Not everybody needs to shower daily – and, in fact, doing so can carry risks for some people, according to social media medic Dr. Mike.
Also known as Dr. Mikhail Varshavski, 31, the New Jersey-based primary care physician has a huge social media fanbase, with more than 920,000 followers on TikTok alone.
He recently shared a video on the platform explaining some of the potential negative effects of having a shower every day, from drying out your skin and scalp – leading to dandruff – to rinsing away the good bacteria that keeps the epidermis healthy.
In the clip, which has garnered 1.7 million views, Dr. Mike said: ‘Not everyone needs to shower daily…this is medically accurate. In fact, here are five things that can go wrong if you do over shower.’
Social media media Dr. Mike – aka Dr. Mikhail Varshavski – shared five risks of showering daily in a TikTok video garnering 1.7 million views
According to the doctor, a primary care physician based in New Jersey, one of the potential pitfalls of showering too frequently is dry skin
You can also cause a dry scalp by over showering, said the medic, who listed dandruff among the reasons some people shouldn’t shower every day
1. DRY SKIN
First up, he said, is dry skin.
‘That can create cracks in your skin allowing bacteria and allergens to get beneath your skin layer,’ he added.
As reported by Well and Good, many other doctors agree with Dr. Mike, with one dermatologist pointing out that very hot showers can exacerbate dryness.
Board-certified dermatologist Dhaval Bhanusali, MD told the outlet: ‘The issue with very hot showers is that they actually dry you out and can cause dry skin and irritation, even leading to eczema flares and other issues.’
2. DANDRUFF
The second reason he gave was dandruff. Dr. Mike said this can arise from a ‘dry scalp’.
According to GQ, over-shampooing hair can cause a host of issues – including dandruff.
It said: ‘So what causes dandruff? The truth is that you do. Those flaky, embarrassing white flecks are caused by your grooming habits.’
The outlet went on to list over-shampooing as a potential reason for the flakes.
Dandruff isn’t the only hair-related too-frequent showering issue, according to the primary care physician – other general damage can also occur
Over-washing, especially when using anti-bacterial soap, can actually kill the micro-organisms on your skin that are there to protect you, he said
The fifth reason Dr. Mike gave for not over-showering was not related to health, but to the environment – he said having too many
3. DAMAGED HAIR
According to Dr. Mike, dandruff is not the only hair-related risk of over-showering. He said: ‘The third [risk] is damaging your hair. Especially if you’re shampooing it so often.’
GQ concurred, reporting that: ‘Shampoo should not be used daily. Accept this fact, and you’ll solve many of your hair care and scalp problems. Shampoo’s function is to remove excess oil, grime, and product buildup.
‘A simple rinse will remove most of these things, and the buildup should be washed away with shampoo every second or third day.
‘Otherwise, you dry out the hair and the scalp by stripping away the oils that keep everything nourished and strong.”
4. KILLING GOOD BACTERIA
The fourth reason Dr. Mike gave as a reason to avoid over-showering is that you’re ‘killing off the micro-organisms on your skin that are actually there to protect you’.
He added: ‘It’s like a form of probiotics, and when you’re using the anti-bacterial soap, you’re killing them all for no reason.’
This view is backed up by Dr. Richard Gallo, chief of dermatology at the University of California, San Diego, who previously told the New York Times: ‘Good bacteria are educating your own skin cells to make your own antibiotics.
‘They produce their own antibiotics that kill off bad bacteria.’
5. WASTING WATER
Fifth – and finally – is the reason Dr. Mike described as the most crucial.
He said: ‘The most obvious one – and probably the most important – we’re wasting a ton of water by over-showering.’
This is highly important, according to Water Wise, which says: ‘Using water efficiently means that we can minimise the amount of additional water resources being taken out of our rivers and aquifers, especially as demands are rising.
‘This protects our water resources and the wildlife that live in them and rely on them for their survival.’