Question for the girls about 'the girls'

j9swimj9swim CharlestonSenior Member
edited August 2014 in General Discussion
Ladies- when i do long swims in salt water the little sea lice get stuck in my bathing suit and eat away at the 'girls' . I have insanely itching welts, any prevention tips...besides swimming topless:)

Comments

  • swimmer25kswimmer25k Charter Member
    The 'boys' suffer as well. I've tried everything from dowsing myself with alcohol to vinegar with no success. The on,y relief I've been able to find has been Benadryl, but by then it's too late. I'll keep my eyes peeled on this thread to see if anyone has developed a magic elixir.
  • JenAJenA Charter Member
    Vaseline before (or anything that works as a protective barrier), and hydrocortisone cream after (for the itching).
  • MvGMvG MauritiusCharter Member
    Would vaseline or other grease work as a protective barrier against jellyfish stings?
  • JenAJenA Charter Member
    edited August 2014
    Jellyfish stings happen when nematocysts encounter chemicals on the skin, which trigger the barbs to "fire".

    7AZW2PKACDVL.jpg

    If the cells don't make it to the skin, there is no reaction, and therefore no sting. Apparently, even wearing pantyhose can be protective (I've never tried it though.)

    I am thinking some Vaseline/grease gets absorbed into the skin, but "enough" Vaseline/grease should be protective.
  • lakespraylakespray Senior Member
    Not a girl, nor do I have any relation with this product and I don't know if it works. However I have ordered some bottles for future use. The last time I was in Cozumel I became familiar with sea lice, no fun. http://www.buysafesea.com/
  • j9swimj9swim CharlestonSenior Member
    thanks! i will give this a try!
  • swimrn62swimrn62 Stowe, VTSenior Member

    It's that time of year, and this topic came up on MSF page on Facebook, so I thought I'd re-open and share the one treatment that really works for me (thanks Abby Fairman for the advice). Nothing I've tried worked to prevent the stings and my skin overreacts badly. Fluocinonide Cream 0.5% gives complete relief for 6-8 hours. That's enough to get through most work days and most airline flights. You need a prescription in the US.

    evmoj9swim
  • Kate_AlexanderKate_Alexander Spring Lake, MichiganSenior Member

    Very hot water is the best relief I've found. I've had sea itch plenty of times and have never found a good preventive (tried vaseline and sunblock - helps a little but not enough, plus it junks up your suit). Stand in the shower with the water as hot as you can stand it. Direct the spray onto the welts - you will get very VERY itchy. Hang in there until you no longer itch - maybe around 2 minutes. The hot water triggers the natural antihistamines in your body. This solution works for up to 6 hours - it made me completely itch-free even when clothes rubbed against the welts.

    I asked the pharmacist what they had for sea itch and he gave me a cream that helped kill the lice (which are buried under you skin). It was around $15 and took 5-6 days to stop the itching. I told the pharmacist I wanted the $100 type of cream that would stop the itching immediately and they said there was no such thing, you just have to itch for 5-6 days.

    Also, if your sea itch comes from salt water, don't use fresh water to rinse off - it makes the little buggers burrow deeper in your skin.

  • Kate_AlexanderKate_Alexander Spring Lake, MichiganSenior Member

    Forgot to mention, a friend of mine would take a hair dryer to work so that when the hot water relief wore off she could "top off" the heat treatment at the office, then take another shower after work.

  • Tracy_ClarkTracy_Clark Norwich, United Kingdom (from Auckland, New Zealand)Member

    I greased up 'the girls' for my English Channel swim. Someone who knew what they were talking about told me to do so the day before. So I did even though I never had on any of my long training swims with not problem at all (there's my mistake). I jumped in off the boat to swim ashore to start my swim....and my 'right girl' slid out and refused to stay in. So 'she' stayed that way the whole swim to France.

    I was advised for the North Channel not to put loads of Vaseline on...only chafing spots....as the tentacles of jellyfish will stick to it and continue to fire off venom. This was from someone else who knew what they were talking about and that advice paid off 😊

    Bridget
  • swimrn62swimrn62 Stowe, VTSenior Member

    @Tracy_Clark said:
    I jumped in off the boat to swim ashore to start my swim....and my 'right girl' slid out and refused to stay in. So 'she' stayed that way the whole swim to France.

    LOL, I had the exact same experience, and when I got to work on Monday a co-worker told me there was a picture of my girls on Facebook. Total freakout ensued, but this prudish woman just meant a photo of me in my swimsuit, slightly chilled, on the return boat.

    Tracy_Clark
  • LaraLara LondonNew Member

    I have just joined and this post is insane — makes me want stay in the river where only little things lurk that don’t eat your girls 😂

    Solo
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