How often you need to take your bath for a healthy leaving --- Experts

We're all aware of smelling and looking good, but how often you should be showering may surprise you

Wet wet wet: But the trouble starts if showers are taken too often

Many of us can't imagine leaving the house without plunging ourselves under a hot shower - but it turns out such 'cleanliness' might actually be making us ill.
Research suggests that the continual washing and rinsing might actually be sloughing off some essential oils that are saving our skin.

So too much washing can cause skin conditions which are irritating and painful.
A survey last year revealed that four out of five women don’t shower every day , while a third said they could go three days without washing.

But according to Professor Stephen Shumack, President of the Australasian College of Dermatologists, you should only shower when you need to.

Soaping up: The natural body oils we produce to protect skin cells can be lost due to overshowering

Speaking to the Sunday Morning Herald , he said: “It's only in the last fifty to sixty years - since the advent of bathrooms with showers - that the idea of a daily shower has become commonplace.
"The pressure to do that is actually social pressure rather than actual need. It's become popular because of the social need to smell good. But it's only the glands in your armpit and groin that produce body odour. They're not all over the body.”

 

Skin condition: But without essential body oils, issues like atopic dermatitis could be made worse

Overwashed hair can end up damaged, but skin has the same issue, Shumack explains: “Overwashing causes 'defatting' of the skin – getting rid of the natural body oils we produce to protect the skin cells.
"This can cause actual damage making them more permeable to bacteria or viruses, precipitating itchy skin, dryness, flakiness and worsening conditions like eczema.”