According to Kenny He’s video and subsequent interview with BuzzFeed, not touching toilet paper to the penis after urinating can lead to bacterial infections like urinary tract infections (UTI), mainly because of the acidic residue of urine that could be resting on the surface area for hours (if not days).
The nursing student’s TikTok video is like a short lesson on anatomy, where he goes into detail about men’s urinary systems and what actually happens when they pee. Speaking to BuzzFeed, he shared, “When a person with a penis pees, there is bound to be urine leftover in the urethra and the tip of the penis because water has adhesive properties, and there is no peristaltic motion that ‘squeezes’ the rest of the urine out as our bodies do in our digestive system. Any still water, especially a substance filled with inorganic compounds like urine, is not hygienic and can lead to bacterial infections (urinary tract infections) or simply just smell gross.”
However, according to experts and science, there are a few muscles that work to push pee out: the detrusor muscle, which contracts to propel urine out of the bladder and into the urethra, and the bulbospongiosus muscles located around the urethra, which work to expel residual urine from the urethra after the bladder is done emptying. Even so, not wiping after peeing can become an issue, especially when men experience after-dribble while peeing. Urine stains on clothing are a hygiene problem. Are UTIs a concern, though?