Swimming pools are a great place for a hard workout or leisurely dip. But pools are often loaded with a variety of cleaning chemicals that can take a toll on your skin. Here's exactly what your gym's pool can do to your skin and what you can do to ensure you're protected for your next water workout.
The Relationship Between Pool Water and Your Skin
Public and even private swimming pools can be hotbeds for certain bacteria and even diseases. This is why swimming pools use a variety of chemicals and cleaning agents to sanitize the water for safe use by its many patrons. One chemical used to clean pool water, and the most commonly known, is chlorine. Chlorine is a disinfectant tasked with destroying germs, but as a powerful chemical, chlorine can have strong effects on the body as well.
Swimming in chlorine can strip the natural oils and moisture-retaining cells from your skin, nails, and even hair, leaving the skin extremely dry. Not only do these chemicals remove moisture, but this drying effect can also leave your skin irritated, red, and feeling scratchy.
Depending on a person's type of skin, the pool can have more severe effects. Chlorine, as well as other chemicals found in pools, can also cause contact dermatitis, or a rash, as well as blisters and hives. Pool water can also exacerbate preexisting problems and conditions, such as eczema, skin allergies, and psoriasis.
How to Protect Your Skin Against the Effects of Pool Water
Although harsh pool water chemicals can have strong effects on your skin, there are steps you can take before and after getting in the pool to help protect yourself. But how you care for your skin every day may also help your skin the next time you take a lap.
Prep for the Pool
Before hopping in the outdoor pool for a workout, be sure to lather on a safe, waterproof SPF to protect yourself from the sun. This also gives you a small waterproof barrier against chemicals. Be sure to wear protective gear like goggles and hair caps to protect your eyes and hair.
When You Get Out of the Pool
After you're done in the pool, it's important to get those chemicals off your skin as quickly as possible. Hit your gym or home shower, and at the very least, rinse the chlorine from your skin. Cleanse your skin and hair properly, and dry yourself off. Remember to always pat dry after the shower, to help decrease skin irritation.
Once you've showered and rinsed the chlorine from your skin, it's important to replace the moisture and natural oils your body lost in the pool. Moisturizers designed to detoxify, as well as protect, are ideal. Vitamin C can also be an important ingredient to use in moisturizers and cleansers after using the pool, as Vitamin C is known to neutralize pool chemicals on the skin.
What You Can Do Every Day
If you're a frequent swimmer, pool chemicals can leave your nails, hair, and skin feeling dry and brittle on a daily basis. It's important to cleanse your skin every day and apply a protective layer of moisturizer afterward. Cleansers and moisturizers with vitamin C, salicylic acid, and antioxidants will rehydrate, protect, and boost the immunity of your skin. Proper skincare will also include the health of your facial hair or beard, which can stay hydrated and healthy with the use of soothing shave oil.
Here at Himistry Naturals, the health of your skin is our utmost top priority. By combining today's technology with the scientific needs of your skin, the Himistry line of products is tailored to suit every man's unique needs. To help you achieve the healthiest skin of your life, contact the trusted professionals at Himistry Naturals today!