Allergic to Swimming?
We’re in the dog days of August and summer continues to hold on. What better way is there to relax than in your nice, cool pool? Unless you’re allergic to it, of course.
I had a patient this summer who developed an itchy rash all over. He thought it might be due to his pool, but insisted that he kept it immaculately clean. Ironically, that might have been the trouble.
Some people are allergic to the shocking agent used for pools and hot tubs. Potassium peroxymonosulfate or PPMS is an oxidizing agent used to keep pools clean. A study showed that skin allergies to this chemical aren’t uncommon and that it tends to afflict men more than women.
As with my patient, treating the allergic reaction with topical steroids and changing the pool’s shocking agent can help. At least he wasn’t allergic to water.
Photo: Omar Edwardo
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I live in a condo and I recently developed hot tob folliculitis, which was a super itchy rash. I actually thought I had bed bugs until I realized the rash was from the hot tub! After complaining, the pool company fixed everything and I can safely use the hot tub now. But now I think they’ve overdone the chemicals, and my skin is dry and itchy, but it’s better than folliculitis!