.

So if you've been circumcised, it means you no longer have the foreskin.

So first off, let's consider in general why is hygiene important? Please have a think.

Please make a little list on your piece of paper, just over the course of 30 seconds or so, reasons why hygiene is important, two or three bullet points.

Okay, have you thought of two or three? Should we see if your ideas match mine? So hopefully you came up with two or three ideas about why hygiene is important that match mine.

But this list here gives us a really good overview of why it's important to be hygienic.

Now, during puberty there's a particular importance on hygiene.

Let's just talk about some of the general hygiene information that's relevant to all young people going through puberty.

It's worth knowing and remembering that during puberty, it's more than likely young people will sweat more and perhaps may have increased body odour.

That therefore links very much to the fact that washing is really important.

It's important to wash regularly during puberty.

So for example, whereas maybe aged eight or nine, it was acceptable and you felt perfectly clean and fresh having a bath maybe two or three times a week, that needs to be increased during puberty.

Many people during puberty will have a really good wash or clean, ideally a shower, daily.

Deodorant is something that young people during puberty or adolescents may start to use regularly.

Deodorant certainly can help you feel fresh.

It can help you smell fresh, but it only works alongside washing to keep you clean.

It's not a replacement for washing, and actually it can lead to sort of not very nice smells if you're just trying to cover up a lack of washing with deodorant.

So washing is really important because you are going to sweat more.

You are going to experience more body odour during puberty, and that's perfectly, perfectly normal.

So these are the general facts you need to be aware of.

So thinking about those facts, thinking about that information that we just talked through, there are four examples of information here.

One of these is false.

As I go through them, have a think about which one you think is false.

Washing more regularly during puberty may be needed.

Using deodorant is just as good as washing during puberty.

It's normal to sweat more during puberty.

And it's normal to produce body odour during puberty.

Which of those four options is false.

Point to your screen now, pointing particularly at the option that you believe is false.

Shall we check your answer? Deodorant, using deodorant just as good as washing during puberty is false, is incorrect.

Deodorant needs to be used alongside regular washing.

It can help us feel fresher.

Can help us feel cleaner but only when used alongside regular washing.

Did you get it right? Hope so, but if not, don't worry.

So now we're going to look at hygiene relating to the penis.

It's really important the penis is kept clean.

The whole of the pubic area should also be washed.

Now, we mentioned foreskin before.

If you have a foreskin, it's important that that's pulled back to wash it properly.

So that smegma is removed.

Smegma is a thick, white substance that will collect under the foreskin if it's not cleaned regularly.

And that doesn't smell so nice.

So it's something that needs to be removed.

Germs will be collected there.

It's not a pleasant substance if it's not removed regularly.

So, that's something that you need to be aware of.

If you have a foreskin, or if you might at some point in the future need to advise someone who does.

So, relating to the information we've just discussed, let's think about that term smegma.

Smegma is a harmless substance that can be left alone.

Is that true or is that false? Please point to the screen now.

So are you pointing to true or false? Shall we see if you're correct? It's false, smegma collects under the foreskin and it needs to be removed regularly for hygiene reasons.

Onto the vulva.

So the vulva is the name of the exterior part of the female genitalia.

It's outside the body, and this is the area that will be wiped after going to the toilet.

And it's really important that the vulva is wiped from front to back.

From front to back.

This will help prevent cystitis, which is a bladder irritation, and other elements as well that may come about through if we're not wiping from front to back, can cause other imitations also.

So wiping from front to back is really good advice.

The vagina produces clear mucus to help keep it clean.

And the discharge that's produced, which is often linked to ovulation, it's part of the menstrual cycle.

That's nothing to worry about, and it's supposed to be a little bit wet all the time.

The vagina should be washed normally.

Now, if you go into any chemist, any supermarket that has feminine products in there, as they call it, the aisle normally, that feminine products aisle, they will sell products that are specifically designed to clean the vulva.

You don't need them.

The vagina is self-cleaning.

And inside the vulva, as we've said, it's designed to be a little bit wet.

The substances that the vagina produces help to keep it clean.

It's a self-cleaning part of the body.

So these female washes, as they're so-called, are not necessary.

In actual fact, there's some evidence to suggest that they can cause further irritation for some people.

So they really are best avoided.

So, let's just test ourselves some of the knowledge that we've just gone through there.

After going to the toilet, we should always wipe from front to back.

Is that true or is that false? Point to the correct answer please.

It's true.

Now, that advice is given there for people who have a vulva.

However, if you don't have a vulva, that advice is not going to do you any harm either.

It's something that we can remember, we can pass on to relatives, to perhaps children that we may have in the future that we need to advise on their hygiene.

We wipe from front to back.

We're going to a task now.

This relates to hygiene in puberty.

And we're going to need to reflect and think back on the knowledge that we've just been going through.

So I'm going to ask you to consider, to think, first of all what would your top five tips be to others regarding hygiene in puberty? And I'd like you to write five sentences for me.

Five sentences about hygiene in puberty.

You might want to think specifically about the penis or about the vulva.

And you might want to think also in general, advice for anybody.

And I've given you two sentence-starters.

You don't have to use these at all, but they're there just to get you going, just in case you need them.

If you can't manage five sentences, try and aim for three.

And if you can manage more than five different pieces of advice, absolutely fantastic.

So when you are ready, please pause the video to complete the task and resume when you have completed it.

Thank you.

Thank you for rejoining me.

I asked you to write five sentences, your five top-tips for hygiene in puberty.

I wonder if your answers matched mine.

My examples involve washing regularly, the smegma removal, use of deodorant alongside washing, wiping from front to back after using the toilet, and staying away from the special soaps that are sold to keep the vagina clean.

You may have come up with some different ones.

You may have come up with the same, but hopefully you've been able to prove to yourself that you've got a really good understanding now of the importance of hygiene and specific aspects of hygiene during puberty.

So I'm going to leave you to consider a phrase that I'd like you to finish off for me, please.

I want you to think about the main reason why hygiene is important for everybody during puberty.

Consider the main reason.

And keep that in your mind now.

And keep that in your mind as perhaps you go through puberty and adolescence, or when perhaps you need to remind yourselves of some of the specifics around hygiene and why it's important.

You can keep this phrase in mind.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

And I'd like you to please now complete today's exit quiz.

I really hope that I'm going to see you in our future lessons in this unit of the changing adolescent body.

Have a wonderful day.

Thank you.