Doctor spends 8 years without showering during experiment and reveals its effects on the body

A physician and professor at the Yale School of Public Health in the United States conducted a rather strange experiment: stopping showering. In 2015, James Hamblin aimed to study the effects of minimal hygiene on skin health and general well-being. The information is from Tempo.

“You get used to it,” he says. “I feel normal.” The preventive medicine specialist wanted to understand how modern hygiene practices affect our health, as well as challenge social norms.

At age 40, Hamblin cut back on cleaning his body drastically and began washing his hands only with soap. The focus of the experiment was to get the body back into a natural balance with the oils and microbes already present on the skin.

During this time, he realized that by reducing the use of harsh products such as harsh soaps, natural oil production was modified and a more stable and healthy microbial environment was maintained. This is stated in his book, “Cleansing: The New Science of Skin and the Beauty of Less Work.” [Limpo: a nova ciência da pele e a beleza de fazer menos, em tradução livre]released in 2020.

A state of balance, according to the doctor, is achieved when the skin microbiome is allowed to flourish without chemical interruption, such as when using cleansers.

Hamblin believes that body odor does not necessarily mean that there is a problem, but rather that there is a microbial imbalance, as bad odor is produced by bacteria that feed on the oily secretions coming from sweat and sebaceous glands. Therefore, when we use hygiene products, we change the balance of these microbes, which ultimately leads to the appearance of bad odors.

The whole process of stopping bathing was gradual: he started taking showers more often and reduced the use of soap and other personal hygiene products. Soon his body began to adapt, which meant less odor and discomfort.

“There were times when I wanted to shower because I missed it, and it smelled bad and felt oily. But that started happening less and less,” he said.

He also rinses himself when he feels the need to. “You can exfoliate or remove oils simply by rubbing your hands and combing your hair from time to time,” he explained. He also maintains a regular oral hygiene routine.

He stressed that “the microbes on our skin are as important to our appearance and health as the microorganisms in our gut are to our digestive system.”

Regular bathing was more common among royalty, according to the doctor, so until recently, most people did not have access to running water. As technology advances, we are better able to understand the microbiome of our skin, suggesting that not all microbes are harmful to our health.