‘My anxiety says no’: Skin doctor says you’re probably showering wrong
A cosmetic dermatologist issued some shower do's and don'ts in a viral TikTok video that got people up in arms. Several folks to said, flat out, that they wouldn't be heeding his advice, despite it being rooted in science.
Their reasoning? Long, hot showers just feel too good, even if they are, like The Skin Doc Dr. Nomzzy (@drnomzzy) and other dermatologists say, not good for your overall skin health. He also addressed other common showering practices that he says folks should avoid in a viral clip that's accrued over 916,000 views.
"When I tell patients the best shower is one where you didn't use a loofah, kept it less than 10 minutes, didn't use boiling hot water, put shampoo on your scalp and conditioner on your ends & moisturized within 5 minutes of getting out," Dr. Nomzzy writes in the clip's text overlay, as he nods along to an audio.
The TikTok skin doctor writes in a caption for his video, "Is there an actual way to shower to support skin health?" The pointers he gives in his video all appear to be deeply rooted in dermatological science.
Are loofahs safe to use?
Dermatologist Dr. Cynthia Bailey has also advised against using loofahs, stating that not only isn't there any benefit to using them, but that they could actually cause more harm than good in the long run. "As a dermatologist, I never recommend a natural loofah (also spelled luffa) for showering. They aren’t great for exfoliating, they don’t dry well and they can harbor germs," she wrote on her website.
She also said that loofahs, due to the nature of their use, are often hung up inside of a shower dripping wet with water. These scrubbers can easily become harborers of bacteria.
Dr. Bailey continued: "That perpetually damp loofah sitting in the shower is home to microbes that can cause infection on your skin. The loofah provides the perfect world for germs. Yep, it sits in a damp and humid shower where there is minimal air circulation for drying."
How long should a shower be?
Healthline corroborates what Dr. Nomzzy says regarding shower length, too. The outlet states that most dermatologists recommend between 5-10 minute showers and then anything longer than 15 minutes is more than likely going to result in your skin getting dried out. "According to board-certified dermatologist Dr. Edidiong Kaminska, MD, the recommended maximum shower time is about 5 to 10 minutes. This is enough time to cleanse and hydrate the skin without overdoing it," the site reports. "'Our skin needs water, just like our bodies, but if we over- or under-do it, then it may have consequences,” she adds."
When it comes to timing of keeping one's skin healthy and preventing it from getting dry, when our pores have been opened up as a result of a warm shower, getting that moisturizer in as soon as possible will give us a better chance of keeping our skin hydrated. "To keep moisture in, she usually recommends applying a body moisturizer after showering to the skin since it allows the water (hydration) to stay in the skin and not escape," the outlet also penned.
And if you feel like your shampoo supply could last longer than it does, you might be using too much. Lethal Looks Salon writes that a nickel-sized amount of shampoo placed in the palm of one's hand which is then massaged into one's scalp is more than enough to keep our heads clean. Rinsing it out does the work for our ends, which the hair styling establishment says is more than enough when it comes to cleaning.
Conditioner on the other hand, according to the salon, is the opposite. You start by applying it to your ends, but not your entire head: "You do not need much shampoo (Nickel size is usually enough) and you only need to shampoo your scalp. When you rinse, the shampoo runs through your ends which is plenty of cleansing. Next condition your ends NOT your whole head. Also, DO NOT skip conditioner."
Are hot showers bad for your skin?
As for the temperature of showers, there was another doctor on TikTok who explained why exceedingly hot water is bad news for one's skin. "Dr. Teresa Song, board certified dermatologist at Marmur Medical, a New York City-based dermatology clinic, spoke with In The Know by Yahoo and elaborated on several of Dr. Max's points," Yahoo reported. "'Extremely hot showers are not recommended, as it damages the skin barrier, and time limit should be as short as possible,' she said."
@drnomzzy Is there an actual way to shower to support skin health? #drnomzzy #shower #showertips #skincaretips ♬ original sound - The Skin Doc
While TikTokers didn't attempt to refute any of Dr. Nomzzy's claims, some folks still wanted to stick with their showering protocols.
"But, like, when do we fit in the crying?" one person wrote, suggesting that they prefer longer showers so they can weep to themselves silently.
Another said that there was no way they were going to alter the temperature of the showers they take: "I like my Hell Showers THANK YOU!"
This sentiment was echoed by someone else who penned, "I'm not giving up my hot showers."
Others said that long hot showers felt good for both their mental and physical health.
"I can’t 'not' do the hot hot water though. It just feels so good. I’m old so I can do what I want to make my old bones feel better," one wrote.
"Long, hot showers are best for my mental health," another commented.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Dr. Nomzzy via email for further comment.
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