Drying your skin thoroughly after a shower can help to prevent the growth of bacteria and germs, helping to keep you and your family healthy. Another reason why you should dry yourself after a shower is because it can help to prevent skin infections.
James says any time there's an increased presence of moisture (like when you're not fully dry after a shower) can create a potential breeding ground that's favorable to yeast.
Even then there will be body parts that will stay moist long after most of your body dries off. Bacteria may build up there and cause a rash. While you air dry, you'll probably be dripping water all over the place like a wet dog, which will probably make other family members angry.
How often should you shower? While there is no ideal frequency, experts suggest that showering several times per week is plenty for most people (unless you are grimy, sweaty, or have other reasons to shower more often). Short showers (lasting three or four minutes) with a focus on the armpits and groin may suffice.
Water is absorbed by skin immersed in water through the process of osmosis. This is because the internal body fluids of humans are more concentrated than in fresh water. Skin whitening, wrinkling and shriveling up appear because these areas of thicker skin expand as they become saturated.
Do hang up your towels after each use to help them dry properly and prevent odor. After your shower or bath, hang your towel across a bar or shower rod so it can dry fully. This will help prevent bacterial growth and extend the time between washes.
The verdict? "Air drying your skin is a nice option to be gentle to your skin if your skin is sensitive, but it's certainly not necessary or all that beneficial," says Dr. Nazarian. So as long as your skin's somewhat moist post-cleansing, and you're not scrubbing your face with a dirty, stinky towel, you'll be alright.
“Skin will absorb some water during both baths and showers,” said Nazarian. “It's important to utilize the small window of opportunity — less than 30 minutes — after cleansing to apply your moisturizer to damp skin.” And it's important to make it a habit.
· Pat yourself Dry & Moisturize
Now that you have taken a hearty shower, the next step is to dry your body without losing moisture. This doesn't mean that you rub yourself with a towel, as the action can cause irritation and itchiness. Instead, pat yourself dry leaving your skin a little damp.
Do bath towels really ever get dirty? Most towels are made of 100 percent cotton. While it's true that after a shower you have eliminated most of the germs and dirt from your skin, the process of rubbing a towel against the body rubs off dead skin that sticks to the moist towel.
Normal desquamation can be visualized by immersing skin in warm or hot water. This induces the outermost layer of corneocytes to shed, such as is the case after a hot shower or bath. Corneocytes are held together by corneodesmosomes. In order for desquamation to occur these corneodesmosome connections must be degraded.
Excessive exposure to moisture can cause maceration, a serious problem for your skin. Skin maceration happens when your skin is broken down by moisture on a cellular level. Once this damage occurs, your skin is much more vulnerable to other types of problems and complications.
You'd smell
Unsurprisingly, a person would develop quite a funk after 365 showerless days. Rokhsar said your stench likely would come as a result of the bacteria and dead skin accumulating on you. After a year, he said, you'd have a build-up of skin stratum corneum, or dead skin on top of your skin.
"If your skin tends not to be dry, you could extend it to every other day or so." If you take it from a certified germ expert, though, you can skip showering for as long as you wish.
Generally, she says, "you should be showering, bathing or cleansing yourself every two to three days." Though, if you're working out or engaging in an activity where you are sweating a lot, you may have to shower more often. The biggest problem that may stem from not showering enough? The stink.
Thankfully, most kids want to bathe daily once they hit puberty. Dermatologists tell parents that once puberty starts, kids should: Shower or take a bath daily.
“Humans tend to perspire at night,” Dr. Goldenberg said. “When you wake up in the morning, there's all this sweat and bacteria from the sheets that's just kind of sitting there on your skin.” So take a quick shower in the morning, he said, “to wash all of that gunk and sweat off that you've been sleeping in all night.”
According to dermatologists, you should exfoliate first, then wash your hair, and then wash your body. This will ensure that each shower product you use has time to work. If you have concerns about your skin, you should follow this order as closely as you can.