Women have more bacteria than men

Women may think they are cleaner than men but, according to a new study from University of Colorado, women have a greater variety of bacteria on their hands than men do. And everybody has more types of bacteria than the researchers expected to find.

The researchers aren't sure why women harbored a greater variety of bacteria than men. They think it may have to so with the acidity of the skin. Men generally have more acidic skin than women.

Other possibilities are differences in sweat and oil gland production between men and women, the frequency of moisturizer or cosmetics applications, skin thickness or hormone production, he said.

Women also may have more bacteria living under the surface of the skin where they are not accessible to washing.