5 Things That Happen To Your Body When You Stop Showering

We all know that bathing is important, but just how important? Whathappens to your body if you don't bathe? Well, a new video from Huffington Post can help answer that question, though be warned: it's kind of gross. Turns out that getting smelly is just the beginning of your worries.

Today in the United States, people probably bathe a lot more regularly than they used to — people in Medieval Europe, for instance, don't seem to have been too fond of it at all — but people throughout history have had various ways of keeping clean. Which makes sense, because apparently if you go too long without bathing, some pretty gross stuff starts to happen — not to mention that your chance of catching some disease or other starts to climb.

At the same time, though, it's also worth noting that "bathing regularly" doesn't always mean "showering every day." In fact, according to some experts, Americans might be a little over-enthusiastic about bathing, probably because advertisers want us to think we have to shower — and thus use their products — every day. In reality, showering once every two or three daysshould cut it for most people.

On the other end of the spectrum, though, is the possibility of cutting out baths and showers altogether. So if you've ever wondered what would happen if you stopped showering for a month, fortunately you don't have to experience it to find out. Instead, here are some lessons learned from the Huffington Post video. Scroll down to watch the whole thing.

1. Germs, Germs, Germs

Your body typically has a lot of bacteria on your skin, most of which are actually good for you. Some of them provide useful functions for your skin, and even the otherwise "useless" ones take up space that harmful bacteria might have occupied instead, effectively crowding out the bad germs. But harmful bacteria can still wind up on your skin, and when you don't wash, you increase the chances that those harmful germs will get into your body through your eyes, nose, or mouth — and then get you sick.

2. Skin Infections

In addition to possibly getting sick, some types of bacteria and fungi can cause skin infections, too, especially if you don't periodically wash them away.

3. General Dirtiness

If you don't wash them away, dirt, sweat, dead skin, and oil build up on your skin, which not only makes you look dirty, it's also bad for you.

4. Dermatitis Neglecta

Go without washing for long enough and you'll wind up with brown scaly patches on your skin, a condition dermatologists call dermatitis neglecta. Ick!

5. Body Odor

Body odor is caused when bacteria break down the chemical compounds in sweat and release foul smelling chemical byproducts. If you don't wash off the sweat (and some of the bacteria) the whole thing will just get out of control.