How Often Should You Shower? Advice From a Doctor Who Bucked Social Norms

(CNN) — Our skin is considered our largest organ, with a surface area of approximately 15 to 20 square feet (1.4 to 1.9 square meters) — and some put the estimate at least 10 times greater, if the nooks and crannies created by hair follicles and sweat ducts are taken into consideration. It is our body’s first line of defense, charged with (among other things) keeping the outside out and our insides in.

And we like to keep our skin squeaky clean, especially in the United States. The beauty and personal care products market (which includes skin, hair, mouth, shower and bath, cosmetics, and fragrance products) in the US amounted to more than $100 billion in 2024, and it’s projected to keep growing.

“You walk into any pharmacy and next to cold and flu medications, there are aisles of shampoos and soaps. It just got me thinking: what is this all for?” Dr. James Hamblin told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta on his podcast Chasing Life recently.