Final answer:
Hand antisepsis involves the use of antimicrobial agents like alcohol-based sanitizers or antiseptic soaps, which reduce or destroy bacteria and some viruses. Overuse of these products can lead to bacterial resistance, making them less effective over time.
Step-by-step explanation:
A routine hand wash procedure uses plain soap to remove soil and transient bacteria. Hand antisepsis, on the other hand, requires the use of antimicrobial agents such as alcohol-based hand sanitizers or antiseptic soaps. These agents are different from regular soap as they contain substances intended to reduce or destroy bacteria and some viruses on the skin.
Antimicrobial hand soaps often contain triclosan, which is a phenolic compound that blocks an enzyme in the bacterial fatty acid-biosynthesis pathway not found in humans. While this sounds beneficial, overuse of antimicrobial products can lead to increased resistance among bacteria, potentially making infections harder to treat. Thus, while hand antisepsis is crucial in healthcare settings to prevent the spread of infections, routine use of antimicrobial agents in everyday situations is not always necessary and can have detrimental effects.