Most cases of swimmer’s itch can be treated at home. Related: All About Itching How Can I Get Rid of Swimmer’s Itch? They may want to post warning signs to protect other people. If you get swimmer’s itch, let a health official know. Not feeding birds around swimming areas as it can increase the amount of feces-and therefore parasites-in the water Not going into marshy areas, which often have a high snail population Not swimming in areas where it’s a known problem or warning signs are posted Towel-drying immediately after getting out of the water You can lower your risk of developing swimmer’s itch by: Related: Hot Tub Folliculitis: Rash From Contaminated Water How Can I Prevent Swimmer’s Itch? However, you may develop a chlorine rash, which is a type of irritant dermatitis. You can’t catch swimmer’s itch from a swimming pool. Appears under the swimsuit after extended exposure Seabather's eruption: Very itchy rash caused by hypersensitivity to jellyfish larvae. Pseudomonas rash: A bacterial infection that looks similar to swimmer's itch but may have a white dot in the middle of each discolored bump Other rashes include:Ĭyanobacterial (blue-green algae) rash: Large, itchy, discolored patches with broken skin Swimmer's itch isn't the only rash you can catch from natural bodies of water. It’s most common in areas not covered by a swimsuit or wetsuit. Swimmer’s itch is usually easy to identify from its symptoms and how it progresses (itching, pimples, and blisters). The rash only affects areas of skin that are directly in contact with the water and will not spread to other areas, even if you scratch it. This is partly because they tend to stay in shallow water, which is more likely to contain larval parasites. You may develop the allergy and the rash it leads to after repeated exposure to the cercarial larva.Ĭhildren are more likely than adults to develop swimmer’s itch. It also means swimmer's itch isn't contagious, so you don't have to worry about giving it to (or getting it from) people around you. Humans aren't good hosts for them, so they die off before long, which means not everyone who enters water will get swimmer's itch-you must have an allergy to the larvae. The cercarial eggs pass into the water through the feces of infected animals.Īfter they hatch, the larvae burrow into your skin, creating an itchy rash. Related: Rashes: An Alphabetical List CausesĪn allergic reaction to cercarial larvae causes swimmer's itch. Repeated exposure may also make the symptoms more intense. The more often you go into contaminated water, the more likely you will develop symptoms quickly. The pimples may develop into small blisters. The tingling, itching, or burning sensations start first, followed by pimples in about 12 hours. Symptoms of swimmer's itch can start anywhere from a few minutes to a few days after you swim, but it often begins within two hours of swimming. The longer you're in the contaminated water, the more likely you are to come into contact with the larvae. How Long Does It Take to Get Swimmer's Itch? Rashes that look pink or reddish on light skin may appear pink, purplish, darker, or lighter shades than the skin or simply like bumps with no discoloration. Your skin color can affect the appearance of a rash.
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