I recently (without planning to) "experimented" with my skin and I thought I'd pass on what happened.

I am a relatively pale caucasian with cool skin tone, light freckles and a few "age" spots. If I use sunblock, when exposed to the sun a brief period my skin will tan a little, but mostly turn a little pink and then tan the next day. If I don't use sunblock, it burns and peels.

I went on a vacation that involved an hour or two of soaking my face (except the eye area) in sea water (I was snorkeling) for about 9 days out of 14. During that time I got lazy about my skincare regimen (it was vacation after all) and was only using the following products:

In the morning:
Neutrogena Oil Free Acne wash
Bull Frog waterproof gel sunblock (SPF 30)

(one to two hours of sea water soaking)

In the afternoon (after snorkeling):
Neutrogena Oil Free Acne wash
Eucerin Extra Protective Moisture Lotion SPF 30 (first week)
Hawaiian Tropics Oil Free Faces SPF 30 (second week)

During vacation I wore no makeup. Before going on vacation I had a few reddish bumps (purging?) on one side of my face and my skin was slightly pink on my cheeks and chin (without sun exposure).

I didn't burn my skin this trip at all. By the end of this vacation, all the pinkness was gone from my skin on my face and my skin was smooth. There was a bit of dryness and flaking near my mouth, but otherwise my skin was a bit less oily than usual.

So does that mean that sea water is good for oily skin?

-- Kathy

I recently (without planning to) "experimented" with my skin and I thought I'd pass on what happened.

I am a relatively pale caucasian with cool skin tone, light freckles and a few "age" spots. If I use sunblock, when exposed to the sun a brief period my skin will tan a little, but mostly turn a little pink and then tan the next day. If I don't use sunblock, it burns and peels.

I went on a vacation that involved an hour or two of soaking my face (except the eye area) in sea water (I was snorkeling) for about 9 days out of 14. During that time I got lazy about my skincare regimen (it was vacation after all) and was only using the following products:

In the morning:
Neutrogena Oil Free Acne wash
Bull Frog waterproof gel sunblock (SPF 30)

(one to two hours of sea water soaking)

In the afternoon (after snorkeling):
Neutrogena Oil Free Acne wash
Eucerin Extra Protective Moisture Lotion SPF 30 (first week)
Hawaiian Tropics Oil Free Faces SPF 30 (second week)

During vacation I wore no makeup. Before going on vacation I had a few reddish bumps (purging?) on one side of my face and my skin was slightly pink on my cheeks and chin (without sun exposure).

I didn't burn my skin this trip at all. By the end of this vacation, all the pinkness was gone from my skin on my face and my skin was smooth. There was a bit of dryness and flaking near my mouth, but otherwise my skin was a bit less oily than usual.

So does that mean that sea water is good for oily skin?

-- Kathy

Ooooooo! Intruiging! I can't wait to hear what others (maybe even our dear Dr. might say about this!

Maybe not wearing makeup helped your skin out?

-Kevin

That is interesting regarding the salt water. I find my skin always looks so good when I'm on vacation, since I'm getting so much more sleep, more exercise (since most our vacations are to the mountains to go hiking every day), and eating pretty well. Though the biggest factor I think for me on vacation is... no stress.

But maybe there is something to that salt water!

Marcy

I've never noticed my skin looking this much better after a vacation before and I routinely don't wear makeup on vacation. I was eating about the same as usual (or worse)... with the exception of roughly one additional serving of fresh fruit almost every day (papaya or pineapple).

I like the stress idea. This is the first 2 week vacation I've had in years.

Confounding things I was using a better cleanser and better sunscreen for my skintype (in the afternoons) than I have in the past on vacations.

On the other hand, sea water is known for antibacterial properties.

-- Kathy