Ever wonder why you sometimes get itchy after exiting the lake after a day of aqueous relaxation? You may not realize it, but the itch is caused by a parasite that has made its home under your skin! You can decrease your odds of getting swimmer’s itch by cleaning up your beach area after the Fall drawdown occurs. How you say? Less vegetation on the lake bottom means fewer waterfowl (see ‘Don’t Feed The Geese’article) and snails which are key to the parasite’s lifecycle – break the lifecycle and eliminate your itch (and likely your neighbor’s too). If you do find yourself with a case of swimmer’s itch, aggressively towel drying yourself has been known to have some positive effect but can also result in skin infection. Other methods include treatmentswith rubbing alcohol, calamine, baking soda and oatmeal baths. For additional information, visit: http://dermnetnz.org/arthropods/swimmers-itch.html
