Bathing Twice a Day – Nay or Yay?

 

                                              

An image of a person bathing 

Want healthy, cleaner skin? The answer could be to stop bathing regularly.

How frequently you bath is of course a personal preference.  

A survey done by the market company yougov. suggests that the majority of people bath daily.

An image of some items used for bathing

For many, perhaps most – bathing twice daily is more about habit and societal norms than health. But is this daily task necessary or even healthy? Let’s ask ourselves.

Over the years, there has been a conflicting debate on how often one should bath a day. Some people think that it’s an unhealthy practice not to bath twice daily.

    

 However, a recent finding from healthline.com and webmd.com  suggests that, “the ideal number of times to bath is twice or thrice a week”.

The American Academy of Dermatology also says, “bathing twice everyday may dehydrate your skin. It strips away natural essential oils from the skin causing itching, flaky skin and flare up skin conditions like eczema”.

Dr Paa Gyasi Hagan, a dermatologist from Holy family Hospital said in an interview that, “the effects that bathing has on the skin is as a results of the items used during bathing and the after bathing care.”

                                        

Abigail Oware · Bathing VN 1

He further advised that, “it’s important to know your skin type so as to know the recommended bathing products your skin can tolerate and it’s healthy to limit the number of times one baths daily.”

If you do insist on taking daily bath, Dr Hagan advice you don't take longer time, your bathing time should be five minutes long – at a lukewarm temperature. He also recommends applying creams and lotions to your skin after your bath for protection.

Also, James Hamblin, an American physician in public health and preventive medicine and a journalist with The Atlantic Magazine suggests that bathing often damages your skin health.

                                                        

James Hamblin, auhor of Clean
Image Source: New York Post 

Hamblin in an experiment quit bathing for five years, giving his skin a new lease on life. In his book named CLEAN , he recounts his approach to personal hygiene and how quitting bathing as an experiment turned into a way of life.

                                                        

Image of James Hamblin's Book - CLEAN
Image Source: npr.org

Although bathing twice a week may not sound appealing, bathing too often does more harm than good. Therefore, if you are taking two or more baths a day, it might be time to consider cutting down for a healthy hand cleaner skin.

Final production by Abigail Oware