Do you get out of the pool and have to immediately apply lotion? Why is my skin dry after swimming? That may be a question you ask yourself. What you want to do, though is talk with your swimming pool contractor from Advanced Pools, Inc. in Memphis Tennessee. If your skin is dry it most likely means the pool water chemicals are not balanced.
When skin is dry, red or itchy and if your eyes are red, you should tell us before we pay our next service visit. Skin sensitivity can occur at any time to anyone, but it can be addressed by making slight changes to the water chemistry; changes that will not impact the water’s cleanliness, but that will help you and your skin and eyes.
Chemicals are needed to keep the pool water bacteria- and algae-free. Unless you have a salt water chlorination system or are swimming in a natural pool, chemicals will be part of your swimming pool ownership. You don’t have to suffer dry or itchy skin, though.
Why is my skin dry after swimming?
An imbalance in the pH and alkalinity levels in the pool water is the main cause of itchy s and dry skin. If the levels are too low or too high, irritation can occur. We will make certain the chemistry is properly balanced and if it’s out of balance, we will add the chemicals necessary to keep it properly balanced.
If you’re a DIYer when it comes to your pool cleaning and maintenance, you may want to ask a pool service contractor for advice on how to address the skin sensitivity issues.
Part of the service a pool contractor provides is to test the water chemistry and add the necessary chemicals to assure everything is where it should be. If you’re suffering dry skin and red eyes between service visits, you may want to test the water chemistry between visits and keep track of them; share this information with us the next time we pay a visit.
Keep in mind that if you go to your swimming pool and smell chlorine, that means the water chemistry is out of balance. Chlorine has no odor but when the chlorine interacts with ammonia, waste products that swimmers bring in to the water and waterborne bacteria particles the water then changes to a “combined chlorine” or chloramines. When this happens, the water will smell like chlorine and this will cause the dry eyes and skin irritation. If you’re smelling chlorine, you will want to test the levels.
Here is a short tip on chlorine levels: Test the water for free chlorine and total chlorine levels. Test at home with your water test kit or bring a sample to a pool service professional. If the levels are out of balance it is recommended to add chlorine to bring free chlorine levels up to 10 times the combined chlorine. For example if combined chlorine is 0.2 PPM, add 20 PPM free chlorine. What you’re doing is a processed called “breakpoint chlorination” or “superchlorination'” this is the point at which chloramine bonds break apart.
No one wants to have dry, itchy skin or red eyes after they swim — and they don’t have to and never should! If you’re dealing with this and cannot get the water chemistry balanced, give us a call and we cay pay a service visit.
