在衛(wèi)生時代，一位作者提出了少洗澡的理由

在衛(wèi)生時代，一位作者提出了少洗澡的理由

Showers feel fabulous — but how how frequent is too frequent for skin ecology?

淋浴感覺棒極了——但是對于皮膚生態(tài)系統(tǒng)來說，多頻繁洗澡才算太頻繁呢?

James Hamblin is tired of being asked if he's smelly.

詹姆斯·漢布林厭倦了別人問他是否有臭味。

Hamblin, a physician and health reporter, has been fielding the question since 2016, when the article he wrote about his decision to stop showering went viral. The piece outlines compelling reasons why one might want to spend less time sudsing up: Cosmetic products are expensive, showering uses a lot of water, and the whole process takes up valuable time.

漢布林是一名醫(yī)生和健康記者，自從2016年他寫的一篇關(guān)于自己決定不洗澡的文章在網(wǎng)上瘋傳以來，他一直在回答這個問題。這篇文章概括了人們可能想要少花點(diǎn)時間泡澡的令人信服的理由:化妝品很貴，洗澡要用很多水，整個過程占用寶貴的時間。

Perhaps most importantly, bathing disrupts our skin's microbiome: the delicate ecosystem of bacteria, fungi, mites and viruses that live on (and in) our body's largest organ. Most of these microbes are thought to be benign freeloaders; they feast on our sweat and oils without impacting our health. A small number cause harmful effects, ranging in severity from an irksome itch to a life-threatening infection. And some help us out by, for example, preventing more dangerous species from taking up residence.

也許最重要的是，洗澡會破壞我們皮膚的微生物群：細(xì)菌、真菌、螨蟲和病毒組成的脆弱生態(tài)系統(tǒng)，它們生活在我們身體最大的器官表面(和里面)。這些微生物大多被認(rèn)為是良性的白食者;它們以我們的汗水和油脂為食，而不影響我們的健康。少數(shù)會造成有害影響，嚴(yán)重程度從令人討厭的瘙癢到危及生命的感染。還有一些幫助我們，例如，防止更危險的物種居住。

Researchers are in the early days of developing the full picture of just how substantially this diverse living envelope influences our overall health, and many of their findings suggest that the microbes on our skin are even more important than was previously understood. Skin has long been considered to be our first line of defense against pathogens, but new studies suggest that the initial protection may come from the microbes that live on its surface.

研究人員正處于全面了解這種多樣的生命結(jié)構(gòu)對我們整體健康影響程度的早期階段，他們的許多發(fā)現(xiàn)表明，我們皮膚上的微生物比我們之前所了解的更為重要。長期以來，皮膚一直被認(rèn)為是我們抵御病原體的第一道防線，但新的研究表明，最初的保護(hù)可能來自皮膚表面的微生物。

Meanwhile, the health care and cosmetics industries are already at work developing new skincare products that claim to cultivate our skin's population of beneficial microbes, and banish the troublemakers.

與此同時，醫(yī)療保健和化妝品行業(yè)已經(jīng)開始開發(fā)新的護(hù)膚產(chǎn)品，這些產(chǎn)品聲稱可以培養(yǎng)我們皮膚中的有益微生物的數(shù)量，并驅(qū)逐這些麻煩制造者。

But, Hamblin says, most of the time when people learn that he hasn't showered in five years, they just want to know if he stinks. He dutifully explains that he still washes his hands with soap frequently.

但是，漢布林說，大多數(shù)時候，當(dāng)人們知道他已經(jīng)5年沒洗澡了，他們只是想知道他是不是很臭。他盡職盡責(zé)地解釋說，他仍然經(jīng)常用肥皂洗手。

We spoke to Hamblin, who is a staff writer and the cohost of the podcast Social Distance for The Atlantic, about the benefits and social dynamics of showering less, and the coming wave of microbially-optimized cosmetics.

漢布林是一名特約撰稿人，也是播客《大西洋社交距離》的聯(lián)合主持人。我們采訪了他，關(guān)于少洗澡的好處和社交動態(tài)，以及即將到來的充分利用微生物的化妝品浪潮。

Your book sets out to challenge some cultural norms about hygiene. What types of cleansing do you think are overdue for reexamination, and which are critical?

你的書挑戰(zhàn)了一些關(guān)于衛(wèi)生的文化規(guī)范。您認(rèn)為哪些類型的清潔需要重新檢查，哪些是重要的?

There's a distinction between "hygiene" and "cleansing rituals" that's especially important in this moment. "Hygiene" is the more scientific or public health term, where you're really talking about disease avoidance or disease prevention behaviors.

在這個時刻，“衛(wèi)生”和“潔凈儀式”之間有一個特別重要的區(qū)別。"衛(wèi)生"是一個更科學(xué)或公共衛(wèi)生的術(shù)語，它實際上是指避免或預(yù)防疾病的行為。

But a lot of the other things that we do are class and wealth signifiers — like combing your hair, or whitening your teeth, or wearing deodorant — which actually have nothing to do with disease avoidance or disease transmission. They're really much more of a personal or cultural preference. And that's where people are experimenting with doing less.

但我們做的其他很多事情都是階級和財富的象征，比如梳頭、美白牙齒、使用除臭劑，其實這些都與疾病的避免或疾病傳播無關(guān)。他們實際上更多的是個人或文化偏好。這就是人們嘗試少做的地方。

Why do you think that some of these cultural practices deserve to be reexamined?

為什么你認(rèn)為這些文化實踐值得重新審視?

So many reasons. We're spending a lot of money (or at least we were pre-pandemic, I don't have new data) on products in this enormous industry-complex of self-care, skincare, hygiene, and cosmetics — which is barely regulated, which is a huge and important part of people's daily lives, which people worry a lot about, which people get a lot of joy from, which people bond over, which people judge, and which causes a lot environmental impacts in terms of water and plastic.

很多原因。在這個龐大的行業(yè)中，我們花了很多錢(或者至少我們是在流行病前花了很多錢，我沒有新的數(shù)據(jù))，包括自我護(hù)理、護(hù)膚、衛(wèi)生和化妝品的產(chǎn)品，這些幾乎沒有受到監(jiān)管，這是人們?nèi)粘Ｉ钪芯薮蠖匾囊徊糠郑藗儗Υ朔浅?dān)心，人們從中得到了很多快樂，人們對它產(chǎn)生了共鳴，人們對它進(jìn)行了判斷，從水和塑料的角度來看，它對環(huán)境造成了很大的影響。

Some people are misconstruing the central thesis of your book as "shower less like I did." And that's not what you're advocating. So is there a thesis statement or call to action in your mind?

有些人誤解了你書的中心論點(diǎn)是“像我一樣少洗澡”。這不是你所提倡的。那么，在你的腦海中有一個主題陳述或行動號召嗎?

I think that many people — not everyone — could do less, if they wanted to. We are told by marketing, and by some traditions passed down, that it's necessary to do more than it actually is. Your health will not suffer.

我認(rèn)為很多人——不是每個人——如果他們愿意的話，可以少洗澡。市場營銷和一些流傳下來的傳統(tǒng)告訴我們，有必要洗更多次數(shù)的澡。你的健康不會受到影響。

If you could get by doing less without suffering social or professional consequences, and [your routine] isn't bringing you any value or health benefit, that's the space where I say, "Why not? Why not try it out?"

如果你可以通過少洗澡而不承受社會或職業(yè)上的后果，而[你的日常生活]并沒有給你帶來任何價值或健康益處，那么我就會說:“為什么不呢?”為什么不試試呢?”

Where do you stand on the most controversial question on the Internet: washing your legs in the shower?

在網(wǎng)上最具爭議的問題上：洗澡的時候洗腿，你的立場如何?

Personal preference. From a scientific hygiene perspective, it's an elective practice. It might be something people enjoy doing, or feel better for having done. If it brings you value, then it's absolutely worth doing.

個人喜好。從科學(xué)衛(wèi)生的角度來看，這是一種選擇題。它可能是人們喜歡做的事情，或者是做了之后感覺更好的事情。如果它能為你帶來價值，那么它絕對值得去做。