... Depending on your skin type!
SHOWER TOO MUCH: Some of us should stop showering every day.
Hour often we shower vary greatly. Some take a long and hot shower every morning before work, while others take the so-called "cat wash" to get clean. Some even shower twice a day, especially if they have exercised. But is this really good for the skin?
Forskning.no writes in an article that it was normal to wash the body one long week - or far less often a few generations ago. The article points out that we have survived for thousands of generations without soap and a shower. So, is it really necessary to shower every day?
Dag Sollesnes Holsen, the section chief physician at the dermatology department at Haukeland University Hospital, explains that it is difficult to answer how often we should shower. This is because skin type and age often affect how often it feels necessary to shower and how much showering the skin can withstand.
Depends on skin type
The type of skin you have can determine how often you should shower. Dry skin and oily skin often need different treatments in the shower.
Holsen explains that one can probably estimate that a third of the population has a dry skin type, which dries out and can react with eczema if you shower daily or several times a day.
- This group should also choose gentle soaps with a lower pH, and can benefit from lubricating themselves with a greasy moisturizer after showering, says Holsen and continues:
Then there is, approximately, a third of the population who have an oily skin type, where the skin both tolerates and requires more frequent washing or cleaning because there are more fats that are repelled, which can cause discomfort if it goes too long between each shower. This group has little benefit from, or need for, moisturizer.
Furthermore, the dermatologist explains that the last third of the population lies somewhere between these extremes. Most people with normal skin tolerate showering daily but can do well with simpler care for short periods.
MOISTURE: You may want to apply moisturizer after a shower, especially if you have dry skin.
Age can play a role
Your age may also play a role. Maybe you have experienced that the skin is drier now than it was before?Katrine (41) tested collagen
Age affects the way that the skin of most of us produces less sebum/fat when we get a little older, and the skin then appears drier and more sensitive than what we have been used to from before, says Holsen.
He also adds that personal opinions will be important for how often we choose to shower, and also for what advice various dermatologists and other professionals give about this.
It may also be an idea to think about what time of day you choose to shower. KK has previously written that both morning showers and evening shower have their advantages. Showering in the morning before a demanding day at work can be a great way to subconsciously work on creative solutions. An evening shower, on the other hand, can be positive for those who struggle to find peace in the evening.
Professor Thomas Ternowitz at the dermatology department at Stavanger University Hospital is positive about evening showering.