The aestheticians at Form and Face in Bondi Junction counsel most patients to wash their faces every day using products that have been matched to their unique skin conditions. Their bodies, however, are a different story altogether. Cleanliness may be next to godliness, but our skin care experts want to remind you that too much of a good thing can dry out your skin at any age.

In this article, we shower you with the facts and offer some skin-saving bathing tips.

5 Reasons Everyone Should Avoid a Daily Shower

You may be wondering how we became addicted to our daily shower habits. Hygiene experts tell Allure Magazine that “In our culture, we’ve equated cleanliness with taking a lot of baths and showers. That’s not necessarily the case. Bathing and showering is primarily for aesthetic reasons. It’s not for getting rid of germs.” Surprise!

Taking a daily (or nightly) spin in the rinse cycle of your shower

Disrupts Your Natural Skin Barrier: In the shower, the abrasive action of your washcloth or scrub destroys the composition of your skin’s protective outer layer.

Dries Your Skin – Daily hot showers gives your skin less time to produce healthy, skin-nourishing natural oils, turning it irritated, flakey, and painful.

Destroys “Good” Skin Bacteria – Skin bacteria may sound bad, but it’s not. It protects your skin (and by extension your body) from infection.

Gives You Dull, Dry Hair – A daily shower fix can lead to dull, dandruff-prone, dry hair that is greasy at the roots because your scalp’s skin cells create excess oils to counteract the dryness.

Aggravates Existing Skin Issues – Too much showering can negatively affect skin troubled by eczema or rosacea.

4 Tips for that Clean-All-Over Smell Every Day

You may be clean if you don’t shower daily, but you may not feel clean. Perspiration, especially in certain body areas, can be pungent. Use these tips to keep your body “springtime fresh” without having to suffer the consequences of too much time under water:

Use a wet washcloth to wipe down your armpits and groin.

Baby your scalp skin with dry shampoo.

Wear natural fabrics that breathe (cotton, wool) when possible.

Go easy on the moisturiser, which can clog pores and generate odour.

Stink Factor Management

Unless you have a medical problem with sweat or are a professional mud wrestler, you don’t have to shower every day. Your activity level, climate locale, and genetic makeup all affect how often you’ll need to/want to shower. As a rule of thumb, we recommend that you enjoy a head-to-toe cleaning every two to three days and a quick tepid rinse off every day.

Remember that no two bodies are alike, and there’s no blanket prescription when it comes to skin care. If you’d like to know more about keeping your skin radiant for years to come, we invite you to reach out to our practice in Bondi Junction on 02 9387 3800 for skin-saving help and guidance.