How many times do you really need to shower, according to science

Heat, summer, high temperatures and that endless sweating. At this time, here in Brazil, it is difficult to go through just one bath a day with thermometers hitting around thirty-five degrees or more. Even with the water crisis, we find ourselves with no other option to give a refreshing relief to the body.

At other times of the year, it is not much different. Over time, the Brazilian acquired the habit of daily bathing, something that is not strictly followed in some countries, even some developed. And some argue that our custom of one or more daily showers is not legal for our body.

Really? According to BuzzFeed's Rachel Wilkerson Miller article, some experts say that our real need for bathing need not be as frequent as we think. The author spoke with two dermatologists who gave their opinion on the subject.

Cultural question

They said Americans (who shower as often as us Brazilians) use the shower much more than is necessary. According to Dr. Joshua Zeichner, assistant professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, bathing frequency and what we perceive as body odor is "much more of a cultural phenomenon."

Dermatologist Dr. Ranella Hirsch of Boston supports her colleague: "We have had a lot of baths in this country, and that's noticeable. A good part of the reason we do this is due to social norms, " ​​she said.

And it should be noted that these standards are mainly the result of good publicity. That's right. All because, after the American Civil War, advertising and soap became more prevalent in the United States, said Katherine Ashenburg, author of a book on the subject.

She told BuzzFeed that Americans eventually became much more susceptible to these things than Europeans. Then, in the 1920s and 30s, more women entered the labor market and more Americans left their farms to work in factories, leading to another major cultural focus on cleanliness and bathing.

The skin may suffer

But whether it's bad or not, we know that a good bath is great not only for body cleansing, but for relaxation and for feeling better in many situations. But what about our skin, does it suffer more often from baths? The answer is yes, according to dermatologists.

Experts Joshua Zeichner and Ranella Hirsch say that bathing too often (especially with warmer water) can dry out and irritate the skin, as well as remove the good bacteria that naturally exist in our epidermis, creating dryness cracks that can lead to infections.

Both doctors say parents should not bathe babies and children daily. Zeichner says early exposure to dirt and bacteria can make the skin less sensitive as we get older, preventing allergies and diseases like eczema. For them, the ideal would be a bath every two or three days.

In periods such as a harsher winter, it may be easier to follow this recommendation by clearing only the "critical" points as they indicated. Now imagine in the summer? Even babies feel irritated by the high temperatures and need a refreshing bath to soothe and wash off the sweat. Thus, it is recommended to use the milder products to not dry or irritate the skin.

The same goes for older children and even adults. If you take more than one shower a day, then the solution is not to overdo the soap, prefer moisturizing options and be quick! After all, water today is a precious commodity.