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How taking a daily shower can harm your skin.

1/17/2015

11 Comments

 
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New research suggests your bathing ritual could be bad for your skin and your health. Maybe the investigation is recent, but I've believed this for years. Of course, you are interested in finding out how often we should you lather up. You don't want to smell. How could you turn up at work in a fresh shirt over a dirty body?

Source: The Times.

A Professor of Virology at Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, told The Times: "As long as people wash their hands often enough and pay attention to the area of the body below the belt, showering or bathing every other day would do no harm.

"Even twice a week would not be a problem if people used a bidet daily as most infectious bugs hang around our lower halves.

"We pay too much attention to the body beautiful and smelling good, with perfumes for men and women," he added.


Of course, you shouldn't shun a wash after a sweaty run. The every-other-day rule is flexible depending on your lifestyle.

Take me, for example. I don't sweat any more, partly due to lack of exercise in my advancing years, but also because of a healthy diet. For ten years of so, I've showered on alternate days prompted by reading similar advice. My skin is dry already, particularly the lower legs, and I don't need to make it worse.

It seems over-bathing can dry out and irritate skin, washing away the good bacteria and even heightening risk of infection by causing small cracks in the skin. (Love that. Good bacteria, not sweat and oils.)

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I looked up advice for bathing dry skin. One skincare website said: Bathe daily. A daily bath or shower can add much-needed moisture to the skin. (Huh! That's the opposite.) HowStuffWorks advised: If you suffer from habitually dry skin, one of the best skin moisturizing tips we can give you is to stop bathing. Not entirely, of course, but enough to let your sebaceous glands replenish your skin's natural layer of oil that's stripped away during washing. Both hot water and regular soap rob your body of its moisturizing oil, so basically, the more you bathe, the harder it is for your skin to keep itself moisturized. Don't soak in a bath. If this sounds too extreme, try using warm water instead of hot when washing, and limit your bathing time to 15 minutes or less. Also, use soap only on the critical areas like the armpits and genitals. Pat yourself dry with a towel, and apply moisturizer while your skin is still slightly damp. This will help your epidermis retain extra water.

On the whole, advice from dermatologists shows we're bathing a lot more than we need to. Would you skip the daily shower to improve your skin?


11 Comments
Corinne Rodrigues link
1/16/2015 06:50:56 pm

Living in the heat, humity and dust in India, makes it necessary to shower twice a day even in summer , Francene!

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Sophie Bowns link
1/16/2015 07:59:23 pm

I shower every day. I have to be careful what products./ shower washes I use on my skin, though as I'm prone to dry skin.

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Melody Pittman link
1/16/2015 09:38:23 pm

Hi! I would agree with you about everything you've listed and I only indulge in bath mostly to relax and read a book or something. As far as bathing/showering to be clean, for me every other day is fine, and sometimes, say as if on a camping trip, i don't mind yet another day, granted I'm not sweating much due to weather or exercise. My skin stays in great shape year round and I think the reasons you listed above are why.

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Cathy link
1/16/2015 09:58:31 pm

Every other day is good for me. I am very prone to dry skin with my redheaded fair complexion and like you, my skin seems to be getting even drier as I age. My sisters in law love long hot baths and see it as so luxurious. I prefer showers myself.

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Carrie Ann Tripp link
1/16/2015 10:42:00 pm

The last two winters have wreaked havoc on my skin. I have had to limit my contact with hot water, clothes that touch the skin, and abrupt changes in temperature. Some days during the winter I will just wash my hair and "sponge bath" areas that need cleaned on a daily basis.

I don't have these issues in the summer and can shower, sit in hot tubs, etc as often as I want. It sure does make winter in my own skin miserable, though!

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Joan Harrington link
1/17/2015 01:32:10 am

Hi Francene,

Interesting post :) I do not know if I could NOT shower daily as my skin is dry.....so I enjoy my daily showers :) Thanks for sharing!

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Laurel Regan link
1/17/2015 02:09:49 am

Every other day works for me if I'm staying at home (which is often the case, as I work from home) - but I don't think I could bear to skip a shower when going out!

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Alana link
1/17/2015 04:10:10 am

My husband takes steaming hot baths daily - great for his sinuses (he has major sinus issues) but bad for the skin cracks in his hands. I am both hypothyroid and have a condition called Raynaud's Syndrome - to me hot (not as hot as his!) baths are warming and soothing but it does dry out my skin. When it is -16C out, the skin dries out terribly.

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Mary Burris link
1/17/2015 05:50:53 am

Interesting read. It's amazing how contradictory the internet and opinions can be.

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Shilpa Garg link
1/17/2015 01:14:11 pm

Given the climate conditions we have in India, bathing daily is mandatory. Cant live without a daily shower!

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Inderpreet Kaur link
1/18/2015 12:14:22 am

Daily, even twice a day and in extreme summers of 4 5 degrees Celsius we need to shower thrice a day.

In winters to get rid of dry skin oil your self after the bath with baby oil or a similar light out. Pour a little water and Pat dry.
Use a moisturizer if you wish. It great for fighting dryness.
India is quite hot! :)

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    Francene Stanley
    From England, I use news items in my novels which you can see below, all linked to an Amazon near you.

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