Table of contents:
- How long does the average person shower?
- Which is cleaner: take a long shower or a quick shower?
- What is the effect on health if you shower too long?
How long do you usually shower? Are you the type to take a long shower or a quick shower? So far, the common people believe that taking a long shower means cleaner. Meanwhile, people who take a quick shower are often called dirty or unclean showers. However, is that true? What experts say on the old vs. this clean bath? Immediately see the answer below, yes.
How long does the average person shower?
Bathing here means only washing and soaping the body. So regardless of the time spent getting dressed, brushing teeth, or urinating. According to a survey by Unilever of more than 100 households, the average person spends eight minutes just showering. Other surveys have recorded mixed results, ranging from five to ten minutes.
Which is cleaner: take a long shower or a quick shower?
It's about time you abandoned the theory that an old shower means cleaner. The reason is, dermatology (skin) specialists agree that a quick shower, which is five minutes or less, can actually clean all the dirt, oil, and bacteria that sticks to your body.
Dr. Stephen Shumack who serves as Head of the Australasian College of Dermatologists explained that a quick shower is powerful enough to get rid of body odor, sweat, and excess oil on the surface of the skin. This is because the parts of your body that produce bad odors are only your armpits and groin, not your entire body.
Meanwhile, from the point of view of cleanliness, a quick shower can cleanse your body. Not many know that on the surface of your skin there are good bacteria and bad bacteria in balance. Good bacteria are responsible for preventing infections that may be caused by bad bacteria. So, basically your body already has a special system to cleanse and protect itself.
You don't need antibacterial soap or gallons of water to clean your skin. The only areas that need thorough cleaning are the armpits, groin, and buttocks. This is because these parts of the body do have more sweat glands than the rest of the body. So, it will be easier for bad bacteria to breed.
What is the effect on health if you shower too long?
You may be used to taking long showers. However, remember that showering too long is bad for health. According to dr. Stephen Shumack, long baths can remove natural oils which are in charge of protecting skin tissues. The body can't produce oil if it doesn't have a purpose, right? So, if your skin's natural oils are lost, your skin will actually be more susceptible to viruses, bacteria, and various skin problems such as eczema, itching, and dry skin.
In addition, bathing for too long will also disrupt the balance of bacteria levels on the surface of the skin. The antibacterial soap you use will probably kill the good bacteria. This is because soap cannot tell which bacteria are good and which are bad. As a result, bad bacteria will increasingly colonize the surface of your skin. This is at risk of causing a yeast (yeast) infection which is characterized by the appearance of a rash or itchy skin. Therefore, you should avoid bathing for more than five minutes.
