Swimming With Rosacea: How to Avoid Triggers

Swimming is considered to be one of the best physical activities out there. It improves the cardiovascular and muscular system without putting too much strain on the body.

Even athletes whose primary sport is not related to swimming, often swim laps just to build their endurance. But if you’re suffering from rosacea, a skin condition wherein your face sports red patches whenever your body heats up, swimming might not be on your list of exercises you’d want to partake in.

The chlorine in swimming pools can cause a person’s skin to dry up, which is not good for someone suffering from rosacea. But experts say that this shouldn’t stop you from enjoying a dip into the local pool because there are ways to keep your rosacea at bay. All you need is a little bit of preparation before you swim and a lot of tender-loving-care on your skin after you get out of the pool.

Here are a few suggestions you can follow to ensure that your rosacea stays dormant while you swim:

Look for saltwater pools to swim in

As mentioned earlier, chlorine can dry up your skin and when it does you’ll likely trigger your rosacea and you’ll be having red areas up on your face. In order to prevent this, you might want to consider saltwater pools. Saltwater pools are slowly becoming a trend in the L.A. area particularly.

Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize

If there are no saltwater pools in your area, you can still swim in a chlorinated pool but you have to remember to moisturize before and after swimming. Thicker moisturizers are said to keep your skin hydrated. Moisturizing will keep the chlorine from drying your skin.

Also, clean your face thoroughly after you swim. Make sure to get rid of any dirt that you might have gotten from the pool but don’t scrub rigorously or you might scrape off the protective layer of your epidermis.

Apply moisturizer even after you’ve left the gym/club

Now that you’ve taken a shower to rinse the chlorine off your skin and you’ve dried your whole body, do not be stingy on your moisturizer. Be sure to regularly apply moisturizer on your face after you’ve left the pool area because your skin will still feel a little dry and it could still trigger your rosacea.

Just apply moisturizer regularly during the day, like every couple of hours, just so that your skin will not dry up.

Swimming with rosacea can still be an enjoyable experience as long as you follow the suggestions above and keep your skin moisturized.