{"id":199388,"date":"2016-04-29T08:15:30","date_gmt":"2016-04-29T15:15:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=199388"},"modified":"2016-04-29T08:10:53","modified_gmt":"2016-04-29T15:10:53","slug":"love-the-skin-youre-in-swimspray-series-on-healthy-swimming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/love-the-skin-youre-in-swimspray-series-on-healthy-swimming\/","title":{"rendered":"Love The Skin You’re In: SwimSpray Series on Healthy Swimming"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Aimee Schmitt.<\/p>\n

Every time you get in the pool, you think about the gear you put on your body– goggles, swimsuit, cap, etc. \u00a0But, do you think about your skin\u2014the miraculous natural barrier that protects you from the outside environment; the living organ that allows you to feel the water as protects you from it?\u00a0How well do you know your skin and the gear you need to take care of it?<\/p>\n

Skin is the human body\u2019s largest organ.\u00a0 As such, it performs a range of different functions which include physically protecting your bones, muscles and internal organs, protecting your body from outside diseases, allowing you to feel and react to heat and cold as well as using blood to regulate your body temperature.\u00a0 \u00a0Your skin works hard for you and often the environment you expose it to makes it work overtime–especially swimmer environments.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 Three of the biggest environmental factors swimmers deal with that affects the skin’s health are:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Sun<\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. Chlorine<\/strong><\/li>\n
  3. Shaving<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Your Skin and Sun<\/u><\/strong>— Over time, the\u00a0sun’s<\/strong>\u00a0ultraviolet (UV) light damages the fibers in the\u00a0skin<\/strong>.\u00a0 This damage is also referred to as “free radical” damage caused by oxidation.\u00a0 Sunburn is a typical example of free radical damage as overexposure to sun causes free radicals . What are free radicals?\u00a0 Put simply, they are highly reactive molecules that react with (and damage) your healthy molecules. When this happens, \u00a0free radicals create an endless cycle of more dysfunctional molecules that battle to rob your healthy ones, and so on–the downward spiral of oxidation…this is what leads skin to start appearing old.<\/p>\n

    How can you prevent or slow oxidation from happening to your skin?<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 According to dermatologists, in addition to a good sunscreen to prevent damage from the sun’s rays, \u00a0the best defense against oxidation is to use an “anti-oxidant”.\u00a0 Anti-oxidants prevent the formation of free radicals and keep them from spreading.<\/p>\n

    In their article on how to reverse sun damage, Women’s Health<\/em> magazine recommends vitamin-C serums as the best type of anti-oxidant to help repair sun damage to skin.<\/p>\n

    Swimmers have the best source of vitamin-C anti-oxidant serum available to them in an easy to use format–SwimSpray.\u00a0 Arguably the best anti-oxidant formula you can buy because the active ingredient in SwimSpray \u00a0is a pharmaceutical grade Vitamin-C formula.\u00a0 \u00a0The same property that gives it the power to neutralize chlorine is also a powerful anti-oxidant that is good for your skin and for repairing damage from long term sun exposure.<\/p>\n

    <\/u>Your skin and <\/u><\/strong>Chlorine<\/u><\/strong>–While chlorine is an important part of keeping pools sanitary, it is also recognized as a very caustic chemical.\u00a0 It’s job is to kill living bacteria.\u00a0 What most people do not realize about chlorine is that it naturally seeks out protein molecules to which to attach itself.\u00a0 Your skin is made up of protein molecules.\u00a0 So anytime you enter into an environment that has chlorine, your skin is absorbing chlorine.\u00a0 Chlorine cannot be washed off with normal soap and water, because it chemically bonds to skin cells. \u00a0Remember the free radical oxidants from the above paragraph? That is what chlorine is being–a free radical, and causing things like “swimmers itch”, “chlorine sensitivity”, “swimmers eczema”, and chlorine “burn”.\u00a0 \u00a0While swimmers may train for long periods of time and never experience any problems with the chlorine, it doesn’t mean their skin isn’t still carrying around the chlorine. Skin will literally hold on to chlorine until the dead skin cells slough off.\u00a0 But by then, an active competitive swimmer has been back in the water again and the process starts all over.\u00a0 The effects of chlorine absorption accumulate, and sensitivities can suddenly appear seemingly out of nowhere.\u00a0 Many times they will show up at swim meets because the chlorine content is often higher in pools during a meet.\u00a0 \u00a0Things like suit rashes, \u00a0raccoon eyes–redness around the goggle seals, a burning sensation on the cheeks, acne on the face, all can be attributed to chlorine sensitivities.<\/p>\n

    “Antioxidants help protect the skin’s DNA to prevent cancer while also protecting the collagen and elastic tissue from free radicals that can cause wrinkles and sagging skin. Vitamin C\u2013based antioxidants are best for reducing uneven brown pigmentation, but you can’t go wrong with any type of antioxidant…”\u00a0<\/span><\/em>(<\/span>Women’s Health Magazine, source<\/a><\/span>)<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    How can you protect your skin against the harsh effects of chlorine absorption?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    There is only one product on the market that can neutralize chlorine on your skin and hair.\u00a0 SwimSpray is a patented formula specifically designed by a swimmer to protect skin from the various sensitivities caused by chlorine. Use after every exposure to chlorine and your skin will thank you.<\/p>\n

    “Certain pools we would have so many issues with…chlorine burn on my son’s face, chlorine rash all over his body, acne-like rash on his cheeks, etc…this year at this pool, we made sure he showered in between prelims\/finals and we also used SwimSpray. \u00a0I\u00a0definitely\u00a0believe that is what helped us have virtually no skin issues this year.\u00a0thank you so much for the info on SwimSpray!”<\/em>\u00a0–\u00a0SK from Katy, TX<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Your skin and shaving<\/u><\/strong>–If you are a competitive swimmer, shaving is a ritual looked forward to for many reasons.\u00a0 Nothing feels better and faster for a competition than the feeling of freshly shaved skin in the water.\u00a0 More than removing hair, shaving for swim meets purposefully takes away a layer of dead skin to make the outside layer more sensitive to the pool water.\u00a0 But, this comes at a price–the outside layer also becomes more sensitive to the chlorine in the pool water. \u00a0And that freshly exposed layer of skin is absorbing the chlorine from the pool water which can cause super dry, flaky skin.<\/p>\n

    “I had eczema of the face for years, especially after shaving, and even went to the dermatologist for a prescription creme because it had developed into where my skin had cracks in my smile creases…nothing seemed to help heal these cracks.\u00a0 Then I tried SwimSpray, and after three uses my skin is healed.\u00a0 I no longer use the prescription creme, and shaving my face no longer burns.” \u00a0–\u00a0<\/span><\/em>ATB–Retired Navy Lt. Commander, Carlsbad, CA.<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    How to soothe dry shaved skin?<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 Before you reach for the bottle of lotion–think about two other important aspects of preventing dried, flaky skin:\u00a0 Hydration, and chlorine neutralization.<\/p>\n

    First, drinking plenty of water is good for your skin.\u00a0 Staying hydrated will keep your skin cells hydrated.\u00a0 According to dermatologist \u00a0Rachel Nazarian<\/strong>, M.D. \u201cI\u2019ve found that water makes a big difference in skin health. Without adequate water intake, skin appears duller, and wrinkles and pores more prominent.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0An article in Women’s Health\u00a0<\/em>goes on to say explain that \u00a0a variety of structures in the skin that support collagen require water to work effectively– When skin is hydrated, plump, and elastic, it\u2019s less likely to crack and let in external particles that can cause irritations and blemishes. (source<\/a><\/span><\/strong>)<\/p>\n

    Why neutralizing chlorine can help–\u00a0 According<\/strong> to an article on skin health in Real Simple<\/em> magazine, “minimizing your exposure to depleting elements\u2015low humidity, harsh winds, dry heat, high altitude, sun, alcohol, long baths\u2015and avoiding stripping soaps can prevent the loss of natural oils.”\u00a0 (source<\/a><\/span><\/strong>)\u00a0 Because swimmers are constantly exposing their skin to the depleting element of chlorine, and because chlorine cannot be washed off, it stands to reason that no amount of moisturizing lotion will help your skin if chlorine remains on your skin<\/em>.\u00a0 Using SwimSpray to neutralize the chlorine prior<\/em><\/strong> to using a moisturizer will help provide the full benefits of nourishing your skin with a lotion after shaving and swimming.<\/p>\n

    So what are the basic tools swimmers need to keep their skin healthy and happy?<\/p>\n

    To protect against the sun, chlorine or shaving–make sure your swim gear bag includes “skin gear” —<\/p>\n