How To Avoid Hot Tub Rash

This following article may just help you understand more about Hot Tub Folliculitis


How To Avoid Hot Tub Rash

There are a few kinds of hot tub itch and it is important to be able to differentiate between them. One is the mild irritation of the skin as a result of the drying effects of chemical sanitizer. People with light hair tend to be more sensitive to dry skin as a result of using hot tubs and spas. This is not a serious condition and using a moisturizer should help to resolve the problem.

Follicular dermatitis, or infection of the hair follicle, is a more severe hot tub related skin problem. This is a result of the hair follicle becoming infected. There are a few reasons why this could happen.

If there is no chemical sanitizer in the water, which is to say no bromine or chlorine in the water, then this would allow bacteria levels to grow exponentially in a very short period of time. Getting into the water during this period of time would expose you to a huge amount of bacteria. Depending on how long the water has been without sanitizer the type of bacteria in the water can be hazardous. It is not unheard of for bacteria to become so dangerous that it can be life-threatening in extreme situations. This is why it is critically important to maintain a measurable sanitizer level in the water at all times. If the water does not have one part per million of free chlorine or 2 ppm of bromine then it is not safe to use.

If you suspect that you have follicular dermatitis, or hot tub rash, you must to seek professional medical advice. Many forms of this skin bacteria infection will not clear up on its own without the use of a topical or antibiotic treatment. The symptoms may disappear for a period of time. However they are likely to return should you aggravate your skin again, for example by using the spa.

It is possible that you can develop spa itch from bacteria even with sanitizer in the water. This can happen if there is a persistent biofilm growing in the water. This would be common in hot tubs where the plumbing lines do not to get flushed when the water is changed. Line flush, or pipe flushing, is an important part of hot tub maintenance. If you are skipping this part of your hot tub care then you could be exposing yourself to unhealthy and unnecessary levels of bacteria.

Biofilm grows inside the plumbing lines of the hot tub. The biofilm creates a layer of mechanical protection over bacteria in the plumbing lines preventing chemical sanitizer in the water from reaching, and destroy this bacteria. The motion of the water moving through the plumbing lines can sometimes peel some of this biofilm away, however to actually clean it you must use a pipe flush chemical additive in the water. This is usually accomplished by adding a liquid additive to the old hot tub water before you drain. You would then run all of your jets on maximum with this chemical in the water and it will remove the biofilm. In a hot tub that has not received this pipe flush treatment in a long time you will notice a thick layer of black foam and debris on top of the water. This disgusting mess is what was growing in your plumbing lines. Do not skip the pipe flush step and your spa maintenance and you will drastically reduce the likelihood of you getting follicular dermatitis or hot tub rash.

Steve Goodale a swimming pool expert and owner of Green Pools in Toronto Ontario Canada. He is the author of http://www.poolwater.ca and http://www.spawater.ca which are a series of home owners resources for swimming pool and hot tub water chemistry, care, and chemical balancing.

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