Take a shower or bathe with lots of soap and water as soon as possible. In some countries, health authorities have powers to close public beaches. Health authorities generally keep a close eye on algal blooms and report them through the media. However, if you choose to swim in the sea, avoid waters where seaweed blooms have been reported. The only sure way to avoid seaweed dermatitis is to avoid swimming in the ocean. If the wound shows any evidence of infection, antibiotics may be needed. Any difficulty breathing may signal an allergic reaction. Irrigate exposed eyes with tap water for at least 15 minutes. If the reaction is severe, oral steroids (prednisone) may be required. For any rash, 1 % hydrocortisone lotion should be applied twice a day. A rinse with isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol may also help to decontaminate the skin. The rash can be treated as a sunburn using wet towels and soothing creams (eg, calamine). How do you treat it?įor mild to moderate contact with the seaweed, remove your swimsuit immediately and wash skin vigorously with soap and water. Some victims have swelling of eyes and mouth, but no rash. Sometimes a rash also can occur on the face and in the eyes and mouth. In more severe cases, skin sores may appear, which can last up to several weeks. Other symptoms include swollen eyes, irritation of the nose and throat, skin sores, headache, and fatigue. It often affects men in the scrotum and females under the breasts, but this depends on the type of swimwear used. A red, sometimes blistering rash occurs, sometimes in an entire swimsuit pattern. Symptoms include itching and burning minutes or even up to 24 hours after leaving the water. The reaction may start a few minutes to a few hours after the victim leaves the water. The pressure of the swimming costume on the skin then rubs the seaweed's toxin into the skin. On coming out of the water, any seaweed on uncovered sites dries or is rinsed off, but any fragments caught under the swimming costume remain in moist contact with the skin. While swimming, or wading in areas where the seaweed grows, small fragments of the seaweed can get caught between the swimming costume (or wet suit) and the skin. How does Lyngbya cause seaweed dermatitis? The filaments can grow up to 10 centimetres long, and often become tangled with other seaweeds on reef flats, in tide pools or water as deep as 30 meters. Most often this seaweed is blackish-green or olive-green, but it also grows in shades of grey, red or yellow. It usually grows in clumps, looking like dark, matted masses of hair or felt. Not all strains of this seaweed are toxic. The toxicity of this seaweed varies greatly depending upon region, season, and type. Seaweed dermatitis is due to toxins lyngbyatoxin A and debromoaplysiatoxin produced by the seaweed. Lyngbya can be found in certain tropical and sub-tropical shoreline waters but only at certain times of the year, when they can bloom. The fine, hairlike, dark-brown seaweed, commonly known as lyngbya, is distributed worldwide. ![]() Seaweed dermatitis is caused by direct contact with Lyngbya majuscula (also known as Microcoleus lyngbyaceus). ![]() Like all plants, some can be harmful to humans. There are over 3,000 species of algae, which can range in size from 1 micron to 100 meters in length. It is different to sea bather's eruption, which is due to stings from larval forms of certain sea anemones and thimble jellyfishes, or swimmer's itch, which is due to a bite from parasitic schistosomes (flatworms). Seaweed dermatitis is a skin rash caused by direct contact with a poisonous type of seaweed (alga), most commonly Lyngbya majuscula.
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