The internet (like Siri) has become an oracle to which millions of people turn every day hoping to resolve their countless doubts. Google knows everything. There's an answer to your question somewhere on the web. Some have to do with current events: Did Puigdemont declare his DUI yes or no? Others, however, have become timeless classics: How can I cure hiccups? Why doesn't my husband want me anymore? This last thematic category includes a question that never loses interest, and that comes and goes cyclically. How often should we shower, according to science? Be careful! A dangerous question. In fact, whenever it comes up, a heated debate usually erupts between the proponents of "once a day" (at least!) and the rest of us.
Gizmodo has just covered the topic, as El País did in 2015, or I did a decade ago.
In all these approaches, you'll find similar answers. Society has established a standard, primarily for social or aesthetic reasons (rather than for health or hygiene reasons), that advocates "a shower a day." However, showering this frequently, especially if you're older, can be counterproductive. Over the years, the skin loses thickness, firmness, and moisture. This causes daily contact with water to crack the skin, providing an entry point for bacteria. In fact, for hygiene purposes, washing your hands frequently with soap would be enough to avoid many infectious threats.
In this regard, I read in a 2016 article in Time the opinion of Dr. Elaine Larson (an infectious disease expert and researcher at the Columbia University School of Nursing), who argues that "showering will get rid of your odor if you really stink or have been to the gym. But in terms of protection against disease, washing your hands regularly is probably more appropriate."
The truth is that "stinking" is a problem, and one of the main causes of breakups in couples, so everyone should be aware of the "perfume" emanating from their body. In reality, there's no universal formula that works for everyone to prevent it. Solving it will depend on the activity you do, the climate where you live, the season, the degree of exudation in your pores, and the potency of your personal odor. Experiment! If people don't turn around and call you filthy, you're on the right track.
For Dr. C. Brandon Mitchell, assistant professor of dermatology at George Washington University: "Most people wash too much." In his opinion, washing too much can strip the skin of its natural oils and disrupt the life cycle of the bacteria that comprise our immune system.
But then, what is the ideal frequency to shower? Mitchell is clear. In terms of health (not aesthetics or relaxation), probably once or twice a week. Adding: "our body is a naturally well-oiled machine, so a shower a day isn't necessary."
Interestingly, the historical period you live in will determine how often you wash. Classical cultures of antiquity, such as the Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians, loved going to public baths daily. However, the fall of these empires and their aquatic infrastructure made it more difficult for the population to access running water. One of the biggest blows to hygiene occurred in 14th-century France, coinciding with the Black Death pandemic. At the time, medical experts at the Sorbonne University in Paris declared that water was a health concern.
The reason? Hot water opened pores and therefore increased the risk of anyone contracting bubonic plague. Obviously, the idea was false and absurd, but nothing could be done about it for the next five centuries.
But times have changed, and the access to water that industrialization brought to Western societies has made regular bathing fashionable again.
Anyway, I'll leave it there. You can start insulting each other by saying that in this or that nation, no one showers, and that only one's compatriots truly know what hygiene is. You'll see how fun it is!
