Swimming and showering

I've been swimming almost everyday recently but because I take shower in the morning and I take light rinse after swimming, I definitely feel my skin getting drier and itchier (I have atopic dermatitis).  The problem is that pool is located at my univ while my house is rather far away so I want to stay after swimming.

Is it okay to just rinse off after swimming pool and not take proper shower? (Would rinsing off get rid of chlorine in water, does it even matter?) Or should I stop showering at my place and take shower (with shampoo and facial, body) at the pool shower facility? (maybe the water at the shower use chlorine water like in swimming pool???)

Oh and another silly question: do i have to wash my swimming suit after every swimming session?

Definitely rinse out your suit - the chlorine can break down the elastic in the suit and you end up with a really baggy suit!

I use a shampoo designed for swimmers - it deals with the chlorine - I'm actually using the Kids one at the moment from Loreal and I like it.  I use it as a shampoo and body wash after swimming.  Afterwards a good body moisturizer will deal with the dryness - I've been swimming regularly since I was a kid, and it's just so much exposure to water that dries out my skin - all the natural oils are getting washed off.

I've always showered and washed after swimming.  If nothing else, I think it does more to getting rid of the chlorine smell for the rest of the day. :)  And in particular, I think using a mosturizer in your hair after swimming can help it... At least, it seems to help mine.  If you can find/afford the special swimmer's stuff, that's even better.  I've never done that, myself.

And I don't wash my swim suit after every session, but I do rinse it good.

Clint

I wish I could remember the name of the product, but when I was in school on the swim team, I always put this product in my hair before swimming that helped prevent the chlorine from drying out my hair. It was a thicker clear serum, kind of oily feeling, but it worked really well. My hair stopped turning green and drying out. (I know you are asking more about the skin, not hair, but I thought I'd add to it, plus it may help with the scalp, too.)

For the skin, definitely use a moisturizing body wash after swimming to remove the residual chlorine and other chemicals left on your skin from the pool water. Then use a good lotion or body cream. I don't know anything about atopic dermatitis, though, so there may be something else you can use to help the drying out... Can your doctor prescribe a good cream/lotion or something to use?

If you're swimming first thing in the morning, I don't think you need to shower at home necessarily.  If you want to, maybe try using a moisturizing soap like Irish Spring Moisture Blast.

Either way, I recommend showering after swimming, again with the moisture rich soap.  Then, if you still need to, use a skin moisturizer like Gold Bond (a little expensive but I find it to be less oily).

And YES, always rinse your suit after each swim.  The best way to do this is a double rinse in a sink full of water (fill, rinse, empty, fill, rinse, empty) but you could just rinse it on your body in the shower if you must.  Oh, and hang it to dry ASAP by the bottom, not by the shoulder straps.

Original Post by andrinakelly:

I've been swimming regularly since I was a kid, and it's just so much exposure to water that dries out my skin - all the natural oils are getting washed off.

Same here, and I agree.

Wash, then cream.  Or moisturizing wash, then cream on just the trouble areas.