Dr. James Hamblin conducted a personal experiment to determine the optimal frequency of showering, revealing that soap-based showering could potentially harm skin health, and his findings were based on his personal experience. The largest organ in our body is the human skin. Its nearly two square meter surface area is not insignificant; when we include the crevices and nooks made by sweat ducts and hair follicles, its size may even be greater.
But more significantly, it is our body’s first line of defense; thus, keeping clean is crucial to preventing illness. Despite the apparent contradiction, several dermatologists assert that excessive water consumption can be detrimental. One of the most important sections is the skin’s lipid layer, a membrane made of lipid molecules that surrounds the cells and is vital to the health of our skin. When this natural oil is removed by soap, the skin becomes vulnerable. Excessive cleanliness can work against some persons with skin conditions, including atopic dermatitis, because it can cause the skin to become dry.
These are the findings from Dr James Hamblin after three years without a shower
James Hamblin, a professor at the Yale School of Public Health and a specialist in preventive medicine, ceased taking soap showers a few years ago to study the effects of regular hygiene product use on skin health. In his book “Clean: The New Science of Skin,” he detailed his research and concluded that one unfavorable consequence of personal hygiene products is that they change the microbiota of the skin. James Hamblin didn’t completely avoid taking a shower. According to his explanation in a CNN interview, he experimented with personal hygiene. “People want to hear that, but I didn’t go five years without taking a shower,” he says.
He stresses, however, that he did reduce his product use for a considerable amount of time. In the same interview, the doctor stated that when we examine the true role of these products in avoiding infections and illnesses, we find that they are typically utilized only for their pleasant scent. Moreover, James Hamblin claims that continuously shedding skin can be detrimental since it contains a rich, diversified, and significant microbiota that interacts with our metabolism and directly affects our health. In addition to washing away filth when we shower, soap also removes oil from our skin. The study’s author asserts that the microbiota that lives on our skin and the oils and substances we secrete are in harmony, causing our skin to temporarily change when we take a hot, soapy shower.
He argues that by drying out the skin and eliminating all the oils, we significantly change the soil that all those microbes reside in. James Hamblin likens it to forest clearing, which isn’t necessarily beneficial for the land. It’s important to distinguish between personal care and cleanliness, the doctor said. According to him, practicing hygiene includes shaking hands with someone else after using the restroom to prevent the transmission of bodily fluids, which are fundamental attitudes to prevent spreading them to others. Cleanliness has a psychological component, he contends, and would be a far larger category that includes the need to feel refreshed and fresh. There are no health consequences to other behaviors, like washing one’s head every day; they are only cosmetic.
Despite findings, Dr James Hamblin highlights the importance of hygiene
Daily showering can be harmful, but ignoring personal hygiene is a different matter altogether. Although the frequency of showering is a matter of personal preference, it is important to keep in mind that, following WHO guidelines, fundamental hygiene practices, including washing your hands, are still crucial to maintaining your health. This health organization claims that hand washing is the most affordable, straightforward, and efficient method of lowering infection risk and defending against antimicrobial resistance (AMR), one of the biggest risks to public health. It is up to the individual to choose the product utilized for this.
