This is something new for me this winter. I don’t ever recall this much itching or the prickly pain all over my body. Wife dismisses it as age. I’m sure my now daily visits to the pool (no running due to injury) are a contributing factor as well as the dry air. Whats the recommendation from the board on this issue? Favorite moisturizers? How often do you apply? Does it work???
Painful, maybe see a doctor/dermatologist. I went to one a few years ago for something else and just for some patches of dry skin on my legs he recommended Lubriderm. (edit - applied post shower, to still moist body parts - don’t need to dry the affected areas before applying moisturizer)
Winter will do that to you, especially if you are swimming frequently.
Step 1, use TriSwim Body Wash immediately upon exiting the pool. You can get a large bottle, a small bottle, or a neat holiday gift pack my shop just started carrying. (FYI, I recommend the shampoo, too.)
Step 2, get a good conditioning body was for other showers. Suave made one for men last year that was good, but I can’t find it anymore. You may have to man up and get the girly stuff. Bath & Body is usually a good bet.
Step 3, you may consider a humidifier for your home.
Step 4, use an embrocation on your legs pre-run and pre-ride. The best have UV protection, are moisturizing, and make your legs sexier. (I’d recommend against a warming embrocation)
Step 5, Quit taking super-hot, extra long showers.
Hope this helps.
Copious amounts of moisturizing lotion. Depending on how dry your skin is you can try something like Eucerin, Cetaphil, or Aveeno. The best time to use would be after you shower when your skin is already soft, it helps with the absorption. I’ve had the same problem and lotions really do the trick especially in the winter months when the air is dryer and the chlorine in the pool doesn’t help. Recommend it to my patients too.
I get itchy a lot from the pool but not as much as a couple of months ago.
I have no proof for most of the following, so YMMV. Here ya go:
The pool chemicals cause itching. I eventually noticed that in addition to my hair on my head getting bleached and matted, ALL my other hair was getting bleached. My wife noticed I had less back hair, and then I could tell I had lost a lot of body hair.
Suggestions often included rinsing off with as cold of water as possible. Turning the temp down in the shower seemed to ease the itching. I also rub some of the anti-chlorine shampoo under my arms and across my shoulder to counteract some of the chlorine.
I also have a theory that much of the itching was hair breaking off and falling out. This will sort itself out over time.
In summary, you might get more adapted to it, but use some anti-chlorine products and rinse off with cooler water!
-eric
I get it on my calves and shins this time of year. Lubriderm definitely helps.
that has happened to me before, and im not old like you. here is what I did:
-left one of those scrubber things and some moisturizing body wash in the shower in the locker at the gym and used it after each swim, also used it at home.
-get a hot little chica to rub gold bond lotion on you(if you do this right, you can get her to rub your abs and stuff, this is a win-win because you will get the moisturizing soothing benefits of the gold bond lotion, and you may get to screw the chica).
-also, and this is the crappy part. Whenever I shower off the chlorine, I shower in COLD water for about 5 mins, this rinces off the skin without opening up your pores to the chlorine, after a few mins in the cold water, then I warm up with hot water…and the scrubby body wash thing.
-also, and this is the crappy part. Whenever I shower off the chlorine, I shower in COLD water for about 5 mins, this rinces off the skin without opening up your pores to the chlorine, after a few mins in the cold water, then I warm up with hot water…and the scrubby body wash thing.
Interesting note about the hot shower. I have been cranking up the heat and staying in longer. Had no idea this was bad, cause it feels so good this time of year. This advice sucks!
winter is hell to my skin. i have been going to dermatologists for a few years now. often in the worst of winter develops into some patches of eczema.]\
you may consider seeing a dermatologist for advice, or steroid moisturizing cream if you’re that bad.
some advice i have always gotten:
lotion frequently. good stuff. aveeno is fine for daily use, things like eucerin & aquaphor can be a bit heavy, but also work great.
showers-as cool as you can stand, under 5 min or over 45 min. under 5 doesn’t cause skin to lose moisture. over 45 and skin gets moisture back.
good gentle soap. docs for me have always recommended dove bars (not the chocolate kind)
humidifier in home.
try not to itch, only makes it worse.
untreated allergies can often make symptoms worse.
This advice is probably the best of everything posted so far. The hot shower will really dry you out. Get used to warm, or man up and cool to cold followed by your choice of moisturizer. I’d have to agree with the Lubriderm, best bang for the buck as some of the others can be quite pricey but look for the sales. It’s also true that as we age, we produce less oils so it becomes worse over the years. Sorry.
So if hot showers are bad, how bad (in order) are the “hot tub”, the sauna, and the steam room (for dry skin)?
winter is hell to my skin. i have been going to dermatologists for a few years now. often in the worst of winter develops into some patches of eczema.]\
you may consider seeing a dermatologist for advice, or steroid moisturizing cream if you’re that bad.
some advice i have always gotten:
lotion frequently. good stuff. aveeno is fine for daily use, things like eucerin & aquaphor can be a bit heavy, but also work great.
showers-as cool as you can stand, under 5 min or over 45 min. under 5 doesn’t cause skin to lose moisture. over 45 and skin gets moisture back.
good gentle soap. docs for me have always recommended dove bars (not the chocolate kind)
humidifier in home.
try not to itch, only makes it worse.
untreated allergies can often make symptoms worse.
Good points. Also if you workout a few times a day and take multiple showers it really adds to the dryness.
true. i try to shower as little as possible, without being gross.
makes it hard to do that though with a swim in the morning and a bike in the afternoon.
forgot to mention, docs also say to try and not let shampoo run down your body when you rinse, it’s drying.
also make a point of only soaping up ‘important parts’.
It rubs the lotion on its skin, or it gets the again. 
I’m swimming 5-6 days a week and dry skin is always a problem this time of year. I’ve basically stopped showering outside of the pool locker room to keep from drying out further. I do not use regular soap, period. Instead I use some sort of body wash with moisturizers. And I make sure to rinse really well. Then after showering, while I’m still wet, slather on some Burt’s Bee’s apricot baby oil, rub it around and let it soak in for a few minutes. Works like a charm.
One more option is using a preswim lotion that helps block the chlorine. My skin used to sting & get super dry. Now I use one called Dermaswim that you apply before getting in the pool & it has really, really helped.
Also saline pools are supposed to be better for the skin if you can find one.
Hot tubs, baths and showers are probably equally bad as they wash away your natural oils. Neither the steam room nor the sauna do this unless you shower or bath afterward.
Lotion from the local pharmacy store.
Apply only after showering after swimming, works wonders, wish I could reach top of my back and also wish I had one for my face (breaking out is too common)
I get itchy a lot from the pool but not as much as a couple of months ago.
My wife noticed I had less back hair, and then I could tell I had lost a lot of body hair.
I wish I had that problem because I believe I’m experiencing the opposite effect. I didn’t shave down but I did trim down my body hair back in September. Seems now that its coming back with a vengance and it feels like pine needles either poking or being pulled.
I need skin like that guy in the picture above (“I got ripped in 4 weeks”) 
Make sure you are well hydrated
.