Re-Think Using Soap in Your Daily Shower: Doctor

Americans are going overboard with soaps and gels, according to a Maryland doctor who says we can shower mostly with just water.

Robynne Chutkan, MD, the founder of the Digestive Center for Women in Chevy Chase, and author of “The Microbiome Solution,” says we need to get down and dirty so our body recognizes friendly germs.

She tells Health magazine that we should avoid anti-bacterials soaps in favor of organics. But she has advice that will change up most people’s daily shower routine.

“By scouring ourselves in the shower every day, we are actually stripping our skin of bacteria that keep us acne- and eczema-free,” Chutkan says. “Unless you’ve just finished a Mud Run, the only places that need daily soaping are your armpits and groin. The rest of your body does fine with a rinse—even after a sweaty workout.”

And hand sanitizers and anti-bacterial soaps are wasted during cold and flu season, the gastroenterologist says, since those ailments are caused by viruses. The bugs are unfazed by anti-bacterial assaults.

Untreatable bacterial infections are on the upswing because of the widespread of anti-bacterial hand gels, the World Health Organization says.