How often should you change your underwear? Experts weigh in

Let’s be brief — men may be able to get away with changing their underwear every other day instead of every day, experts say.

“In situations with minimal activity and no sweating, changing [underwear] every other day may be acceptable,” Dr. Anju Methil, a dermatologist with India-based ClinicSpots, told the Daily Mail this week.

“Men’s looser-fitting styles, like boxers, may also allow for slightly longer wear,” she added.

Methil is one of several skincare experts who weighed in on the best underwear routines to ensure you don’t develop a bacterial or yeast infection.

A June poll of 1,500 adults for Newsweek found that 47% would never wear underwear for more than one day at a time.

But 36% of Gen Zers admitted they would sometimes wear the same underwear for 24-plus hours — the longest period among all the age categories surveyed.

“Men and women risk skin irritation, rashes, or the worsening of pre-existing conditions such as eczema or psoriasis when they re-wear underwear too often without washing it; this is due to friction and trapped moisture,” Sarah Roberts, a licensed skincare specialist and founder of A Beauty Edit, told the Daily Mail.

Roberts warned of yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis.

A common problem for women, a vaginal yeast infection occurs when there’s an overgrowth of a fungus called candida. It can cause burning, itching, pain, and discharge.

Bacterial vaginosis, meanwhile, is like a yeast infection, except it’s often accompanied by a fishy odor and the discharge is yellow or gray, not white. It’s caused by an imbalance in the natural bacteria levels of the vagina.

Dr. Archit Aggarwal, a dermatologist at ClinicSpots, told the Daily Mail that women with heavy menstrual cycles or significant vaginal discharge should consider changing their underwear more than once a day to avoid developing these infections.

If they’re not careful, men may get jock itch, a fungal skin infection characterized by an itchy rash in the groin area.

“Men’s boxers, although touching the skin less frequently than women’s underwear, do not escape these hazards — particularly when worn repeatedly without change,” Roberts said.

How often you should change your underwear can depend on your level of physical activity and your location. 

“For those engaged in intense physical activities or who sweat heavily, it’s advisable to change underwear more frequently,” recommended Dr. Hannah Kopelman, a New Jersey dermatologist.

“In hot and humid climates, changing underwear even more than once a day might be necessary to maintain good hygiene,” she added.

No word on how long Jeremy Allen White, of “The Bear” fame, should stay in his Calvins.