Taking a daily shower is unnecessary: experts
By Zhang Jian
People's Daily app
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Cultures in China and other parts of the world, especially Western countries, are different.

When it comes to bathing, the differences remain. Westerners tend to take a shower every morning before going to work, while Chinese people take a bath after work every two or more days even though some white-collar workers imitate Western habits.

According to Euromonitor International, an independent provider of strategic market research, people all over the world, including India, Spain, Mexico, almost always take a bath every day (with or without a shower gel). However, is this necessary? Is an everyday shower healthy?

According to time.com, a US-based website, Dr. Elaine Larson, an infectious disease expert and associate dean for research at the School of Nursing of Columbia University, claimed that too much all-over bathing may raise the risk of some health issues because warm water may open our pores and let germs and virus enter our bodies.

Another expert from George Washington University, Dr. C. Brandon Mitchell, assistant professor of dermatology, said that taking too many baths can make our skin lose natural oils and reduce the number of immune system-supporting bacteria on our skin, time.com reported.

So how often should we take a shower? Probably once or twice a week, Mitchell said. “Even if you have dandruff or some other scalp issue that requires more frequent washing, a couple washes a week will suffice,” Mitchell told time.com.