Variations of skin biophysical properties after recreational swimming.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Sensations of itching and skin tightness are frequently reported after recreational swimming in pool water. Our objective was to measure the potential changes occurring at the skin surface under such conditions.

METHODS

Nine women participated in this study, which consisted of two periods. During a 4-day control period, basal biophysical skin parameters were assessed every morning. On the first day, measurements were also performed in the afternoon. The second study period followed the same study design as for the control period, except that, on the first day, women swam for 1 h in a public pool, between the measurements performed in the morning and the afternoon. Skin capacitance, transepidermal water loss, skin temperature, skin pH and sebum casual level (SCL) were measured on facial and body sites.

RESULTS

During the control period, biophysical skin parameters did not show significant variations. By contrast, h after swimming, biophysical values showed significant changes for all test sites: skin pH increased, whereas skin capacitance and SCL decreased. Biophysical parameters returned to baseline values the day after swimming.

CONCLUSION

Our results demonstrate that recreational swimming leads to significant transient changes in skin surface properties of women with healthy skin.