Contents:
- Medical Video: Bathing your Newborn
- How long does the average person take a bath?
- Where is cleaner: taking a long shower or taking a quick shower?
- What is the effect on health if you take a shower too long?
Medical Video: Bathing your Newborn
How long do you usually take a shower? Are you the type of person who takes a long shower or takes a quick shower? So far, ordinary people believe that old baths mean cleaner. While people who take a quick shower are often called dirty or not clean showers. However, is that really true? What experts say about the debate over old baths vs. this clean shower? See the answer immediately, yes.
How long does the average person take a bath?
Bathing here means only washing and soaping the body. So without counting the time spent dressing, brushing your teeth, or urinating. According to a survey conducted by Unilever on more than 100 households, the average person spends eight minutes just to take a shower. Other surveys record different results, ranging from five to ten minutes.
Where is cleaner: taking a long shower or taking a quick shower?
It's time for you to abandon the theory that an old bath means cleaner. The reason is, dermatology specialists (skins) agree that a quick shower, which is five minutes or less, can actually cleanse all the dirt, oil, and bacteria that attach to your body.
Dr. Stephen Shumack, who served as Head of the Australasian College of Dermatologists explained that fast bathing is powerful enough to expel body odor, sweat, and excess oil on the skin surface. Because the body parts that produce unpleasant odors are just the armpits and groin, not your whole body.
Whereas when viewed from the side of cleanliness, bathing can quickly cleanse your body. Not many know that on the surface of your skin there are good bacteria and bad bacteria in a balanced level. Good bacteria are responsible for preventing infections that may be caused by bad bacteria. So, basically your body already has a special system for cleaning and protecting yourself.
No need for antibacterial soap or gallon water to clean the skin. The only area that needs to be cleaned thoroughly is the armpits, groin, and buttocks. This is because these body parts do have more sweat glands than other body parts. So, even bad bacteria will multiply more easily.
What is the effect on health if you take a shower too long?
You may be used to taking a long shower. However, keep in mind that taking a bath for too long is actually detrimental to health. According to Dr. Stephen Shumack, taking a long bath can lift natural oils which are responsible for protecting skin tissues. The body cannot produce oil if there is no purpose, right? So, if your skin's natural oils are gone, the skin will actually become more susceptible to viruses, bacteria, and various skin problems such as eczema, hives, and dry skin.
In addition, bathing too long will also disrupt the balance of bacterial levels on the surface of the skin. The antibacterial soap you use will probably kill good bacteria. This is because soap cannot tell which bacteria are good and which are bad. As a result, even bad bacteria will colonize the surface of your skin. This risks causing yeast infections (fungi) which are characterized by the appearance of a rash or itchy skin. Therefore, you should avoid taking a bath for more than five minutes.
