Can salt water dry out my skin?

Should I wash my face after swimming in the ocean?

Yes. A gentle rinse or wash after swimming is a sensible approach. Use warm water, not hot water, and a gentle cleanser when washing your face. Apply cleanser with your fingertips and rinse without scrubbing. For skin that tends to break out, choose a mild cleanser without oil. A cleanser has a cleaning job, not a mandate to leave your face squeaky.3

How do I soothe skin after salt water?

1. 1Rinse after swimming rather than leaving swimming water on your skin. Use a warm shower or bath.
2. 2Gently pat your skin with a towel, leaving it slightly damp rather than rubbing it dry.
3. 3Apply moisturizer to damp skin. For children with eczema, apply their usual moisturizer within three minutes of rinsing.

A moisturizer containing ceramides is one option for dryness after swimming. You do not need to add an exfoliating acid simply because your skin feels dry. Too much exfoliation can irritate skin and remove structures that help retain water and healthy fats.45

Should I moisturize after swimming in the sea?

Yes. Make moisturizer the step after rinsing, rather than waiting until your next evening routine. Moisturizing after swimming helps limit dryness, and applying it while skin is damp is especially useful in eczema care. Moisturizer belongs after the rinse, rather than being asked to do the shower's job.246

Is ocean water good for acne?

Do not replace your acne treatment with ocean swimming. Keep treating acne and wash gently after exercise. Drying your skin is not the goal: sun exposure can dry skin, increase oil production and contribute to clogged pores. Rubbing, hot water and other irritation can also make acne flare.3

Before outdoor swimming, apply sunscreen. Sunscreen protects against the sun; it does not replace rinsing and moisturizing afterward.13

What if I have eczema?

Eczema does not automatically rule out swimming. For children with eczema who swim in pools, applying their moisturizer or petroleum jelly beforehand, then rinsing and moisturizing afterward, can help prevent a flare. Keep children out of pools during a severe flare or when skin is itchy, red and oozing, infected, raw or has an open sore. These precautions concern pool swimming, not a test of how their skin will respond to the ocean.2