Will the “little potatoes” really not get dirty if they don’t scrub their bodies for years?

This winter, tourism in Harbin is booming. According to data released by the Harbin Culture and Tourism WeChat official account, during the New Year's Day holiday in 2024, Harbin's total tourism revenue reached 5.914 billion yuan, reaching a historical peak.

Harbin Ice and Snow World aerial photography

Source: Xinhua News Agency

Along with Harbin's cultural tourism, the "Southern Little Potatoes" have also become popular. This affectionate name seems to include tourists from all over the country south of the three northeastern provinces. After arriving in the Northeast, they wear a variety of warm equipment and wrap themselves up tightly. Coupled with their relatively short height, they look like potatoes from a distance. Of course, it is not just the ice and snow in the Northeast that attracts the "Little Potatoes". There are batches of southern tourists who are enthusiastically experiencing the Northeast's bathing culture. Some go straight to the bathing center after arriving in the Northeast. The degree of congestion in the bathing centers in many cities in the Northeast is comparable to that of the Spring Festival travel rush. Heilongjiang has also seconded 1,000 bathing aunts for emergency support.

The source of Northeastern bathing's popularity丨TikTok

1 Bathing Differences between North and South

The entry of Southern Little Potato into Northeast China's bathing industry has also drawn people's attention to the differences between bathing in the north and south. When it comes to bathing, the most important difference between the north and the south is the use of bath towels.

Bath towels become tourist souvenirs

Source: China National Radio

Except in winter, most southerners take a bath almost every day. In addition, the air in the south is humid and there is not much dust, so they just use a bath towel to rinse and feel clean. Northerners usually take a bath every few days, so they are used to rubbing their skin every time they take a bath.

Source: NetEase

In the bathhouses of Northeast China, scrubbing has been promoted to a first-level discipline, and has been extended to second-level "disciplines" such as pushing breasts and pushing salt. In recent years, 2.0 versions such as red wine scrubbing, beer scrubbing, and vinegar scrubbing have been continuously introduced. Among them, pushing breasts means starting from the back and gently pouring half a bag of thick lotion on it. In the eyes of many Northeast people, this is worthy of being called a bath.

2What is the mud for bathing?

First of all, the mud rubbed off when scrubbing the body is not all gray. This so-called "mud" is actually composed of human body oil, dandruff, cosmetic residue, dust, sweat and other substances. Among them, the oil secreted by the sebaceous glands can form a protective layer on the skin surface, isolating some bacteria and pollutants, and playing a role in protecting the skin.

Source: Screenshot from TikTok

This layer of sebum membrane is very important to the human body. With it, the body's moisture can be prevented from excessive evaporation from the outside world. Without the "isolation" effect of the sebum membrane, as long as the temperature is slightly higher, people will easily become dehydrated. The sebum membrane also has a strong water-locking effect. Because of its existence, the water content of the skin can be maintained at a normal state. The human body is undergoing metabolism every moment, and the skin, as the largest organ of the human body, is also "self-renewing" all the time.

Source: 39 Health Network

The stratum corneum on the surface of the skin is composed of completely keratinized keratinocytes, and the basal cells under the stratum corneum will continue to differentiate and gradually migrate to the stratum corneum to form new keratinocytes. The previous keratinocytes will continue to disintegrate and fall off, forming a metabolic product - dandruff. The skin oil itself is very sticky, so the skin debris dropped by metabolism will remain on the surface of the skin.

3 Will you get dirty if you don't scrub your body?

Since the human body metabolizes every day and replaces a layer of epidermis every 28 days or so, not scrubbing the body does not mean "dirty". Whether you scrub or not, the human body will clean itself, excrete these body "wastes" and maintain a relatively healthy state. At the same time, this is also related to the air quality, weather conditions, and personal habits in different regions . The climate in the south is hot and humid, the air quality is better, sweat and oil are more easily secreted, and there is less dust. People generally maintain daily body hygiene by taking frequent showers, which is one of the reasons why southerners do not scrub their bodies. In addition, residents in the south may prefer to keep their skin soft, moisturized and smooth without over-stimulating the skin. Therefore, they may use shower gel and soap to clean their bodies, instead of fully massaging and removing dead skin like scrubbing. Therefore, not scrubbing the body does not mean that the body is not clean.

4 What are the effects of frequent bathing on the body

Although scrubbing helps remove impurities on the surface of the skin, scrubbing too frequently is not good for the health of the skin. The barrier composed of the stratum corneum and lipid membrane on the outside of the skin will be damaged, causing skin allergies, dryness, redness and swelling. Clinically, it has also been found that some adults have molluscum contagiosum, commonly known as "water warts". Water warts are common in infants and children with low immunity. Frequent use of a scrubbing towel to scrub the skin, especially when scrubbing vigorously, will damage the stratum corneum of the skin, which can easily reduce resistance to viruses and increase the risk of skin diseases.

"Water warts" source丨China Health Network

In addition, the destruction of the protective film will accelerate the evaporation of water, causing the skin to become dry. Therefore, moderate scrubbing is acceptable, but excessive and frequent scrubbing should be cautious. In short, the environment, climate and customs of each region are different. Regardless of north or south, we need to choose a bathing method that suits us according to our personal needs. Good health is the most important thing.