Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Skin, It Keeps Our Insides In

 James Hamblin stopped taking showers five years ago. And he didn't keep it a secret (maybe he didn't have to, ha, ha). No, listen, James is a serious dermatologist who studies skin and has written a best-selling book about what he believes is true regarding our largest organ: our skin. The book is CLEAN (Riverhead Books).

Hamblin believes we are all nuts to be making a ritual of daily scrubbing off the precious bodily fluids our bodies are courageously producing for us to protect our remarkable outer wrapping.  And if you're a fan of long words that are hard to pronounce, Hamblin has a seemingly endless supply as he instructs us about the composition of human skin.  He tells us a lot about our skin that we probably could get along fine without knowing.  Such as mites in our face.

Yes, Susan, your face is a veritable zoo of various microscopic organisms that includes mites who burrow into your pores and feast on your past-their-shelf-life skin flakes. What would we do without those little rascals in there eating for us 24/7?

James has a light writing style that deals with a lot of complex science in a truly easy to understand flow.  Early on he removes an elephant in the room regarding personal hygiene: it is OK, he tells us, to take soap and water to what he refers to as the "bits"-- that is, under arms, groin and feet. Thanks for that, James.

It's a good read that will give you a great supply of material to brighten your conversation vault.  Keep a watch to see if there is a reduction in your water bill.

1 comment:

Sister Mary said...

I am going to rush right out and buy this gem. Really.