Just recently, I have increased my swimming to several times per week.:) Suddenly the skin of my neck and chest are getting really itchy the day after swimming. :badday:I have tried slathering baby oil on it before swimming and although it helps somewhat, it hasn't solved the problem. Do any of you have good experiences with some of the other swimmer's protection products that are out there?
Chlorine is a heavy duty disinfectant that kills pathogenic cells by oxidizing their cell wall. The cell wall splits open and that causes the microbe to die. It will oxidize other things too, including non-pathogenic cells (skin and hair cells), organic oils on your skin, and inorganic materials too. The amount of contact time, chlorine concentration, the presence of other dissoved organic and inrogagic compounds, temprerature, pH and probably other factors I'm forgetting impact chlorine's effectiveness as an oxidant. Check to see if your pool is over using chlorine as that may be why it's burning your skin.
Chlorine's oxidation is realtively slow as compared to rapid oxidation from say fire. To stop chlorine from continuing to oxidize your skin, wash it off as soon as you can in a shower after swimming and use a body wash designed to remove residula chlorine from your skin, wear a cap to protect your hair, and use shampoo designed to remove chlorine from your hair.
The natural oils on your skin and hair buffer them from chlorine oxidation, but as I've gotten older :cane: there is less oil and less protection. I started using Tri-Swim body wash and tri- swim shampoo and now wear a cap. This seems to help. Applying a good skin lotion after swimming helps your skin repair itself and relube your dried skin.
Applying vasoline or other skin products before swimming may help increase the buffer against oxidation by providing a relatively temporary barrier. However, some dissolved organic compounds (especially organic acids) serve as precursors for the formation of undesirable chlorinated organic disinfectant byproducts (DBPs), and may also use-up some of the free chlorine in pool water that would otherwise be available for disinfection, thus requiring the additon of more chlorine. I'm not sure if skin products contribute DBP precursors, but think that could be the case (my experience is with drinking water and natural oragnic materials) ? In general, it's best for pool chemistry and public health to shower and remove as much sweat, oil and organic material as possilbe from your skin before you enter the pool (see DBP article in the most recent USMS Swimmer magazine) to minimize the organic material avaialble in pool water for formation of DBPs.
Chlorine is a heavy duty disinfectant that kills pathogenic cells by oxidizing their cell wall. The cell wall splits open and that causes the microbe to die. It will oxidize other things too, including non-pathogenic cells (skin and hair cells), organic oils on your skin, and inorganic materials too. The amount of contact time, chlorine concentration, the presence of other dissoved organic and inrogagic compounds, temprerature, pH and probably other factors I'm forgetting impact chlorine's effectiveness as an oxidant. Check to see if your pool is over using chlorine as that may be why it's burning your skin.
Chlorine's oxidation is realtively slow as compared to rapid oxidation from say fire. To stop chlorine from continuing to oxidize your skin, wash it off as soon as you can in a shower after swimming and use a body wash designed to remove residula chlorine from your skin, wear a cap to protect your hair, and use shampoo designed to remove chlorine from your hair.
The natural oils on your skin and hair buffer them from chlorine oxidation, but as I've gotten older :cane: there is less oil and less protection. I started using Tri-Swim body wash and tri- swim shampoo and now wear a cap. This seems to help. Applying a good skin lotion after swimming helps your skin repair itself and relube your dried skin.
Applying vasoline or other skin products before swimming may help increase the buffer against oxidation by providing a relatively temporary barrier. However, some dissolved organic compounds (especially organic acids) serve as precursors for the formation of undesirable chlorinated organic disinfectant byproducts (DBPs), and may also use-up some of the free chlorine in pool water that would otherwise be available for disinfection, thus requiring the additon of more chlorine. I'm not sure if skin products contribute DBP precursors, but think that could be the case (my experience is with drinking water and natural oragnic materials) ? In general, it's best for pool chemistry and public health to shower and remove as much sweat, oil and organic material as possilbe from your skin before you enter the pool (see DBP article in the most recent USMS Swimmer magazine) to minimize the organic material avaialble in pool water for formation of DBPs.
