We all know a person who's boasted about the length of time they've abstained from showering or bathing.
It's either an odd point of pride or a self-deprecating knock on their personal hygiene.
Either way, if they kept it up — say, for an entire year — they'd smell awful, would run the risk of infection and could be covered in acne and bumps.
Keeping it au naturel for that long is, besides a slow way to alienate yourself, not recommended, advises Dr. Cameron Rokhsar, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York.
You'd smell
Unsurprisingly, a person would develop quite a funk after 365 showerless days.
Rokhsar said your stench likely would come as a result of the bacteria and dead skin accumulating on you.
After a year, he said, you'd have a build-up of skin stratum corneum, or dead skin on top of your skin. It includes a build-up of a protein our skin produces that has a funky odor to it. Bacteria also would accumulate on the skin, giving off a nasty smell when it mixes with our sweat.
Brown clumps would grow on you
Initially, said dermatologist Dr. Lauren Ploch, the skin would become oily or dry and become infected with fungus or yeast and then bacteria. The dirt on the skin could then cause warty growths.
Dr. Caroyln Jacob, director of Chicago Cosmetic Surgery and Dermatology, said the oily parts of your body would collect dirt and pollutants. This would happen most in places where your body produces the most oils, such as your underarms, behind the ears, on the neck and under a woman's breasts.
Your head would itch
Dead skin would build on the scalp. We commonly call this dandruff, which causes your head to itch. But after a year, explains Rokhsar, your head would become "extremely itchy."
If not groomed, Jacob said hair becomes heavy with oil secreted from the scalp and the collected dirt and pollutants that stick to it. It would later, Rokhsar said, look matted and knotty.
You could break out in acne or puss bumps
As bacteria builds on your skin, said Jacob, it risks inflaming hair follicles, causing pimples. Rokhsar adds something called sebum would build up on your face, causing acne or puss bumps.
Your groin area will become a big problem
Jacob warns people to watch out for the groin area. She said you're likely to get rashes or something called intertrigo, a yeast and inflammation combination that goes from itchy and red to burning and painful.
Scum between your toes
Speaking of the groin, the fungus that will grow between your toes could easily spread to the pelvic area.
Jacob said dead skin would build up between your toes and become crusty. It could then harbor fungus, which could be transferred to your groin while putting your feet through your pants or underwear.
What would happen if you didn't shower for a year?
We all know a person who's boasted about the length of time they've abstained from showering or bathing.
www.usatoday.com
How often you should bath read in link