Daily Shower May Be Bad for Your Skin; Docs Suggest 'Soak and Smear'

(TODAY) -- The blast of frigid air across the country is freezing our fingers and drying out our skin. Combine this weather with the American love of frequent showers and baths and youve got a recipe for itchy, parched skin, or aggravated conditions like dermatitis and eczema.

Should we stop showering so much, as suggested by a Discovery News story, and embrace our stink?

Not necessarily, say dermatologists. Its not so much how often you bathe, but how you bathe that matters.

Forget about that all over-sudsing, suggests Dr. Casey Carlos, assistant professor of medicine in the division of dermatology at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine.

Its the hardest thing to get people to use soap only where they need it, Carlos told TODAY.com. Because soap is designed to remove oils from the skin, its drying. So Carlos suggests using it in armpits, the groin area, feet the potentially smelly places and skipping chest, back, legs, arms.

People dont realize that the skin does a pretty good job of cleaning itself, Carlos said.

Use lukewarm, not hot, water, and keep showers short.

Then, as soon as you get out of the shower, moisturize, Carlos said.

Some research has shown using an emollient body wash can clean and moisturize as well as using an after-shower product. One risk, however, is that in-shower moisturizing can leave the shower or tub as slick as a used pasta plate.

I used one, and the next time I stepped into the shower, I almost slipped, Carlos said.

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Daily Shower May Be Bad for Your Skin; Docs Suggest 'Soak and Smear'