The Importance of Skincare: How Much is Too Much?
Our skin is our largest organ, covering approximately 15 to 20 square feet of our body. It is our body’s first line of defense, charged with keeping the outside out and our insides in. The beauty and personal care products market in the US amounts to more than $100 billion, and it’s projected to keep growing.
Dr. James Hamblin, a preventive medicine and public health doctor, stopped showering for about five years as part of an experiment to explore the science of skin. He notes that people tend to think of personal care products as hygiene-promoting, but many make medical-sounding claims that amount to clever marketing.
Hamblin argues that soap is valuable mainly to break up sticky, oily substances, and that mechanical force does most of the washing. He believes that constantly washing away the skin’s natural oils and chemicals can create issues and disrupt the skin microbiome, which is similar to the gut microbiome.
The skin microbiome is a delicate ecosystem that is difficult to understand, and Hamblin warns that over-washing can exacerbate conditions like eczema and acne. He notes that hygiene is necessary to prevent the transmission of infectious disease, while cleansing is more personal and ritualistic.
Hamblin has five tips for nurturing a more natural and possibly healthier skin microbiome: prioritize hygiene over cleansing, don’t over-wash, rinse off instead of showering, be gentle with your skin, and avoid products that make false medical claims.
Ultimately, what we choose to put on our skin is a personal preference, and it comes down to aesthetics. Hamblin advises people to focus on what works for them and avoid being swayed by marketing claims.