Reasons Why You Should Shower Soon After A Dip In The Ocean

People often forget to bath after a dip in the salt water as they consider it an activity that helps clean their bodies. Though sea swimming has health benefits like reduction in stress, muscle relaxation and promotion of deep sleep, it may, in some ways, have side effects, especially related to the skin.

According to a study published in the journal ScienceDirect, there's an increased risk of skin infection after swimming in the ocean and cleaning the skin immediately after engaging in recreational ocean activities can help reduce the infection risk. [1]

Here's why it's important to clean the body after a dip in the ocean:

1. Resistance against antibiotics

The skin is the largest organ in the human body that helps protect against various foreign materials like pathogens, radiation and xenobiotics. Swimming in the ocean may help remove normal bacteria from the skin, but simultaneously deposit diverse ocean bacteria on the skin, leading to antibiotic resistance genes, in which the bacteria gain more resistance to antibiotics and make them harder to treat. This leads to an increased risk of skin infection due to a decrease in the effectiveness of antibiotics.

2. Faecal matter deposition

Along with harmful bacteria in the ocean, there are also lots of faecal matter in the ocean caused due to sewage discharge and aquatic beings' excretion. These faecal matters get deposited in the skin after an ocean dip and may spread and cause infection if left there for longer. This makes showering important after sea swimming. [2]

3. Risk of severe diseases

There have been reports in many parts of the world in which people who have gone for a swim in the ocean have been hospitalised a few days later. This was mainly due to a rare bacterial infection necrotising fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease. The bacteria enter the body through a cut or open wounds in the skin and affects the bloodstream, leading to severe tissue damage and conditions like organ failure. [3]

How To Bathe In Sea Water?

• Check the water quality and pollution reports of the beach and only if it's below level, consider swimming in the area.
• Always wear an SPF while going to the beach. Though it may not protect completely against the ocean bacteria, it may protect your skin up to certain levels.
• Avoid swimming if you have a cut or wound on the skin.

How To Bathe After A Dip In The Ocean?

The most important thing after an ocean dip is to rinse off the skin. Bathing with normal tap water is usually recommended, however, using soap can add to the benefits.

Also, there's no need to scrub the skin or use antibacterial soap as they may irritate the skin and cause the skin to become more permeable for infections.

To Conclude

Ocean dip can be more harmful than bathing in chlorinated water. This is because in the prior, a person is exposed to a range of diverse bacteria that resides in the ocean, while in the latter, there are only homogenous bacteria and the effect on the skin is only from the chlorinated water.