The good news first
Children with eczema shouldn't miss out on swimming over unfounded worry. Interestingly, chlorinated water can actually help some children's eczema (diluted bleach baths work on a related idea). For others, chlorine irritates. The deciding factor usually isn't whether your child swims — it's what you do right before and right after.
Pool, salt water, or sea?
- Chlorinated pools can dry or sting eczema skin — but often fine with the routine below. Some kids even improve.
- Salt-water pools aren't chlorine-free — they generate chlorine from salt, just at a lower, gentler level. Many children tolerate them better.
- The sea helps some children and stings others (especially broken skin). Watch your own child's response rather than assuming.
Before the water: grease up
Apply a generous layer of your child's usual moisturizer or an ointment before swimming — ideally a while beforehand so it absorbs. This "grease-up" acts as a partial barrier between the skin and the pool chemicals. For a good seal, a thicker ointment often works better here than a thin lotion.
After the water: rinse and re-seal
This is the step that matters most:
- Rinse thoroughly in fresh water as soon as your child is out — long enough to actually clear the chemicals (counting slowly to 30 is a good habit). Don't let chlorine or salt dry on the skin.
- Shower with a mild, fragrance-free wash if one's available.
- Pat dry gently with a clean towel (not the damp one used poolside).
- Re-moisturize within a few minutes, while the skin is still slightly damp — the same "seal" idea from our bathing and moisturizing guide.
The one time to sit it out
If your child's skin is very inflamed, cracked and open, or looks infected, it's usually best to skip swimming until it's calmer — or get your doctor's advice first. Broken skin in pool or sea water is more likely to sting and, occasionally, to pick up an infection (see our guide on signs of infection). On calm-skin days, though, swim away.
The swim-day checklist
- Grease up with moisturizer/ointment beforehand
- Rinse thoroughly in fresh water right after (count to 30)
- Gentle fragrance-free wash, pat dry with a clean towel
- Re-moisturize on damp skin within a few minutes
- Skip it if skin is very inflamed, open, or possibly infected
Learn how water treats your child's skin
Tag "swimming" on a check-in and let Ollowen quietly show you whether the pool helps or hurts your child over time — so you swim with confidence instead of guesswork.
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Sources
- Harvard Health Publishing. Swimming and skin: what to know if a child has eczema.
- National Eczema Society. Swimming and eczema.
- American Academy of Dermatology. Will swimming in a pool trigger my child's eczema?
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