Does Chlorine Help Acne?

I’ve had several readers with sensitive skin ask me if they should stay away from chlorinated pools. Many people with sensitive skin believe the chlorine and chemicals will irritate their skin or cause acne breakouts. The truth is swimming in a chlorinated pool can actually decrease acne breakouts if you have oily skin.

I suffered from acne breakouts for over 10 years, and my skin was always the clearest during the summer months. Looking back, I think there is a high chance that regularly swimming helped clear my skin. 

If you are constantly suffering from acne breakouts due to oily skin or bacterial infections, there is a good chance that swimming in a chlorinated pool will help reduce your acne in the short term. However, prolonged exposure to chlorine can dry out your skin and exacerbate acne breakouts over the long term. Ultimately, the best way to clear acne breakouts is by following the proper diet detailed in the clear skin resource kit.

This article will explain precisely how chlorine affects your skin and what steps you can take to keep your skin healthy and moisturized during pool time.

What is Chlorine?

Chlorine is a gaseous element most commonly used as a disinfectant chemical. It kills microorganisms and bacteria, so it is frequently used in pools to sanitize water. 

It is also used to bleach products like paper. Chlorine is a toxic chemical that can make you sick if you ingest it. However, swimming in chlorinated water is perfectly safe.

How Chlorine Impacts Skin Health

Chlorine can impact your skin health in several ways. Basically, chlorine dries out your skin and kills bacteria. So if your acne breakouts are being caused by too much oil or bacteria, chlorine can reduce acne breakouts in the short term. However, prolonged exposure to chlorinated water will eventually dry out your skin, causing itchiness, rashes, or other forms of irritation. If you go swimming in a chlorinated pool, you should shower as soon as you are done and moisturize your face to ensure your skin does not dry out. 

Your skin is the most sensitive organ in your body. If you frequently expose your skin to chemicals like chlorine, you need to follow a proper skincare routine to keep your skin healthy and moisturized. 

Is Chlorine Harmful or Beneficial For Acne?

Chlorine will help to remove sebaceous oil from your facial glands.

However, long-term chlorine exposure can lead to irritation, dryness, itchiness, and rashes. Hence, spending time in chlorinated water for a long time may cause your skin to dry out and lead to irritations. 

So, Is Chlorine Good For Acne?

Yes. Chlorine can be helpful for acne but only temporarily. However, it is not a replacement for following a low inflammation diet to prevent acne in the first place. 

Since chlorine has disinfectant properties (kills bacteria and viruses), it is temporarily helpful for clogged pores infected or blocked with bacteria. 

Additionally, most people go swimming in the summer, and direct sunlight can help clear up breakouts. 

Most importantly, while chlorine can destroy harmful bacteria on your skin, it also kills the good bacteria and dries the skin. So, longer exposure to chlorine is not recommended.

If you want to gain temporary benefits of chlorine, you can swim in a chlorinated pool but for a restricted time. You also need to make sure you shower and moisturize immediately after. This protects you from the harmful effects of chlorine, such as:

• Rashes
• Itchiness
• Irritation
• Premature aging
• Red, inflamed skin, blisters, and burns.

Therefore, slight exposure to chlorinated water can assist in reducing the size of your acne, but it only gives short-term effects. Hence, not regarded as a permanent solution or treatment replacement for acne.

But after the chlorine exposure, don’t forget to wash plus moisturize your skin with an oil-free moisturizer to prevent the skin-drying effect of chlorine.

Skincare Routines After Swimming

Mostly, pools contain chlorine to disinfect water and make it safe for swimming. But, if you have acne-prone skin, should you be swimming in chlorinated pools? 

As mentioned above, prolonged and regular exposure to chlorine can be harmful to acne, so it is better to avoid it. But worry not! Adopting a proper skincare routine after swimming can protect your acne from harmful effects if you swim for long, along with providing short-term acne benefits of chlorine.

Below, we have compiled a step-wise skincare routine for acne-prone skin. So, if you love swimming and have acne, this routine is for you!

Use Sunscreen

Applying a thin layer of sunscreen before you jump into the swimming pool can protect your skin from UV rays and can act as a protective layer between your skin and the harmful effects of chlorine. 

Moreover, it is also beneficial to prevent your acne from worsening when you unconsciously spend long hours in the swimming pool.

Shower And Use A Cleanser

After you are done swimming, use a facial cleanser and shower yourself to wash off any excess chlorine that has remained on your body. We can’t forget that chlorine can be harmful to the skin if exposed longer or remains unwashed.

Moisturize Your Skin

The primary effect of chlorine is that it quickly dries the skin. Hence, even if you have acne, use a lightweight and oil-free moisturizer after leaving the pool and completing your cleansing step. I highly recommend using Aveeno’s oat gel facial moisturizer if you have oily or sensitive skin.

How to prevent breakouts after swimming? 

Simply follow these three steps to protect your skin from breakouts.

• Use sunscreen
• Shower after swimming
• Use a cleanser to remove any chlorine remaining on your body.
• Use a lightweight moisturizer.

Chlorine Vs. Salt Water

If you think that saltwater doesn’t contain chlorine, that’s absolutely wrong! Saltwater does contain chlorine but in a lesser amount. Also, the amount of chlorine in saltwater is sufficient to disinfect the water. So, what’s the difference?

Compared to chlorinated water, saltwater is softer and gentler on your skin, with lower chances of irritation. Many people prefer saltwater pools because the chemical smell is much weaker. Additionally, saltwater is actually quite good for your skin in small amouunts. Salt is a natural exfoliator and moisturizer. Although a traditional “saltwater pool” is not the same as the ocean, it is much better than a conventional chlorinated pool.

Conclusion 

Chlorine isn’t an acne treatment. It can help you gain clearer skin and provide short-term relief, but it will not eliminate acne. The best way to prevent acne is to follow a low inflammation diet that proactively keeps you from breaking out. However, occasionally going for a swim and getting direct sunlight exposure is a great way to reduce oil production and bacterial infections in the short term. 

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