Water Contaminants That Could Be Irritating Your Skin

Washing our hands, cleansing our faces at bathroom sinks, taking showers—people rely on water to help cleanse their skin so that they feel fresh.

Water contaminants can cause a variety of complications for your skin, including dry skin, acne flare-ups, and itchy skin. Continue reading to learn more about the water contaminants that could be irritating your skin at home.

Bacteria

There’s minimal risk that you’ll fall victim to a bacterial infection from water contaminated with bacteria. The skin is a strong barrier that fights against various infections. If the skin does experience an infection, you’ll notice small red bumps that will increase over time.

The most common times you’ll experience a bacterial infection from water contaminants is if you have any broken skin, such as scrapes, burns, or wounds.

Arsenic

Arsenic is a naturally occurring chemical element that originates from the Earth’s crust. If you find arsenic contaminant in your drinking water, it derives from rock formations released into nearby groundwater sources. Arsenic is dangerous to consume and a common skin irritant.

Low levels of arsenic only pose a slight health risk. However, consistent contact with arsenic-contaminated water increases the chances of skin lesions, changes in skin pigmentation, skin cancers, and even the development of cardiovascular or respiratory diseases.

Calcium and Magnesium

Minerals such as calcium and magnesium may irritate your skin over time. They are the key minerals that make up the term “hard water.” Hard water describes water that has a high concentration of minerals.

Calcium and magnesium aren’t unhealthy to drink, but they might aggravate your skin. The chemicals can leave a residue on your skin if you don’t clean them properly. When this occurs, your pores become clogged, and you might develop skin conditions such as eczema or dermatitis. You might even notice you have an itchy scalp or more redness on the skin than normal.

Chlorine

Another water contaminant that could be irritating your skin is chlorine. It’s a common disinfectant added to water, but prolonged exposure can create various disruptions on the skin.

Chlorine opens the pores and removes natural oils from the skin. This process will cause dry, flaky skin that may irritate your skin. Individuals with sensitive skin and preexisting conditions may even develop worsening symptoms. Rashes, blisters, chlorine burns, and inflammation may occur from the usage of chlorine-contaminated water.

If you experience any of these symptoms from your water at home, consider implementing a water filtration system in your home. Installing a reverse osmosis water filtration system can help filter out these water contaminants to ensure you feel refreshed when you use your clean water sources!