Skin Doctor: 4 ways seawater can benefit problem skin

See water swims may not only be great for your state of mind, evidence from a preliminary trial carried out by Portsmouth and Sussex Universities in partnership with the NHS Trust, suggests swimming in the sea significantly improves mental wellbeing, but it could also be beneficial for problem skin too.

From improving wound healing to reducing inflammation and exfoliation, swimming in seawater can be beneficial for skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, rosacea and acne.

Here’s four ways that research proves how sea water can help improve problem skin conditions and a skin doctor’s tips on how to boost the skin benefits of salt water while avoiding the risks.

Swimming in seawater might be beneficial to atopic skin prone to eczema and dermatitis.

Studies have proved that some of the minerals naturally present in seawater, in particular magnesium, can help improve skin barrier function and reduce inflammation in atopic skin. Magnesium is the third most abundant element in seawater.

One study found that people with atopic skin who were submerged in salt water for 15 minutes. The controlled study found that the skin that was submerged in salt water had significantly improved skin barrier function compared with the control skin that was submerged in normal tap water. Skin hydration was enhanced in the skin submerged in salt water and skin roughness and redness were significantly reduced after bathing in the salt water.

Dermatologist Dr Eva Melegh says, “after bathing in salt water it’s important to hydrate atopic skin once it has dried out from being in the sea because many benefits can be lost if salt skin gets too dry. Use a skin salve as apposed to a cream as they are more hydrating and longer lasting on dry salty skin and make pick one with anti-inflammatory ingredients to enhance the benefits of seawater and one without perfumes or chemicals specifically for atopic skin. Try Hydrosil Turmeric Butter & Milk Salve (www.skinshop.co.uk), which contains anti-inflammatory turmeric in a rich blended butter, a plant-based steroid to reduce itching and soothing and hydrating hypoallergenic donkey milk.

“Don’t forget your scalp. If you suffer from atopic skin its likely your scalp will become drier after immersion in salt water. Try Hydrosil Scalp Shield Tonic (www.hydrosil.co.uk) sprayed onto damp salty hair and scalp, which is a non-greasy scalp spray that contains a plant-based steroid to reduce itching and inflammation on the scalp and a natural skin prebiotic to help repair and boost scalp barrier function.”

Several studies have confirmed that bathing in salt water is beneficial to skin prone to psoriasis.

One study found that the minerals in the salt water when skin was submerged for 60 minutes had a positive effect on psoriatic skin.

A larger study on over 2000 people with psoriasis found that the combination of saltwater submersion combined with UV therapy, had a positive effect on skin prone to psoriasis. This study would suggest that saltwater bathing combined with controlled sun exposure could be duelling beneficial to psoriatic skin.

Dr Melegh says, “Sun and salt water can be an effective tonic for skin prone to psoriasis but be careful not to overdo the sun exposure as sunburn can do more harm than the benefits of UV light on psoriatic skin. Only expose skin to direct sun for 20-30 minutes. Let skin dry out and then apply a cream that is specifically formulated for skin prone to psoriasis to re-hydrate skin after saltwater immersion. Try Oregon Maintenance Cream (www.oregonskincare.co.uk) which contains a plant extract called Oregon grape root, which studies have proven helps dampen skin cell production.

The association between the benefits of sea water and rosacea are not straight forward because other environmental elements of swimming in salt water such as UV rays from the sun and abrasion from sand and wind could have a detrimental effect on skin prone to rosacea.

However, salt water alone may could in fact aide skin prone to rosacea. One study found that seawater helped reduce swelling, redness, dryness and itchiness in skin as well as dampen down hypersensitive skin reactions.

In addition, seawater contains trace minerals of zinc, which multiple studies have shown can have beneficial effects on rosacea flares due to its anti-inflammatory effects.

Dr Melegh says, “Zinc Oxide is well-documented to be beneficial to skin prone to rosacea while also being one of the bets physical SPF’s for very sensitive skin. So, as well as exposing skin prone to rosacea to the benefits of zinc and other beneficial minerals in seawater, make sure you also protect skin from UV damage, which is the number one trigger for a rosacea flares, by using a zinc-based SPF cream when by the seaside. Try Kalme Day Defence SPF40 (www.kalme.co.uk), which contains a pure zinc oxide SPF, as well as anti-redness ingredients plus 24-hour moisturisation and anti-inflammatory antioxidants.”

Seawater can benefit acne in two ways, first due to its anti-inflammatory effects and secondly due to the physical exfoliating effect of salt on the skin which can help to clean out congested pores.

One study found that sea silt (the sediment found in saltwater sea beds and estuaries) helped reduce inflammation and underlying redness in skin prone to acne.

Dr Melegh says, “Mineral rich sea water silt (the muddy substance you find on saltwater sea beds) is a fantastic natural exfoliant and anti-inflammatory for skin prone to acne. However sweaty beach days and SPF creams can cause additional sebum and grease to accumulate in the skin pores. But don’t be tempted turn to sebum drying products after your day at the beach. Sebum is nature’s moisturiser and after exposing skin to salt water it will already be drier than normal. So, you want to keep all the moisture you can while making sure the sebum doesn’t pool and clog in the skin pores.

“Try Clarol Sebopure (www.clarol.co.uk) a light serum that contains a natural sebum purifying ingredient that helps keep sebum pure and clean as it passes out through the skin pore, preventing pore blockages without inhibiting sebum production.”