Rash from ship hot tub?

[shipgeeks]

An acquaintance claims she developed a rash after sitting in a hot tub for a short while, and it has reappeared from time to time over the last year, without using a hot tub again.  Is this likely, or even possible?  Her doctor has found no explanation for it.

Anyone else experience this?

[GeezerCouple]

2 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

An acquaintance claims she developed a rash after sitting in a hot tub for a short while, and it has reappeared from time to time over the last year, without using a hot tub again.  Is this likely, or even possible?  Her doctor has found no explanation for it.

Anyone else experience this?

Has she seen a dermatologist?

I can easily understand a rash from sitting in a hot tub, especially if for a prolonged time (and especially if it isn't maintained quite right).

But to continue on and off for months afterwards... that should be looked at, regardless of the cause.

 

GC

[CruiserBruce]

Curious how the person knows the hot tub caused it.

 

That being said, the are a few things you can get from a hot tub, if its not maintained properly.

[shipgeeks]

34 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Curious how the person knows the hot tub caused it.

 

That being said, the are a few things you can get from a hot tub, if its not maintained properly.

The rash first appeared a few hours after sitting with her lower legs in the hot tub.

She and her doctors are just trying to eliminate some possible causes, as nothing else has yet done so.

[chengkp75]

Given the chlorine level in cruise ship hot tubs, I doubt the hot tub is the culprit.  Hot tubs on ships are required to maintain between 3-10ppm free chlorine at all times, which is far higher than private hot tubs on land.  This chlorine level is monitored in real time, 24/7, and sounds an alarm when not in range.

[crystalspin]

My (retired to Utah) physician husband says there are bacteria and fungi that can be picked up in hot tubs, but before I could post that, the Chief has dispelled that possibility for cruise ships.

 

As far as the friend -- my uncle had a recurring rash after exposure to water suspected to have an algal bloom (in Florida). Also on lower legs. He finally got relief with repeated application of Rx Bactroban! (which is an ointment usually prescribed for Staph infections, but with broader spectrum applicability)

 

I am not a doctor, but I sometimes play one on line.

 

Edited August 11, 2023 by crystalspin

[K32682]

"Hot Tub Rash" is definitely a risk.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/swimmers/rwi/rashes.html

 

A recurring rash long after having gone into a hot tub would probably have another cause.

 

I don't use public hot tubs regardless of anyone's assurance about chlorine levels. A public-access hot tub is little more than a bubbling cauldron of someone else's pee. No thanks. 

 

 

Edited August 11, 2023 by K32682

[navybankerteacher]

Yes, IF there is a sufficient chlorine level, it is unlikely that any harmful agent could survive in a cruise ship hot tub.  But, I am not going to believe that there is ALWAYS - with no exception, such a level maintained at all times.  Frankly, having seen the numbers of people cycling through cruise ship hot tubs, often with beers in hand, I am reluctant to bathe in the waters they have left behind (think: large public urinals, disinfected of not).

Edited August 11, 2023 by navybankerteacher

[Mike981]

Has she ever had any other skin issues? 20 years ago I got repeated infections of poison oak and it  messed me up. My doctor told me that it was in my blood and bad enough that it can rear its ugly head at anytime and that is the truth. If I just sit on the edge of a hot tub or a pool, I will certainly get a rash on my legs, even if I rinse off right away. Or if I am working outside in the heat and get very sweaty, it can also happen.

[SPacificbound]

We have had a pool and hot tub at home for over 30 years. There is no way either of us would enter a public, hotel or ship pool or hot tub.

[diesel1973]

I think the hot tubs are large pots of people soup.

[JRG]

On 8/10/2023 at 12:53 PM, CruiserBruce said:

Curious how the person knows the hot tub caused it

 

No need to be curious george about it. The mystery is easily solved.

 

Just dip one leg a little lower in the hot tub and see if the rash-line rises on that leg.

Keep the other leg dry.

 

Then dip the other leg so it doesn't look funny after you eliminate the hot tub.

 

 

[Charles4515]

On 8/10/2023 at 1:45 PM, shipgeeks said:

Her doctor has found no explanation for it.

Is that doctor a dermatologist? It does not seem like one short use of a hot tub would cause a reaccuring rash. More likely something in her home or her immune system is the culprit. 

Edited August 12, 2023 by Charles4515

[CPT Trips]

On 8/10/2023 at 7:40 PM, chengkp75 said:

Given the chlorine level in cruise ship hot tubs, I doubt the hot tub is the culprit.  Hot tubs on ships are required to maintain between 3-10ppm free chlorine at all times, which is far higher than private hot tubs on land.  This chlorine level is monitored in real time, 24/7, and sounds an alarm when not in range.

If it’s not the “bugs” and other stuff that grows on Petri dishes, it’s possibly the chemicals added to keep them out. 

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, CPT Trips said:

If it’s not the “bugs” and other stuff that grows on Petri dishes, it’s possibly the chemicals added to keep them out. 

They put Bromine or Chlorine in a hot tub to sanitize it. You could get a rash if too much is put in but the rash would not persist. It may be that the person has a chlorine sensitivity. If the person is using a pool often that might be a reason it reappears. 

[shipgeeks]

She has not been near a hot tub or pool since.

Thank you, all, for your thoughts.  I've just been curious whether other cruisers have had a similar experience.

[Elaine5715]

It may have been Golfers' vasculitis which is common for visitors to hot climates.  Disney Park visitors call it the "Disney Rash".  This article has photos.  I get it most trips to hot climates.  https://www.buildabettermousetrip.com/disney-rash/ 

[sanger727]

I've never heard of anything like this or seen anything like this reported on in this forum before. 

 

As pointed out. It may be plausible that some bacterial or fungal infection is to blame. She would probably need to see a dermatologist for that. 

 

The most likely explanation is some skin sensitivity that arose while exposed to chlorine in the hot tub and she has some product at home also irritating the skin.

[Smitheroo]

On 8/13/2023 at 9:52 PM, Elaine5715 said:

It may have been Golfers' vasculitis which is common for visitors to hot climates.  Disney Park visitors call it the "Disney Rash".  This article has photos.  I get it most trips to hot climates.  https://www.buildabettermousetrip.com/disney-rash/ 

I get that if I walk too much in hot weather. My doctor said that capillaries in the lower leg can be a little "leaky" in the lower legs of some individuals. If your leg swells for any reason (walking around in hot weather) this can cause the capillaries to leak more producing the rash. Socks also cause pressure on the legs so you see a sock line.  its a form of vasculitis but not necesarily a health concern (after ruling out the serious causes of vascultis)