Also Is water a potential irritant? For those over 65 yes. It may seem paradoxical, even though it has already been established that too many showers can cause damage to the skin. For those who are older, the problem is amplified, since the skin of older people is less prepared to counteract the irritating effect of water, especially if showers are too frequent or the temperature is too hot or cold. Why does this happen? Because “the more time goes on, the more the skin undergoes changes, in particular there is a gradual loss of the functionality of the sebaceous glands” he explained to AdnKronos the professor Alessandro Borghiprofessor of Dermatology at the University of Ferrara and member of the board of directors of Sidemast, the Italian Society of Dermatology and Sexually Transmitted Diseases: “The skin of the elderly loses its softness because it is less ‘helped’ by sebumwhich together with the water component of the eccrine sweat glands creates a film, a hydrolipidic film, which is a natural emollient. The skin becomes more vulnerable also from a biochemical point of view against potential external irritants. And paradoxically the shower, the temperature of the water, the water itself, the detergents can irritate it.”
