Skin Care Doesn't Stop At The Neck: How To Take A Microbiome-Healthy Shower

In skin care circles, we tend to talk about the skin barrier and microbiome as it relates to the face. It makes sense, as the face tends to get the skin care attention overall. And recently the conversation began expanding to our hands, as we all are spending more and more time sanitizing and washing them. 

Your microbiome is a beautiful thing. It's what we call the trillions of bugs and fungi that live on our skin, good and bad. Each area of our body, too, has an "eco-niche," physician Kara Fitzgerald, N.D., writes, and tends to require different measures of care. "The critters also vary depending on the amount of light and whether the area is moist, dry, hairy, or oily," she explains. This means that the biome on your scalp, face, hands, pits, and elsewhere all serve different functions, have unique needs, and should be treated differently. She goes on to note that "the microbiome differs with age and gender. For instance, a hormonal, sweaty teenage boy sports a very different microbiome than a sedentary, postmenopausal woman." 

And its flora does a lot for us: helps us deal with skin infections by crowding out pathogens with good bacteria, acts as a vital part of our skin barrier, protects us from environmental damage by limiting exposure to allergens and oxidative stress, and even communicates with our internal immune system1, new research shows. And even then, we're really only scratching the surface. There is so much we don't fully understand about the biome yet, and we are learning more nearly every day. 

Take a moment to think about your daily shower. First up, is it daily—or more or less? What's the temperature of the water? How long is it? Are you washing your full body with a lathering, sudsy soap? What sort of ingredients are in that soap? Do you exfoliate at any point—and if so, how often? After the shower, do you apply a lotion or cream? 

Indeed, a lot of variables to consider. And the thing is, each of these steps can be optimized to better support your microbiome and skin barrier. But the key here is that it's your microbiome: You know your needs and body better than anyone else.

For some, the idea of not adhering to a daily shower regimen is a nonstarter (or two, for that matter). Others are more lackadaisical with their routine and make showering choices based on what they happened to do that day. And we're not going to tell you there's a right answer. But there are several factors you should consider when choosing your frequency: Your lifestyle, body odors, natural oil production, and just overall feeling of cleanliness. 

"For many people, daily showering isn't a big problem," says Hamblin. "But for some who have skin conditions, fluctuating between oiliness and dryness, or going between inflammatory skin flares and no flares, you may consider that over-showering may be part of the problem."

This has more to do with personal preference and time constraints (some simply loathe wasting time in the shower; some can't get enough). However, be sure to spend enough time in the shower to adequately cover the body with moisture, so you can seal it in later with a moisturizer (more on that momentarily). 

"Take lengthy showers in tepid water, staying under the water until your fingertips get wrinkled," says dermatologist Loretta Ciraldo, M.D., FAAD. "This is a sign that you have tremendously rehydrated your skin." 

Perhaps one of the most important variables in the equation: your soap. Soaps can contain a host of stripping ingredients, including sulfates, as well as irritating ones, like parabens and fragrance. We recommend avoiding those ingredients—while also looking for options with added skin-care-focused ingredients. 

"Ideal soaps are made without harsh sulfates like sodium lauryl sulfate, that can damage the skin barrier," board-certified dermatologist Whitney Bowe, M.D., tells us. "I also love seeing hand soaps that are enriched with soothing, hydrating ingredients like milk, aloe, honey, and oatmeal. Also, any ingredients that restore the barrier and help bring the pH back to the normal range—slightly acidic—are imperative. Our skin has an invisible layer called the 'acid mantle,' and we need to respect the pH of our skin to keep it healthy." 

As for irritants, some people are more susceptible to fragrances and the like. "[Artificial fragrance] is one of the most common ingredients to cause sensitivity, puffiness, itch, and rash," Ciraldo has noted about hypoallergenic products. Also, parabens and other common preservatives have been linked to allergic reactions.