Latest news with #OceanSkin&VeinInstitute
Buzz Feed
a day ago
- Health
- Buzz Feed
Proper Body Washing Technique – Are You Doing It Right?
For many of us, showering is not just part of our personal hygiene routine — it might be the only few minutes of peace, tranquility and reflection we get to ourselves in the day. And while the particulars of our showers might vary in terms of nature, duration and temperature, one thing remains constant: the quest to get squeaky clean. Our shower habits are usually based on how we were raised and our cultural backgrounds. That means some of us are all about the loofahs, others are team washcloth, and some rely on a sponge. But is all that exfoliating actually good for our skin? As we age, after all, so does the largest organ of our body: our glorious, sexy skinbag. Keeping our skin as healthy and supple as possible is paramount. So we — Raj Punjabi and Noah Michelson, hosts of HuffPost's 'Am I Doing It Wrong?' podcast — wanted to find out the optimal approach (from a clinical perspective) when we're soaping up in the shower. 'So 100%, it's your hands,' Dr. Divya Shokeen, the founder of Ocean Skin & Vein Institute in Manhattan Beach, California, recently told us when she dropped by our studio to chat about her showering secrets. 'There's no negotiation on that in terms of the medical studies.' Shokeen explained that when we use loofahs, sponges or any other implement to soap up, we are disrupting our skin's mantle, the natural film of oils and acids that protect it. We want to keep that mantle intact, she told us, because it shields us against barrier disruption and transepidermal water loss — and it keeps the bad bacteria out. 'Rubbing a washcloth on yourself repeatedly sloughs off a lot of dead skin cells or cells in general that are not ready to slough off,' Shokeen said. 'When that happens, you actually disrupt the top layer, which allows for more dehydration, water loss, and now you're going to have to use more lotion to minimize that.' And while we love a good post-shower lube job, we won't need all that extra lotion if we don't dry out and stress our skin while we're in the tub. Shokeen gave us another good reason to ditch the loofahs, washcloths and sponges. 'Anything that stays in the shower is apt to build mold and yeast and fungus,' she said. 'And then you're putting that on yourself.' We discovered a ton of other showering tips and tricks, including how long a shower should really last, what we should be doing (and not doing) when we wash our hair, and the skin-changing secret that only takes 30 seconds at the end of your cleansing session. For more from Dr. Shokeen, visit the websites for her dermatology practice and her skincare line.
Buzz Feed
22-02-2025
- Health
- Buzz Feed
If You Routinely Take Hot Showers, You Might Want To Stop. This Doctor Explains Why.
For many of us, taking a long hot shower isn't just about getting clean, it's the only time of the day when no one can reach us to ask about that overdue work assignment or what's for dinner or our car's extended warranty. But could our beloved shower time be wreaking havoc on our bodies? That's what we — Raj Punjabi and Noah Michelson, hosts of HuffPost's Am I Doing It Wrong? podcast — asked Dr. Divya Shokeen, the founder of Ocean Skin & Vein Institute in Manhattan Beach, California, when she dropped by the studio to talk about all of the ways we might be showering wrong and how to do it better. 'Should you be taking a hot shower? No. Ideally, you should be taking a cold one,' Dr. Shokeen told us. 'I actually went down a huge rabbit hole on PubMed, which is basically a scientific database that goes through all these articles, [and I found studies that show] a cold shower not only invigorates you more, it helps with hair follicles, it helps with hair growth, it helps with skin rejuvenation, with blood vessel dilation — it's awesome for you.' Cold water may also aid in workout recovery, boosting immune system responses, improving circulation and possibly even enhancing mental health. Hot water, on the other hand, can strip skin of its natural protective oils, fats and proteins, which can cause irritation, dryness and worsen eczema symptoms. Since most of us can't bear the thought of an icy shower, Dr. Shokeen recommends that we use warm water — not hot — and keep it short. 'Ideally [a shower should last] five minutes — five to 10 minutes. Anything longer ... disrupts the mantle of your skin, which can cause more harm than good.' Then, just before we've finished showering, she recommends turning down the water temperature. 'If you can tolerate it, [during] the last 30 seconds, make it cold.' Following this chilly '30-second hack' can give us some of the benefits of cold water exposure without forcing us to suffer through an entirely frigid shower. However, some individuals with certain medical conditions, like heart issues, should never take a cold shower of any length, and it's always a good idea to consult a medical professional before you make any health-related change to your daily routine. Dr. Shokeen also noted that the cleansing tools we use in the shower, like loofahs and sponges, can damage our skin. '100% — [only use your hands to clean],' she emphasized. 'There's no negotiation on that in terms of the medical studies, because anything that you're doing with loofahs and sponges, again, it's all about disruption of the mantle ... you actually disrupt the top layer, which allows for more dehydration, and now you're going to have to use more lotion to minimize that.' We also chatted about why she never faces the showerhead, the one part of your body you can probably stop washing and much more.
