Around maybe my or fourth year residency training, I started to notice something: Damn, I know a lot about skincare. As in, I talk about it all the time. During any given day, you’ll see me spouting the same information over and over again. “Use a gentle soap, make sure your water isn’t too hot, apply a moisturizer within three minutes, use a cream or emollient,” etc etc. Nobody has ever stopped to ask me why three minutes, and to be honest, I’m not entirely sure myself. But I promise you, it is absolutely a thing.
So today, I’m sharing this pearl of wisdom that’s as precious as it is simple: the 3-minute post-shower moisturizing rule. Doing this isn’t just for style points; it’s a game-changer in your routine and an important step to maintaining good skin health.
Now let’s dive into the science behind this. When you bathe, your skin soaks up moisture like a sponge, but unlike a sponge, the stratum corneum (or top layer of skin) does a terrible job of actually holding on to that moisturizer. Water in, water right back out.
Additionally, most people take warm or hot showers. Both extra moisture and heat are great for hydration in the moment, but only cause evaporation to happen more quickly,
Who cares? A fair question, and one I’ll answer in another post, but for now, trust me when I say your skin is happiest when hydrated. Moisturizing is a vital step to locking that hydration in place. Yes, our skin makes its own to a certain degree, we often refer to this as the skin “barrier,” but the process of showering inherently strips some of that away. We need to restore it.
Restoring the skin barrier by applying moisturized within three minutes of bathing is ideal. Doing this traps the water in your skin. Why this works is because oils and waters don’t like to mix. Water will stand down and settle into the skin before bursting through a force field of lipids in attempts to escape. Most occlusives, a type of moisturizer I recommend for this, are oil based, Why 3 minutes? As our bodies leave the shower warm, our super warmed skin evaporates water on double time. Blocking the water from leaving more or less as soon as you’ve finished bathing result in skin What results in skin that’s lively, hydrated, and healthy.
TO SUMMARIZE: the 3-minute rule isn’t just a skincare tip; it’s a ritual that respects the science of skin hydration. So next time you shower, watch the clock, grab your moisturizer, and let the magic happen.
Stay tuned for our next discussion on choosing the right moisturizer. Until then, stay hydrated and safe!
Med-Derm, MD 