Due to a skin problem or skin disease, I can no longer use my hot tub because the water care products affect my skin. Is there an alternative to the classic chlorine disinfection of whirlpools?
Answer:
When you say skin disease, do you mean neurodermatitis? What is the reason why most water-based products irritate or damage the skin? I will explain this using chlorine as an example.
The skin has a pH value of 5.5. The water usually has a pH value between 7.0 and 8.0. This pH value difference builds up osmotic pressure. This causes the chlorine-containing water to penetrate deep into the skin, sometimes as far as the subcutis.
Various things happen here.
1) pH value in the skin
Chlorine works better and more aggressively at low pH values than at high pH values.
2) Bacteria in the skin
It kills all the bacteria in the skin. This is very bad. People have more bacteria on and in the skin than skin cells. The skin is the largest human organ and a very important excretory organ. The bacteria population plays a very important role in this function. If the bacteria are killed, the skin can no longer function properly.
3) Fats in the skin
The fats/oils in the skin are also oxidized by chlorine. Even very strong due to the low pH value. Without fats/oils in the skin, the skin becomes dry, brittle and cracked.
4) Formation of chloramines
Chlorine is very reactive. It oxidizes almost every substance. However, during oxidation it also combines with many substances and forms new substances. There is urea in and on the skin. Chlorine combines with urea and forms trihalomethane which is responsible for the typical chlorine odour. Therefore the skin smells strongly after a chlorine bath also and for a long time after chlorine. Trihalomethane damages the respiratory organs when inhaled and is suspected of causing cancer. It is also harmful to the skin.
5) Chlorine and skin cells
Chlorine can destroy skin cells. Chlorine destroys the cell skin and thus also the skin cells.
I would like to explain the opposite with our cleaning and disinfection products Lotus Clean Basic and Lotus Clean Shock.
Lotus Clean Basic encapsulates pollutants. This prevents bacteria from multiplying and the dirt can be filtered out. Lotus Clean Shock forms chlorine dioxide in the water. This is a molecule consisting of one chlorine atom and two oxygen atoms. The oxygen atoms react. This is why we speak of disinfection based on oxygen.
1) pH value in the skin
Neither Lotus Clean Basic nor Lotus Clean Shock are dependent in their mode of action on the pH value.
2) Bacteria in the skin
Lotus Clean Basic: Since Lotus Clean Basic does not kill any bacteria, it is also neutral in the skin and does not kill any bacteria.
Lotus Clean Shock: Lotus Clean Shock is an excellent product to kill bacteria, viruses, fungi, algae and mould. With bacteria, however, it is selective. Since Lotus Clean Shock primarily oxidizes sulfur-containing molecules, it destroys anaerobic bacteria and largely leaves aerobic bacteria at rest. Anaerobic bacteria operate their metabolism without oxygen. These are the so-called pathogenic or disease-causing germs. Aerobic bacteria operate their metabolism with oxygen. Anaerobic bacteria operate their metabolism with sulphur compounds.
3) Fats in the skin
Lotus Clean Basic: It does not destroy fats. It would only encapsulate them.
Lotus Clean Shock: Lotus Clean Shock can only oxidize fats very slowly and badly. It is therefore completely harmless for the fat balance of the skin for the short stays in the water.
4) Formation of chloramines
Lotus Clean Basic: Does not form chloramines
Lotus Clean Shock: Lotus Clean Shock does not bidet chloramines. Its oxidation capacity is so great that it can destroy existing chloramines.
5) Lotus Clean and skin cells
Lotus Clean Basic: Cannot penetrate skin cells and cannot destroy skin cells.
Lotus Clean Shock: Because the active ingredient in Lotus Clean Shock is gaseous and soluble in water, it cannot penetrate the cell wall of the skin cell. As Japanese scientists have found out, this active ingredient can only penetrate the skin cells in the upper layers. This does not damage the skin cells.
For these reasons, the Lotus Clean system can be used without hesitation for skin diseases. We have tested the Lotus Clean water care system dermatologically on 27 test persons. There was not a single skin reaction in the test persons and therefore the Lotus Clean water care system was as good as fresh water.