Special skin symptoms seen in swimmers

Inherent in the nature of every form of athletic endeavor are certain chara cteristics of the sport that can potentially produce pathologic changes in the various organ systems, including the skin. Swimming is no exception. We review some of the more common dermatologic conditions likely to be encoun tered by swimmers in the acqueous medium of their activity. Specific sugges tions for practitioners tc ho care for these athletes, encompassing treatme nt plans and preventive recommendations, are elucidated.