Do you really have to wash every day? Which cosmetic products to favor? To see more clearly, La Dépêche spoke with Marie Jourdan, dermatologist.
In 2020, an Ifop survey revealed that a quarter of French people did not wash daily. If the situation has evolved somewhat today as shown by the most recent studies, it would seem that many French people are still not very concerned regarding their cleanliness.
To definitively put an end to certain clichés around hygiene, La Dépêche du Midi spoke with Marie Jourdan, dermatologist in Paris and member of the French Society of Dermatology.
Do you have to wash every day?
It is a somewhat complex debate. If we do not wash at all, we can fear a proliferation of bacteria, odors, as well as a weakened balance. If you wash too much, you risk conversely upsetting your skin ecosystem and promoting infections. On the other hand, the mechanical effect of washing can damage the hydrolipidic film of the skin, which can cause tightness, dryness, or even inflammatory phenomena such as eczema. It is therefore a matter of finding a happy medium.
Showering without soap seems to be a popular trend. What are the risks and disadvantages?
We can think that washing without soap favors the softness of the skin. In reality, this is not the case, or at least it depends on the type of soap. True, soaps have a detergent action, which can somewhat “damage” the skin. However, some products allow you to compensate for the alkalinity of the water, and to balance the pH of the skin. It may therefore be interesting to favor the latter.
How to choose the right cosmetic products?
In dermatology, we first advise to look at the pH (the acidity of the product, editor’s note). We therefore favor surgras soaps, such as syndets (a kind of softer soap, editor’s note) or shower oils, which are more respectful of the epidermis. It is also good to know that the more a soap smells good and produces foam, the more it is detergent, and therefore harmful to the skin.
What regarding homemade products? To forbid ?
Homemade is absolutely not better from a dermatological point of view. Nevertheless, the concept of creating your own soap can be particularly educational and fun, especially since you never take any risks in using a handmade product. On the other hand, believing that any product that you make yourself is better for the skin is a mistake. We necessarily manage its pH poorly, which can create a soap that is too harsh.
