You may have heard of terms like swimmer’s itch or hot tub rash which describes an itchy sensation you get after swimming in a body of water. Some people report itchiness after swimming in a salt water pool so the question is why did this occur?
A logical follow up question is then, how can you prevent it from happening in the future?
Salt pool water on its own is usually not the cause of itchy skin but salt water exposure plus excessive sun may cause skin dryness and itchiness particularly in people who have eczema. It’s also possible you have an excessively high or low chemical causing itchiness or imbalanced water.
Below, we’ll discuss more about why you might be getting itchy skin after swimming in a salt water pool while also listing the chemicals typically found in pools in case one of them might be the culprit
Why does my salt water pool make me itchy?
One of the often stated benefits of a salt water pool is that the chlorine produced by the salt chlorinator is milder than the chemical chlorine from liquid, pucks, crystals and the like. You can swim in a salt water pool and leave without smelling like chlorine and without red eyes when you’re done.
But salt water is corrosive. Excessively high salt water (i.e. very soft water) can corrode metal in your pool such as a pool ladder.
At the other end, hard water can also damage pipes and is harsh on the skin, hair and eyes.
So a balance is important. Hence the importance of balancing your pool water at all times.
As we’ll see below, it may not even be your salt pool per se that is making you itchy. It could be a specific condition in the pool or an excessively high or low chemical or chemical reading causing the problem.
What other chemicals in a salt water pool can make me itchy?
People often aren’t aware that salt water pools may contain the exact same chemicals that other regularly chlorinated pools contain! Some are toxic and others are very corrosive to the skin and even dangerous to your respiratory system. Always follow instructions and protect your skin and eyes when using them.
It’s possible you might have an allergy to a particular chemical which is especially notable if you happen to allow one or more of them to be lower or higher than they should be. In any salt water pool, you can potentially find various chemicals and additives that are used to keep the water balanced and sanitized.
We’ve listed these chemicals and additives below. Beside each, we’ll mention possible side effects to your skin and body when the level is too low or high:
- Salt – Salt water is corrosive and it’s more likely to impact your metal pool equipment than your skin. Having said that, excessively high salt may help to dry your skin if you don’t shower and wash it off your body after swimming.
- Chlorine – Excessively high chlorine levels can dry your skin and irritate your eyes. Shower after using the pool if you know or believe the chlorine level is too high.
- Cyanuric acid (stabilizer) – Cyanuric acid or CYA is generally more sensitive to your eyes than skin but it’s always best to handle it carefully when adding it to pool water.
- Algaecide – Pools that have excessive algaecide may cause swimmers skin irritation and itchiness. It can also irritate your eyes. Shower after using the pool if you know or believe the algaecide level is too high.
- Alkalinity increaser – Low alkalinity in your pool can cause itchy skin and burn your eyes. You raise alkalinity in pool water by adding baking soda which on its own won’t impact your skin through touch.
- Alkalinity decreaser – High alkalinity in your pool can cause itchy skin and scalp along with red and irritated eyes. You lower alkalinity in your pool by adding a product such as muriatic acid, sodium bisulfate, or sulfuric acid. Exposure to muriatic acid is very dangerous and can cause burns to the skin and mucous membranes. Exposure to sodium bisulfate is very dangerous and can cause burns to the skin and eyes and respiratory problems if inhaled. Exposure to sulfuric acid can cause redness, burns and scarring and in extreme cases, exposure can cause death. All three chemicals should be handled and measured out very carefully.
- pH increaser – Low pH in your pool water by itself can cause itchy skin. You use pH increaser when your pH is low. Low pH, acidic pool water can cause itchy skin along with itchy eyes and nasal passages among other symptoms.
- pH decreaser – High pH in your pool water by itself can cause itchy skin. You use pH decreaser when your pH is high. High pH water is too soft and can cause itchy skin along with reddened eyes among other symptoms.
- Calcium hardness increaser – Low calcium in a pool refers to very soft water and can become corrosive for swimmers which can be harmful to the skin. You typically add calcium chloride to pool water to increase the calcium hardness. Touching calcium chloride can dry or burn the skin and can cause respiratory problems.
- Calcium hardness decreaser – There isn’t actually a chemical to lower water hardness. You have to drain water from the pool manually to lower calcium hardness. The problem is when you have excessively high calcium hardness in the water. This results in hard water which can dry the skin and cause itchiness among other things.
- Water clarifier – Water clarifier is used to help your filtration system remove small particles from the water by causing them to bind to each other. Pool clarifier is generally non-toxic and shouldn’t impact your skin negatively. You generally squirt it on the surface of the pool water so it’s relatively easy and safe to use.
- Filter medium cleaner – Read the product label as these cleaning products contain ingredients that are meant to remove grease, oils and other debris from your filter mediums i.e. cartridges. They usually involve you filling a bucket with water and adding the cleaning solution so take care when doing so and avoid skin contact.
- Phosphate remover – Phosphate removers do exactly that: They remove excessively high phosphates that may have entered the pool from fertilizers or other sources. Some products may be toxic while others are non-toxic so read the label and follow instructions prior to use.
- Stain and metal remover – This is also product dependent since you might need a different product for various stains and they might each contain differing ingredients that you should be aware of before using.
- Vinyl liner cleaner – You don’t necessarily need to buy a commercial cleaning product to address a dirty pool liner. But if you do buy one, check the instructions prior to use for instructions and warnings.
Again, wear protective gloves and eye protection whenever handling any pool chemicals and be very careful when adding to the water to avoid a splash back or spillage.
Summary
A salt water pool contains many chemicals, some of which can on their own cause itchy skin and irritated and red eyes.
But aside from that, certain conditions such as low or high alkalinity or pH can on their own also cause skin problems like itchiness.
Thus it’s important to properly balance your pool water and understand the underlying problem before you assume your dry itchy skin is caused by one single problem.
Certainly your pool doesn’t necessarily contain all of the chemicals listed above but over time you might find yourself adding many of them to combat various problems your pool water is experiencing.
Additionally, your pool might have things you may or may not actually visibly notice that could effect your swimming enjoyment and that negatively impact your body including algae, rust, mold, urine, fecal material or various types of bacteria or contaminants that haven’t been neutralized by the chlorine yet.