Help, losing body hair

RE: Help, losing body hair

Former Member — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:52:00 GMT

That must be it, Jim. I live in AZ, where all year 'round the air is always so dry that suits and towels only need to hang up for an hour or two and *zing* they're dry. I grew up in IL, in suburban Chicago--lots more water in the air there, except in winter of course. As a grownup, I don't have any trouble with dry skin, but surely my body is not producing as much oil as it did 25 years ago. So living in the desert + having a little less natural protection must be tipping the balance for me. I also wonder if I'm developing some sort of chlorine intolerance. Why not? As I get older, my body is less tolerant of cigarette smoke, chocolate, spicy foods, cheap shoes, and whiny children, so why not a harsh chemical like chlorine? Anyways, I've been using the exact same strategy as you did, and it helps a lot though doesn't solve the problem completely, I still get this sporadic burning itchy feeling that subsides after a couple of minutes as long as I bite a pencil and Don't Scratch. But if I skip the shower routine it's awful; I'm miserable all night. I'm going to try that slippery stuff, the Dermaswim. I've been to MN in winter. That's c-c-c-COLD. I bet it took less than a minute for your hair to freeze if you went outside after practice without a hat on.

RE: Help, losing body hair

jim thornton — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 11:06:48 GMT

What's the deal with post-swim itchies, anyhow? Are they an aging thing? Or is there something different about the pool chemicals used these days? All I know is that when I was a youngsta, I spent hours in pools--in the winter time, double workouts workouts, and in summer, after a long practice in the morning, we'd go swimming at least half the day and/or night, plus there were meets--and I had hair like Malibu Barbie, but I never had those itchies, and I don't remember anyone else having them, either. A lot of it has to do with the dryness of the air. The worst skin itching I ever got post swimming practice was in MN in the winters. The colder the air temp, the less humidity it can hold. And when it does not climb above 0 degrees F for the high for a week or two straight each winter, the air is close to completely wrung out of all moisture. The only thing that would help even a little was to slather on emollients in the shower but before I was dried off. The lotion would then trap some of the moisture in. Otherwise, my skin was so dry I could feel it tear apart in the night. I note spell-me that you live in Arizona. Is this where you grew up as a kid? If so, the only explanation I can see is that your skin is not making as many of its natural oils now as it did then. Or maybe it was more humid in your childhood for whatever reason.

RE: Help, losing body hair

Former Member — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 06:10:37 GMT

RE: Help, losing body hair

Former Member — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:22:20 GMT

According to the Dermaswim website instructions, you can either shower off before swimming without soap and it won't come off, or you can shower with soap, dry off and then apply. This looks like an interesting product and I may give a try also. They claim you won't smell of chlorine after swimming. :afraid:

RE: Help, losing body hair

Former Member — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 15:58:13 GMT

Debbie, at my pool you have to shower just before getting in the pool. Would the Dermaswim go on before the pre-swim shower or after?

RE: Help, losing body hair

Former Member — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 14:04:33 GMT

Since starting back swimming 16 months ago I can definitely tell that I have less body hair....mostly on the arms and legs. No worries for me as I don't really care for being hairy anyway. As far as body care products I've been having success with "Tri-Swim", both the body wash and lotion. Both smell great and seem to help with that post swim itchiness. Not sure what retailers carry it, but I'm getting through my mother at Kastaway Swimwear.

RE: Help, losing body hair

debaru — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 11:42:21 GMT

Very amusing! Post-finally, I wonder if Dermaswim's slipperiness might make it a good substitute for speed suits once the ban goes into effect? Have you noticed, Debbie, that swimming is any easier when Dermaswim has been applied? Good question! I've not tried using it right before I swim. I usually arrive at the gym 10 minutes before my early morning Masters sessions and putting it on would make me late, so I put it on before going to bed the night before. I would venture to guess that putting it on right before swimming may help to create a waterproof barrier of sorts, which might help with moving through the water in a more fluid fashion. I'll have to give it a try.

RE: Help, losing body hair

jim thornton — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 05:21:42 GMT

Dermaswim is very potent. The funniest warning on the bottle is to "not carry children" after applying, as it is very slippery. BTW - They are not kidding! :D . Very amusing! BTW, I have heard that if you take a shower before you swim, the tap water supposedly infiltrates your hair and pores and makes the swimming pool water less likely to hurt you with its chlorine. But that implies that the pool water has a lot more chlorine in it than the shower water, which I am not sure is true. It also implies that once water has infiltrated hair and/or pores, it cannot be dislodged by other water, which I am also not sure is true. Finally, I have never completely understood how immersion in water can dry you out. Post-finally, I wonder if Dermaswim's slipperiness might make it a good substitute for speed suits once the ban goes into effect? Have you noticed, Debbie, that swimming is any easier when Dermaswim has been applied?

RE: Help, losing body hair

debaru — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 04:32:26 GMT

Debbie, at my pool you have to shower just before getting in the pool. Would the Dermaswim go on before the pre-swim shower or after? Dermaswim is very potent and I would suggest you try putting it on before showering/swimming. The funniest warning on the bottle is to "not carry children" after applying, as it is very slippery. BTW - They are not kidding! :D The directions also state that you don't need to wash with soap and water after swimming, just a simple rinse will do.

RE: Help, losing body hair

Former Member — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 07:54:42 GMT

In a 4 month period, most body hair turned blonde and fell out, then grew back black like at puberty, and is turning blonde and falling out again! They could use me to test the pool chemistry! :bighug:

RE: Help, losing body hair

debaru — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 06:12:31 GMT

ALL my hair is turning blond or white. With the weight I've lost it sure makes for a 'new look'. Not too bad overall. I have some annoying tangles in my hair after a swim, but my biggest issue is that often my back and/or shoulders itch like crazy for a while. Sometimes coming and going later that night. Gyaaahhhhhh -eric Eric, I also had major problems with itching (i.e., pool rash) after returning to swimming after a long absence. I got some great advice on remedies when I searched the forum. I have found two products that really help. The first is Dermaswim Pro pre-swimming lotion. You apply it before you swim and it blocks the chorline. It really does work. The other is Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturizing Lotion. I use it every day and my skin looks nicer than it has in years. Most importantly, no more itching!! Of the two, I actually prefer the Aveeno. You can buy it just about anywhere (i.e., Target, Walgreens, WalMart) and it's less expensive than the Dermaswim. However, if I was planning on being in the pool for more than a couple of hours, I would definitely use the Dermaswim. It's very similar to Aveeno, but it is very long-lasting.

RE: Help, losing body hair

debaru — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 06:04:39 GMT

I never had this problem in the 70's in high school. I was in the pool 5 days a week for at least an hour a day, and never noticed any issues with hair loss. Now, fast-forward 35+ years later. I have been swimming at least 3 days a week for the past two months, and lo and behold -- I have definitely noticed a loss of hair on my face, legs, and arms (including underarms). Not that I am complaining, mind you. Being a mature woman, I'm glad to have some help with that excess facial hair. :D I always shower before getting into the pool. The hair on my head seems just fine, I have all of my eyebrows and eyelashes, and the hairs "down under" are all accounted for. :blush: I'm guessing that today's chemicals have changed somewhat since my younger days, which may explain the hair loss in my case.

RE: Help, losing body hair

Former Member — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:40:06 GMT

Every year around this time our masters team switches to our local High School pool (Mission Viejo) and every year by Thanksgiving I have lost most of the hair on my body. The pool tastes like a dirty Martini... I think it is the badge of the Master's swimmer...

RE: Help, losing body hair

Former Member — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:18:25 GMT

RE: Help, losing body hair

Former Member — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:56:29 GMT

Great googly moogly... this thread started seven years ago! yeah maybe so but it is new problem for me

RE: Help, losing body hair

Former Member — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:13:22 GMT

But one thing very bizarre I did notice was hair growing on the palms of my hands. Could this be related to chlorine somehow? Don't bate the master.

RE: Help, losing body hair

Former Member — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:13:22 GMT

...But one thing very bizarre I did notice was hair growing on the palms of my hands. Could this be related to chlorine somehow? All the time, or just during a full moon? :D

RE: Help, losing body hair

mattson — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:40:34 GMT

Great googly moogly... this thread started seven years ago!

RE: Help, losing body hair

__steve__ — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:42:47 GMT

I haven't noticed any change in hair quantity or behavior in the past 15 months of daily pool swimming I've been engaged in. But one thing very bizarre I did notice was hair growing on the palms of my hands. Could this be related to chlorine somehow?

RE: Help, losing body hair

swimmj — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 06:00:48 GMT

Since I have a self-imposed ban on returning to the ESPY discussion and going insane battling Ion Beza, I have a new post. Warning - this post is odd but I have been contemplating asking the panel of experts for a few months now. Here's my problem (one among many), I'm losing my body hair. Does anyone else have this problem who swims a lot? I'm not a nutty swimmer, probably swimming around 7-8 hours per week. mostly indoors. But, I'm telling you, I am disturbed by what has happened to me. My wife is disturbed by the neighborhood women asking her if her husband shaves his legs and dyes his hair (neither of which I do). I really didn't notice anything until I went to a party with some co-workers and was wearing shorts. The remarks have been unlimited since then. Most commonly I am now referred to as Mr. Bigglesworth, that hairless cat from the Austin Powers movie. In all seriousness, is this a common problem? Any tips on what I can do to reverse this or mitigate it? Some people are far more sensitive to the PH level and body hair loss is a common issue. I, sadly, don't seem to have this sensitivity and have to restrain myself from snarling at male teammates who complain. I would love to give my razor a break....

RE: Help, losing body hair

Former Member — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 05:10:51 GMT

not an issue for those of us with italian ancestry. Too true. :D

RE: Help, losing body hair

Former Member — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 15:39:57 GMT

Is this hair loss an irreversible event? Will you get the hair back if you changed to a less-chlorinated pool?

RE: Help, losing body hair

Former Member — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 12:43:15 GMT

I did a lot of long pool swims in the last 6 months and my head hair got really dry and noticeably thinner :(

RE: Help, losing body hair

Former Member — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 12:37:32 GMT

i was just doing a search on losing body hair and came upon your post. I too have been swimming about an hour at a time almost daily and have lost a lot of body hair, even my eyebrows are mostly gone. As well as my brown hair is turning blond in spots. I swim in a condo pool, and have noticed my throat and nose burning in addition to the loss of body hair. I plan to share the info about the chemical balance with the condo management.

RE: Help, losing body hair

Former Member — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:42:25 GMT

Relax about the hair loss. This ain't the 70s any more. That disco chest patch is so yesteryear. Now the look is the fresh-waxed. And we are getting it without all the pain.