Hot Bath: As the temperature drops, a lot of us are using hot baths and showers to relax and warm ourselves. However, what are the real effects of hot baths or showers on your skin?

Largest Organ:

Your skin, the body’s largest organ, consists of two main layers: the epidermis on the surface and the dermis beneath it. The epidermis contains billions of cells arranged in five layers on thick skin, such as the soles of your feet, and four layers on thinner areas like your eyelids. In the deeper layers, keratinocytes (skin cells) form tight, watertight connections with their neighboring cells through specialized cellular bridges.

Meanwhile, the cells on the outermost layer of the epidermis continuously shed as they lose these connections. Your skin sheds roughly 1,000 cells per square centimeter every hour, adding up to around 17 million cells per hour for the average adult. Beneath the epidermis, the dermis supports vital functions. It houses sweat glands, blood vessels, nerve endings, hair follicles, and receptors that detect pain and pressure. Together, these layers work tirelessly to protect your body and keep it functioning smoothly.

The Epidermis and Dermis:
Your skin isn’t just your body’s outer layer; it’s a powerful multitasker working around the clock. It shields you from harmful UV rays, fends off bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses, and even helps your gut absorb calcium by producing vitamin D3 from sunlight. When you’re overheating, it cools you down by releasing sweat and widening blood vessels. It also acts as a mood mirror, blushing when you’re embarrassed or giving you goosebumps when you’re cold or emotional. Most impressively, your skin connects you to the world, allowing you to feel every touch, tingle, and temperature shift.

Therefore, it is necessary to take care of your skin. Daily washing can help prevent illness, and taking a hot bath can help you relax and feel good. However, there are a few possible drawbacks.

The skin microbiota:

Your skin normally hosts a large population of Staphylococcus epidermidis, beneficial microbes that help keep it healthy. These organisms stimulate the production of antimicrobial proteins and strengthen the bonds between skin cells, enhancing the integrity of your skin layers.

They thrive in the skin’s natural pH range of 4 to 6, an acidic environment that keeps harmful microbes in check. However, when the skin’s pH rises to around 7 (neutral), it creates an opportunity for Staphylococcus aureus, the more dangerous cousin known as golden staph, to take over and cause infections.

Taking a hot shower or bath can raise your skin’s pH, potentially making it more vulnerable to golden staph. Moreover, immersing yourself in very hot water causes excessive moisture loss through sweating. This not only dries out your skin but also signals your kidneys to excrete more water. This leads to an increase in urination. Spending too much time in a hot bath can lower your blood pressure while increasing your heart rate. People with heart conditions or low blood pressure should consult a doctor before indulging in long, hot showers or baths.

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Hot Water Impacts Your Skin Barrier:

Heat from a bath or shower can stimulate the release of histamines, which are implicated in allergic reactions, cytokines, which are molecules that cause inflammation, and more sensory nerves. After taking an extremely hot bath or shower, all of this may cause itching. A type of chronic inducible urticaria, hives are itchy, raised lumps that appear red on lighter skin and brown or purple on darker skin. Some people get them after taking hot baths or showers. Antihistamines are typically used to treat it, and it is uncommon.

Extremely hot showers or baths should be avoided by anyone with sensitive skin or long-term skin disorders, including urticaria, dermatitis, eczema, rosacea, psoriasis, or acne. They make these people more vulnerable to flare-ups by drying out their skin. When washing a kid, elderly person, or someone with a disability, always check the water temperature with your wrist rather than your hands because the skin of your hands and feet is the least sensitive to heat or cold.

Your buttocks’ skin is the most susceptible to heat and cold. This explains why sometimes you believe the bath is fine when you first enter, but it burns your ass when you sit down. You may have heard that women like hotter water than men, but the science doesn’t support that. All people, regardless of gender, have extremely different zones of heat sensitivity throughout their bodies.

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