Most of us have been told at one time or another that swimming in the ocean will help heal a sore or cut. This makes sense because the ocean is salt water and salt water is a great way to clean wounds, right? But every now and then, you hear a horror story about someone who went swimming in the ocean and ended up with some kind of nasty wound infection.
So, is it a good idea to swim in the ocean when you have an open wound, or should you keep all sores out of the sea, even if you're on an expensive holiday in an exotic locale? Unfortunately, there's no simple answer, says infectious disease and tropical infection expert Bart Currie of Flinders University at Royal Darwin Hospital.
While it's true that salt water for example, saline has long been used in wound management — especially to clean foreign materials out of a wound or to clean a wound before dressing it — the salt water in the ocean is not sterile.
There are several things to consider before you decide to head into the ocean with an open cut or wound:. Certain health conditions such as diabetes or liver disease, or treatments such as chemotherapy for cancer, can weaken your immune system.
This can make you more likely to pick up an infection from sea water that would not normally cause a problem in a healthy person, Professor Currie says.
