Shower or Bath? What is best for your skin?
Many have heard the age old dermatologist recommendation to avoid taking hot showers, so is a bath better? Does the water temperature really matter? How often should we bathe? I’m here to answer those burning questions.
Why do we bathe? Generally bathing serves a few purposes. It removes dirt and debris that has accumulated our skin. Not to mention it removes sweat and the more smelly apocrine secretions commonly described as “body odor”. Finally, it helps exfoliate our dead skin that is always shedding and replenishing itself.
How often should we bathe? This can vary depending on stage of life and activity level. A teenage boy playing football each day needs a daily shower to remove grime and smell. Versus an elderly lady who doesn’t lift a finger may be able to skip to every other day. As a generality most people should bathe daily. If someone is getting really dirty or sweating a lot, twice a day may be needed sometimes. Whatever it takes to be physically clean and fresh smelling.
Bath vs Shower? For the average person, it doesn’t matter. For those with very sensitive skin or eczema, a long soak can help the skin absorb some moisture. Again, it also depends on how dirty the skin is. For those who are very dirty, a bath is not practical because we are actually sitting in the dirt, grime and scent we are trying to remove. Generally, whatever you fell gets you the cleanest and you enjoy the most is usually fine.
Hot water or just tepid? First, let me say that there is nothing I enjoy more than a LONG, HOT shower. So, I am a little biased in my answer here. Why would anyone want to take a tepid shower? Well, in decades past, our understanding of the skin was limited. Dermatologists actually said that taken a hot shower caused our natural oils to be removed from our skin. In 2020 and beyond we now know that the skin barrier is much more complex than that. The skin barrier has dozens of components and a hot shower does little harm for the average individual.
What kind of cleanser? There are hundreds, probably thousands of cleansers on the market. If you hung out in a dermatologist office and listened you would probably hear two brands come up the most often. Cetaphil and Cerave. Yes, I know there are tons of other good options, but Cetaphil and Cerave are going to be in the top five of most dermatologists every time. Why? Because they are great, products with a long standing reputation for being gentle, yet effective. They have lots of different varieties including bar soaps and liquids. Dr Rosenberger personally uses Cetaphil bar soap for the past 20 years or more.
So, can I take a long, hot shower every day? YES. The bigger question is what to do AFTER the shower. Pat your skin dry a little, and if you’ve been feeling dry, apply a moisturizer while the skin is still warm and wet. If you’ve lost any moisture in the shower, it can easily be replaced!
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