Showering is probably one of the most anticipated activities of the day for some. This provides them the stimulation to wake their consciousness up and start their day right. For others, this is the time to relax and meditate after a tough day. It’s almost like a ritual that when they heard people say they do not shower every day, they find it unacceptable and unhygienic.
However, an expert said that showering on a daily basis is not the healthy habit we thought it was. As a matter of fact, it can do more harm than good.
Dr. Casey Carlos, a dermatologist and an assistant professor at the University of California, explained that showering excessively is quite harmful and that it can be challenging to advise people about the proper time to use soap.
As it turned out, the role of soap in any regimen is to remove the oil from the skin. Using a little too much of it leads to the skin becoming dry and feeling rough to touch. Even though the uppermost layer of the skin may be filled with dead skin cells, it serves as our protection for the deeper layers of the skin. Meanwhile, the top layer consisted of fats and lipids serves as our natural moisturizers.
Since the skin naturally produces oils to protect us from over drying, it comes with the ability to protect ourselves against infections through the good bacteria that it generates. However, this ability to repair and perform amazing jobs drops whenever we take a shower since the outer layer of the skin gets stripped off.
Given that soap can be harsh to the skin, Dr. Carlos recommends restricting its use to only the selected parts of the body including the armpits, groin, and feet.
On the other hand, lathering soap on chest, back, arms, and legs is not always recommended because the skin can actually clean itself naturally.
source: elitereaders