The ideal approach to enjoy the summer may be to spend a lazy day at a lovely pool. You probably have a new swimsuit, towel, and clarifying shampoo in your beach bag because warm weather is just around the corner. However, you might want to take some time to prepare your skin before diving in.
If you’re not careful, chlorine’s severe impacts on the chemicals could also have a negative impact on your skin. (This “scaly mermaid skin” is something you’ve previously experienced if you’ve ever felt itchy after swimming in a pool.)
Because of its caustic nature, chlorine is a source of irritant contact dermatitis, which manifests as red, dry, itchy skin. To sanitize and stop the spread of bacterial, viral, and protozoa illnesses, chlorine is added to swimming pools..
We recommend showering before entering the pool to prevent itching, discomfort and redness. Your sensitive skin will suffer a lot from chlorine. If improper handling is used.
In some swimming pools, moisturizers are prohibited because they can interfere with the chemicals used to clean the water. Before dressing up, check the rules.
Swimming Dries Out Skin_Why?
Pools don’t have anything particularly unique about them. For instance, your skin dries out after a long bath.
Long periods of time spent submerged in water can remove the skin’s natural moisturizer, sebum oil. The waxy substance known as sebum oil, which is secreted by the sebaceous glands, moisturizes your skin and hair. Your dry skin after leaving the pool indicates that your sebum oil has been washed away.
This phenomenon has a term given to it by experts: swimmer’s xerosis. An instance of dermatitis brought on by extended time spent in the water. Swimmer’s xerosis results in skin that is dry, scaly, and irritating.
Chlorine may cause skin to become even more dry, but it’s not the main cause. Chlorine exposure can also exacerbate eczema symptoms in some people.
Rehydrate the skin with a moisturizer after taking a shower (or after swimming if you won’t be taking a shower for a while). Moisturizing your skin an hour or so before swimming may also be beneficial.
Instead of using lotions, which have a higher water content and may evaporate more quickly, opt for heavier creams and ointments.
After Swimming
You already know that according to the rules listed you usually need to shower before entering the pool. But if you wait until you get home to shower after swimming, you’re doing your skin a disservice. “Don’t chlorinated water sit on the skin for too long a time,” she warns. Warm to cool, clean water is best to avoid additional dryness.
You might be tempted to simply lay on your towel after taking a shower to let the sun dry you off. It’s not a good idea for your skin. There is a misconception that letting your skin air dry will be good for it, but that isn’t true. The skin will get more dry after air-drying. Instead, she advises drying yourself with a cotton towel after rinsing off with clean water. It’s time to resume tanning after that, of course, so use a nice body wash first.
In the locker room, you can also use a mild and hydrating cleanser or body wash to restore the skin’s pH balance from pool chemicals. After showering, apply a chlorine removal body wash to restore hydration to the skin.
