Can Bath Often Damage The Skin? This Is The Explanation Of A Skin Specialist

JAKARTA - Is it true that frequent bathing damages the skin? Skin specialist Dr. Arini Widodo, SpKK from the Indonesian Association of Skin and Gender Specialists (Perdoski) said that frequent bathing is actually able to damage the skin layer.

"Too often bathing, especially in the wrong way, can damage it," he said, quoted from ANTARA, Saturday, October 25.

This was revealed following the weather in several parts of Indonesia, which is sometimes hot, causing a desire to take a bath because they feel sticky by excessive sweat.

He explained that human skin has a natural skin layer (skin barrier) and a layer of natural oil (sebum) that functions to maintain moisture and protect against irritation.

Based on guidelines from the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), he continued, there are several recommendations for a healthy bathing method that includes limiting frequency and duration.

"Bathing twice a day is ideal, with a maximum duration of 5-10 minutes every time," he said.

In addition, using warm water, not heat, because overheated water can remove skin natural oil.

Choosing the right cleaning, instead of ordinary soap that can be hard, use a soft, soap-free (soap-free) body cleaner, with balanced pH (pH-balanced), and contain moisturizing ingredients such as ceramides, glycerin, or niacinamide. Cleaners like this are effective in cleaning without eroding the skin shielding layer.

He also reminded to immediately apply the moisturizer immediately after taking a shower.

"Within 3-5 minutes after drying the body with a towel (in a way on it), immediately apply the moisturizer to "lock" the moisture," he added.

He also recommends that if you feel you need to wash yourself more than 2 times because of sweat, consider only washing with water (without cleaning) in the additional bath, and focus on using cleaners or cleaners only on folding areas.

"Essentially, in extreme weather like now, the key to skin care is the balance between maintaining cleanliness in the right way, maintaining skin natural moisture, and strict protection from UV light," concluded Arini.