To be honest! You really don’t need to take a shower every day in winter

Taking a bath in winter must be something that many people are very entangled about. You have to be mentally prepared to walk into the bathroom, but when you feel the warm water, you feel so comfortable that you don't want to come out. It's really too cold to take a bath in winter. Is it really necessary to take a bath every day?

How often is it best to take a bath in winter?

Bathing frequency depends largely on individual needs and preferences.

The "Chinese Skin Cleansing Guide" recommends that we should take a bath every 2 to 3 days.

So, what should we do when we encounter special situations? We have summarized a table, please find the answer by yourself.

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Is it necessary to take a shower every day?

There is no fixed requirement for the frequency of bathing, and you don't have to bathe every day.

The main purpose of bathing is to keep the skin clean and healthy , and the condition of the skin is related to each person's lifestyle, health status, personal preferences and even local culture.

Some people who get their skin dirty easily at work, some people who exercise a lot, and some people who sweat a lot are more inclined to take a shower every day to keep their skin clean and comfortable. Others who do not sweat much and have very little activity do not need to take a shower frequently, and can take a shower every other day or longer.

Bathing too frequently, especially if done incorrectly, does carry some risks, such as stripping the skin of its natural oils, causing dryness and itching, and in severe cases, eczema.

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Precautions for bathing in winter

1

Water temperature selection

The general advice is "warm water is better than hot water". In other words, warm water is the best choice for the skin rather than hot water.

This is because hot water has some risks, such as stripping the skin of its natural protective layer, causing dryness and sensitivity. In addition, too hot water also has the risk of scalding the skin - not only boiling water can scald the skin, hot water contact with the skin for a long time can also cause "low-temperature scalds".

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The "Chinese Skin Cleansing Guide" also provides specific ideas - the water temperature for bathing can be based on the skin temperature. If it is summer, it can be lower than the body temperature. If it is now (winter), it can be slightly higher than the body temperature.

Specifically, about 38~40℃ would be more appropriate, and 42℃ or above would be considered a bit hot.

But this is not absolute, it is only suitable for most people because:

If you take a bath , most of your body will be submerged in the water, and you will feel warm even if the temperature drops a little;

If you are showering , especially if the bathroom is very cold, the temperature of the warm water from the shower head will drop quickly to your skin temperature, so you may need to raise the temperature slightly to make yourself feel comfortable.

In addition, different people have different subjective feelings about temperature . For some people, this temperature will be so cold that it will give them goose bumps.

2

Use appropriate bath products

What ingredients should be used for bathing? Medicinal soap, milk and salt, or wormwood, calamus and honeysuckle?

Honestly, it doesn’t have to be that complicated!

Please remember one sentence - use mild bath products. What are they? The most common one is shower gel, especially weakly acidic products.

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Because the skin itself is weakly acidic, this type of product is gentler on the skin, less irritating, and less likely to cause skin problems.

If it is other products, such as ordinary soap or medicated soap, because they are alkaline and soap-based products, although the cleaning power is relatively strong, long-term and frequent use will increase the burden on the skin, easily damage the skin barrier, and cause dryness and itching of the skin. It is not the best choice.

In particular, if someone in the family has skin problems, such as dry skin, eczema, atopic dermatitis, chicken skin (keratosis pilaris), ichthyosis, or psoriasis, it is recommended not to use products such as soap and use a mild shower gel instead.

3

Do you want a bath?

Scrubbing the body is a habit ingrained in some people's bones, but is it okay to scrub?
My answer is – you can rub it, but a little rubbing is enjoyable, while too much rubbing is harmful to your body .

It's okay to rub it occasionally. We also know that scrubbing can always remove a lot of mud. And this mud, mixed with dead skin, oil, dust and sweat, is mostly waste on the surface of the skin. Foreign data show that among the billions of skin cells in our human body, 30,000 to 40,000 skin cells fall off every hour, and nearly one million skin cells will be lost in 24 hours. They are what we see with our eyes - dead skin, sometimes remaining on the skin, sometimes on autumn clothes and autumn trousers.

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So, rubbing it occasionally is harmless. But why is rubbing it too much harmful? How is it harmful?

There are many risks associated with excessive rubbing:

Frequent mechanical friction can cause slight damage to the skin, making folliculitis, a bacterial infection of the hair follicles, more likely to occur;

If you take a bath in a public bathhouse, the above damage will make the skin more susceptible to other diseases, such as molluscum contagiosum;

Friction damages the skin's physical barrier. Excessive rubbing with mud also damages the skin's chemical barrier (sebum membrane), which can easily lead to dry skin, itching, eczema, etc.

If a fixed part is frequently rubbed, the local skin may become rough, thickened, and darkened. There is a disease called "frictional melanosis", which is often seen in people who scrub their body excessively.

Since you can't rub all the mud off your body, leaving some mud on your body is good for your skin. But let me emphasize again: excessive scrubbing is neither necessary nor recommended.

4

Bath time

The general advice is that the bathing time should not be too long, especially for those who bathe frequently, a few baths will be enough. If you are fast, it should be the time of one song (5 minutes), and if you are slow, two songs will be enough (10 minutes).

If you want to hold a concert while taking a shower, that would be a bit too much. Even if it exceeds 15 to 20 minutes, it is not recommended.

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This is because if you take a long bath, it will put a certain burden on the skin. We call this burden " overhydration ", which means that the skin is exposed to water for a long time and absorbs too much water, which makes it "swell". After the skin is soaked, the barrier function will be reduced, and the risk of dryness and itching will be greater.

If you want your skin to retain moisture, the key is not to stay in contact with water for a long time, but to use moisturizing products to reduce moisture loss. If you take a long shower, or your skin is prone to dryness and tightness after showering, you should reapply moisturizing products in time after drying the water. Whether it is a moisturizer or a body lotion, they all have a moisturizing effect.

In short, bathing frequency is a topic related to health, but it is not limited to health. It also depends on personal circumstances. We do not give answers, but only some principled suggestions, such as not bathing too frequently and using mild bathing products to protect the health of the skin. As for how to bathe, you can refer to these basic health principles and determine the bathing plan that best suits you based on your lifestyle and physical needs.

References

[1] How many skin cells do we shed every day? https://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/information/anatomy/shed-skin-cells.htm

[2] Skin conditions: understanding your skin. http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/PATIENTCARE/healthcare_services/skin_conditions/anatomy_skin/Pages/index.aspx

[3] Li Li, He Li, Zhu Xuejun et al. Chinese skin cleansing guidelines[J]. Chinese Journal of Dermatology. 2016; 49(8): 537-540.

[4] World Health Organization. (‎2017)‎. WHO recommendations on newborn health: guidelines approved by the WHO Guidelines Review Committee. World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/259269.

[5] Johnson E, Hunt R. Infant skin care: updates and recommendations. Curr Opin Pediatr. 2019; 31(4): 476-481.

Planning and production

This article is a work of Science Popularization China-Starry Sky Project

Produced by: Science Popularization Department of China Association for Science and Technology

Producer: China Science and Technology Press Co., Ltd., Beijing Zhongke Xinghe Culture Media Co., Ltd.

Author: Tang Jiaoqing, attending physician of dermatology department

Review | Feng Jun, Deputy Chief Physician, Dermatology Department, General Hospital of Datong Coal Mine Group Co., Ltd.

Planning丨Fu Sijia

Editor: Fu Sijia