Are You Showering Right?
You probably don’t know how to shower 🧼 Such a statement can sound absurd and almost personal. But it doesn’t imply that you aren’t hygienic, on the contrary, you’re overwashing. Today, daily showers are synonymous with good personal care, but on the dermatology side, it tells a different story 🛁
Have you been rolling in mud? Sleeping in dirt? Smearing tomato sauce on your stomach? The answer is probably no, with potential exceptions. You don’t need to clean yourself if you’re not dirty - cleansing your armpits and your groin (safely) are pretty much the only parts of your body that need attention. @Dermangelo mentioned a twitter debate about leg washing in the shower, and like he said, it’s not necessary! Use this newly spared time in the morning for a nice cup of coffee or a nice breakfast ☕️
The details:
🔸You might have seen that skin has a ‘bricks and mortar’ structure - the cells are the bricks, and the mortar is the lipids (skin's natural fats that help form a protective barrier).
🔸The problem is, water is a “universal solvent”, meaning so many things dissolve in it, including the lipids in your skin. So long showers and baths, even if you don’t use soap, can open up your skin’s membrane. And if you’re sensitive to fragrance and botanicals, a long bath + bubble baths can increase your chance of irritation.
The idealist solution:
🔸A cleanser that gets rid of the grease and dirt that accumulate on the skin through the course of a normal day while leaving behind your skin’s natural lipids
A realistic solution:
🔸Shower when necessary and avoid showering twice a day
🔸Use a lipid-free cleanser and avoid foaming body washes
🔸Aesthetic bubble baths have been very trendy on social media: although we wouldn’t recommend long baths with bubbles, if you really really want to - use lukewarm water, and mineral salts (magnesium) instead of bubbles. But be conscious of your time spent in baths/showers!
🔸Re-label your body washes as “armpit/groin wash” as a reminder
What are your thoughts on this topic?
