You might think you are doing yourself good, but having a shower every day is bad for you.
There is a compelling body of evidence to say showering too much can damage our microbiome, the community of microbes that live on us.
This can lead to a breakout in acne, according to researchers in two separate studies.
Although studies have looked into the effects of too much showering on our microbiome, there is no official recommended number of showers to take each week to achieve the perfect balance between a robust microbiome and not being smelly.
The microbiome is the collection of bacteria, archeae, viruses, and other microbes that live in and on the human body, and is incredibly important to a person’s health.
Studies have shown showering every day using shampoo and soap strips a person’s hair and skin of its array of microbes.
A tribe of Yanomami people in South America were found to have a much more robust microbiome than westerners.
Someone’s microbiome is important because without it, their immune system, digestion and heart would stop working.
A paper published in 2013 also linked acne to a disruption in the microbiome.
The discovery of a sweat-eating bacteria could even lead to better treatments from acne and serious wounds, researchers claimed in 2014.
Researchers found bacteria that metabolise ammonia – a major component of sweat – may improve skin health and could even be used for the treatment of skin disorders.
They say it could be particularly effective against acne.
In the study, conducted by Cleveland firm AOBiome, human volunteers using the bacteria reported better skin condition and appearance compared with a control group.
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