Janeane speaks with James Hamblin, a doctor, lecturer at Yale School of Public Health and staff writer for The Atlantic. He discusses the new science ...

Keeping skin healthy is a booming industry, and yet it seems like almost no one agrees on what actually works. Confusing messages from health authorities and ineffective treatments have left many people desperate for reliable solutions. An enormous alternative industry is filling the void, selling products that are often of questionable safety and totally unknown effectiveness. In his new book CLEAN: The New Science of Skin, James Hamblin explores how we got here, examining the science and culture of how we care for our skin today. He examines the history of hygiene, the new science of skin microbes and probiotics and the surprising and unintended effects of our hygiene. James Hamblin is a doctor, lecturer at Yale School of Public Health and staff writer for The Atlantic. In his writing and daily podcast, “Social Distance,” for The Atlantic he covers health, science and this year, the coronavirus. His article “You’re Likely to Get the Coronavirus” went viral in late February and he continues to write informative and crucial pieces on the pandemic and COVID-19. In CLEAN, he talks to dermatologists, microbiologists, allergists, immunologists, estheticians, bar-soap enthusiasts, venture capitalists, Amish people, theologians, and straight-up scam artists, trying to figure out what it really means to be clean. He even experiments with giving up showers entirely, and discovers that he is not alone.