2739: How Often Should You Shower? by Valencia Higuera of Healthline on Good Hygiene & Healthy Skin

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[00:00:38] This is Optimal Health Daily. How Often Should You Shower by Valencia Higuera with Healthline.com. And I'm Dr. Neal Malik.

[00:00:47] Welcome back to another episode of Optimal Health Daily. This is where I read to you from some of the best health and fitness blogs on the web.

[00:00:54] Kind of like an ongoing audiobook and always with a bit of my commentary at the end.

[00:00:59] Alright, and with that, let's get right to the post as we optimize your life.

[00:01:07] How Often Should You Shower by Valencia Higuera with Healthline.com.

[00:01:13] Some people don't shower every day. While there's tons of conflicting advice about how often you should shower, this group might have it right.

[00:01:21] It may sound counterproductive, but a shower every day could be bad for your skin.

[00:01:27] Some dermatologists only recommend a shower every other day or two to three times a week.

[00:01:33] Many people hit the shower at least once a day, either in the morning or at night before bed.

[00:01:38] Depending on the day and your activity level, you might even take two or three showers.

[00:01:44] There's no arguing the importance of personal hygiene.

[00:01:47] But while some people take a daily shower, in many cases, it doesn't have to be part of your daily routine.

[00:01:53] Not convinced that you can skip the daily shower and stay clean?

[00:01:56] Here's what you need to know about showering too much, as well as not showering enough.

[00:02:01] How Much Is Too Much

[00:02:04] The recommendation mentioned from dermatologists doesn't mean you have to scale back your shower routine.

[00:02:09] Everyone's skin is different, and each person's skin can change from season to season.

[00:02:15] For example, your skin might be drier in the winter, in which case too many showers can bring on extreme dryness.

[00:02:21] Yet, a shower every day in the summer may not negatively affect your skin.

[00:02:26] Since there are no hard or fast rules on how much is too much,

[00:02:30] it's important that you get to know your body and determine what your skin can tolerate.

[00:02:35] If You Bathe Too Often

[00:02:37] If you shower too much, it can lead to discomfort and you may experience itching, dry flaky skin,

[00:02:44] flare-ups of skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis, and dry brittle hair.

[00:02:49] Due to personal preference, you may not want to skip a daily shower.

[00:02:53] If this applies to you, stick with only one shower per day, according to experts.

[00:02:58] Any more, and you can potentially strip your skin of essential oils.

[00:03:02] This causes dryness, which can lead to skin inflammation or eczema.

[00:03:07] Your skin may feel itchy and may crack, flake, and become red.

[00:03:10] If you have a skin condition like psoriasis, more than one shower per day might even trigger a flare-up.

[00:03:17] Also, too many showers may rinse away good bacteria from your skin, putting you at risk for infections.

[00:03:23] Skin health isn't the only reason to shower less, though.

[00:03:27] Showers use a lot of water, but you may not realize how much.

[00:03:32] Save Water

[00:03:33] Taking shorter showers or reducing your number of showers can drastically decrease your family's water consumption.

[00:03:40] You'll not only conserve resources, but also lower your utility bill.

[00:03:44] The Alliance for Water Efficiency estimates that the average shower lasts about 8.2 minutes and uses roughly 17.2 gallons of water.

[00:03:54] What happens if you don't shower enough?

[00:03:57] Just as you can shower too much, you can also shower too little.

[00:04:00] So, although fewer showers may improve skin health, you should still keep your personal hygiene in mind.

[00:04:07] Sweat glands cover much of your body, and they produce sweat when you're overheated, stressed, hormonal, or physically active.

[00:04:15] Sweat in itself is odorless, until it combines with bacteria that's normally present on the skin.

[00:04:22] A skipped shower here or there probably won't trigger body odor, especially if you haven't been exercising.

[00:04:27] However, body odor is inevitable the longer you go without a shower, particularly in your armpits and groin.

[00:04:34] Of course, the risk of body odor isn't the only reason to shower or bathe regularly.

[00:04:39] Poor hygiene or infrequent showers can cause a buildup of dead skin cells, dirt, and sweat on your skin.

[00:04:46] This can trigger acne and possibly exacerbate conditions like psoriasis, dermatitis, and eczema.

[00:04:52] Showering too little can also trigger an imbalance of good and bad bacteria on your skin.

[00:04:58] Too much bad bacteria on your skin also puts you at risk for skin infections.

[00:05:03] This may lead to dermatitis neglecta, where patches of plaque develop on the skin due to inadequate cleansing.

[00:05:10] Bathing also removes dead skin cells.

[00:05:12] When you don't bathe enough, these cells can stick to your skin and cause hyperpigmentation.

[00:05:17] Resuming good hygiene can correct this condition.

[00:05:21] If you don't bathe enough.

[00:05:23] If you go too long between showers, you may experience increased body odor, acne, flare-ups of skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis, skin infections, areas of dark or discolored skin,

[00:05:37] and in extreme cases, dermatitis neglecta, thick patches of scaly skin.

[00:05:43] How to bathe.

[00:05:44] If you exercise, play sports, have a messy job, or simply prefer a shower every day, there are ways to help keep your skin healthy.

[00:05:53] Here are a few tips to bathe correctly and protect your skin.

[00:05:56] Only take one shower a day, every other day if possible.

[00:06:00] On days that you don't shower, give yourself a sponge bath, wash your face, armpits, and groin with a washcloth.

[00:06:07] Don't shower in hot water. Use warm water instead.

[00:06:12] Limit showers to 5 to 10 minutes.

[00:06:15] Use a gentle soap or cleanser and thoroughly rinse off soap before exiting the shower.

[00:06:20] Don't rub your skin with a towel. Blot skin dry to retain moisture.

[00:06:25] Avoid cleansers and soaps with fragrances or deodorants.

[00:06:29] These products can irritate your skin.

[00:06:31] And, apply moisturizer to your skin after each shower or bath.

[00:06:35] The bottom line.

[00:06:37] Although personal hygiene is important for your health, it's possible to bathe too often.

[00:06:42] Daily showers might be part of your schedule, but at the end of the day, you need to do what's best for your skin.

[00:06:48] If you're plagued by dry skin and looking for a way to stop skin inflammation and irritation,

[00:06:53] experiment with fewer showers.

[00:06:56] Or, at the very least, limit your showers to 5 minutes and skip the hot water.

[00:07:04] You just listened to the post titled,

[00:07:06] How often should you shower?

[00:07:08] By Valencia Iguera with Healthline.com

[00:07:10] And I'll be right back with my commentary.

[00:07:13] Dr. Neil here for my commentary.

[00:07:16] Now, after all this talk about showers, you might be wondering about taking baths.

[00:07:20] Are taking baths healthy for us?

[00:07:22] If you can believe it, researchers tried to answer this question.

[00:07:26] And in fact, one study I found was well designed and compared taking baths versus showers

[00:07:32] on participants' physical and mental health.

[00:07:35] And they found that after two weeks of either taking baths or showers,

[00:07:39] those that took baths experienced less fatigue, less stress, less pain, and less depression.

[00:07:46] Now, how long do we need to soak in a bath before we actually start to experience these benefits?

[00:07:52] Well, just like today's author's recommendations,

[00:07:55] the researchers found just 10 minutes in warm water, not hot water, seemed to do the trick.

[00:08:01] Now, how often should we bathe?

[00:08:04] Unfortunately, the authors of this article didn't address that question.

[00:08:07] So for now, we'll just have to stick to what today's author discussed.

[00:08:10] Listen to your body, experiment, and see what works best for you.

[00:08:15] Alright, that'll do it for today.

[00:08:17] Don't forget, I'll be back here tomorrow for our usual Friday Q&A.

[00:08:21] So, definitely stay tuned for that, where your optimal life awaits.

[00:08:25] Let's go.

[00:08:25] Let's go.