Taking a shower every day feels like second nature to many of us. But what if that daily routine isn’t the best for your skin, especially as you age? If you’re over 65, you might want to rethink how often you hop into the shower. Dermatologists now suggest that cutting back on showers could actually benefit your skin’s health as it becomes more delicate over time.
How aging affects your skin’s resilience
Our skin changes dramatically with age. Just like newborns, elderly skin becomes more vulnerable. Years of exposure cause it to lose elasticity, become drier, thinner, and more fragile. According to the medical resource Manual MSD, these transformations mean the skin requires a gentler, more attentive care routine.
One major factor to reconsider is the frequency of showers. Dermatologist Marie Jourdan explains that washing too often can actually be harmful. The skin has its own way of “self-cleaning,” and excessive washing can disrupt its natural defenses, weakening its ability to protect against external irritants and maintain proper hydration. Futura points out that these constant micro-aggressions could impair the skin’s crucial barrier functions.
Why seniors should limit showers to twice a week
So, how often should older adults shower? Experts agree that major changes are needed. For seniors used to daily showers, dermatologists recommend cutting back to just two full showers per week. This switch might come as a surprise, but it’s about preserving the skin’s health, not hygiene.
Sylvie Meaume, a dermatologist interviewed by Futura, offers practical advice: “After 65 to 70 years of age, it’s ideal to rinse the body daily, but only use soap every other day and avoid harsh scrubbing.” This method balances cleanliness with gentleness, allowing skin to stay clean without over-drying or irritating it.
Rethinking shower habits for all ages
These guidelines aren’t just for seniors. Many people, regardless of age, take more showers than necessary. The truth is, not every part of your body needs the same level of daily scrubbing. Marie Jourdan suggests focusing daily washing with soap on areas prone to sweat and bacteria buildup, like the armpits, between the toes, and private areas.
The bigger issue with frequent showers, aside from increased water consumption, is that they disturb your skin’s natural balance. Harvard Health Publishing points out that showering a few times a week for three to four minutes is adequate to maintain hygiene while respecting the skin’s delicate equilibrium. Of course, personal adjustments are important—after intense workouts or physical activity, a more thorough shower is probably necessary even if you showered the day before.
Reflecting on my own habits, I realized how often I default to a daily shower without really thinking about it. After learning about the potential damage from frequent washing, I started to skip full showers on some days and focus only on freshening up the key areas. It’s surprisingly refreshing and has helped my skin stay softer and less irritated. It’s a simple change, but it made me appreciate how sometimes, less really is more.
How often do you shower? Have you ever tried cutting back to protect your skin? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below—we’re curious to hear how this advice fits into your daily routine! And if you found this helpful, don’t hesitate to share it with friends or family who might also benefit from gentler skincare habits.
I’m 84 and I still have night sweats. I shower 6 days a week, seven if I’m going somewhere. I’ve been using Vaseline for years as my go to body moisturizer. People comment on how nice my skin feels and looks. I don’t know if or when my night sweats will end, but until then, I will continue my daily shower routine.
Do you know what the night sweats are from? I am a male 39 and I also get night sweats and I’ve actually had my wife thinking I had peed the bed, that’s how bad it was once. I find find that if I am covered in blankets or linens cold or not I sweat which leaves me sleeping on top of the sheets and blankets unless it’s really cold then I get under the blankets but I will wake up the next morning soaked in sweat and freezing the second I get out of bed because I’m wet. It’s horrible and constantly having to wash the sheets far more often than normal.
People typically gasp and seem mildly offended when I tell them how often I shower: Once every 7-14 days. Now, that’s not to say I don’t wash up every single day, otherwise that would just be unsanitary. I’m a 34-year-old female, engaged, we have one child, a 5-year-old boy. I get plenty of exercise daily since I mostly spend my days chasing after said 5-year-old & walking everywhere due to the fact that sporadic seizures have prevented me from legally being able to drive. Being that my body & hair see their fair share of activity, you’d think that I’d probably stink or might appear excessively greasy or covered in a mild sheen; thankfully that is not at all the case! When I was a teenager I showered daily, sometimes twice: my hair wouldn’t grow past my shoulders & I battled deeply dehydrated skin on the regular, which made my adolescent skin incomprehensibly dry — to the nth degree. Now that I don’t hardly ever take a legitimate shower regularly, my skin has never been more softer/more supple/more hydrated, nor has it ever been less greasy/dry/flaky/covered in breakouts. Not only that, but my hair that at one time wouldn’t ever grow past my shoulders has grown at a ridiculously fast rate & is currently sitting at my hips/lower back. It seems to be that the longer you go without showering, the more your body addresses it accordingly; I’ve had people dumbfounded that I hadn’t showered in so long at one point or another because my hair was tamed/not the least bit greasy.
Seriously though, this article is entirely accurate. I wish more people would understand that there’s nothing wrong with taking less showers regularly; if only the stigma would dissipate & the outdated opinion of *NEEDING* to shower regularly (& in turn destroying the skin’s natural moisture barriers/self-regulating system) would become a thing of the past will it ever catch on in the mainstream, sadly & unfortunately. 50 out of 10 would totally recommend! But, I digress. Different strokes for different folks, I suppose.