A daily morning shower can “do more harm than good” – an expert

“After a good night's sleep, the first thought for many is to wake up with the morning ritual of showering. While this is great for our revitalization and management of body odors, it can actually do more harm than good.”

According to Lithgow, the problem lies in disrupting the delicate balance in the body that helps maintain a healthy skin structure.

“Maintaining a healthy skin structure depends on the normal oils produced by the body and a gentle balance of beneficial bacteria and microorganisms.” .

As she explained, showering daily, especially with hot water, can disrupt the process of maintaining healthy skin, as well as cause dryness, irritation and itchiness of the skin.

“Dry skin is more likely to offer lower protection against infections and allergens with barrier-disrupting bacteria.”

Lithgow warned that over-cleansing different areas of the body also exacerbates the problem.

“In our germaphobe lifestyle, we use antibacterial products that, again, kill all types of bacteria, including the ones that are good for our skin.” As a result, our immune system is less effective in fighting not only harmful bacteria, but also good ones.”

Recommendation

Step away from the daily ritual of taking a shower, just wash those important areas and let your healthy microbes thrive.
It's not an exact science, but as a general rule, showering less often than every day can have health benefits.

“Although there is no ideal frequency, experts suggest that for most people, showering a few times a week is sufficient (unless you are dirty, sweaty, or have some other reason to shower more often),” explains Harvard Health.