CUunderH2O
Contributor
Ok, I don't know if I should post this in exposure suits or in diving medicine, but here goes:
I bought a drysuit about a month ago, when the SI's in a wetsuit started becoming really cold. I ended up getting a stock suit, 7mm neoprene with latex wrist & neck seals. I've been experimenting with different undergarments (cotton sweats, lycra leggings & coolmax t-shirt, Polartech 200 top/bottom, merino wool & polypro blend long underwear), because I found that often I was too hot under the drysuit and I ended up sweating a lot so it was more like a damp drysuit inside.
The problem is twofold: 1) If I do >1 dive I end up with a red welt across my neck (have to wear a turtleneck the next day it's so bad). It's slightly itchy, but not too bad. 2) My body (mostly the torso area as well as forearms, inside elbows, behind knees) breaks out in an itchy hive-like rash, red and splotchy. This rash at first appeared approx. 24 hours after the last dive, but after this weekend's dives it appeared only about 12 hours after the dive (woke up very itchy at 2 AM). It's interfering with sleep (Benadryl helps but only temporarily & I can only take it at night because it puts me to sleep).
I wore a 5/7 wetsuit all summer with no traces of any rash, so I'm thinking this is not a latex/neoprene allergy. Also, my wrists are not affected by the latex seals (no rash). I've read some threads that say that latex neck seals can cause a red line to form on the neck because they grab the skin & irritate it. I will look into using one of the solutions mentioned (KY, lotion, etc.) to fix that problem. As for the second problem: when the drysuit arrived at the LDS, it was freshly made and smelled very strongly of rubber cement(?) (ie. the glue they used to seal the seams). The seams on it are not taped, so the glue could possibly be irritating my skin when it comes in contact with my skin or mixes with sweat. This past weekend I also noticed that there is chafing involved as well. I'm thinking it's because the suit doesn't fit me very well in the torso and arms/shoulders. I noticed that where there were seams on the undergarments I wore, I got red, itchy welts. As well, two very sensitive frontal spots have become irritated (itchy, peeling and chafed), which is causing a lot of problems, too. I'm thinking of taping them like runners do, for next time.
I'm also thinking of going to see an allergist but before I do, what do I ask to be tested for? Is it possible the glue is an irritant? Or the suit itself? Or the combination of sweat mixed with glue residue? Or just chafing/sweat? I mentioned my problem to my LDS and they said it's probably not the glue because it's the same type as used in wetsuits (although my wetsuit has taped seams). They think it's a heat rash, but I've had one and this is nothing like that. I asked if they have any other types of rental suits I could try but all they have is neoprene ones.
I've also wondered whether taping the seams would help at all, if it is the glue that's causing the problem. Could drysuit squeeze also be contributing to this? I use my BC for buoyancy, and only put a bit of air in the drysuit if I feel too much squeeze.
What about using a barrier cream? Would it stay on if I sweated a bit? What types are available?
Can anyone shed any light on this problem? The itch is driving me nuts but I still want to keep diving!
I bought a drysuit about a month ago, when the SI's in a wetsuit started becoming really cold. I ended up getting a stock suit, 7mm neoprene with latex wrist & neck seals. I've been experimenting with different undergarments (cotton sweats, lycra leggings & coolmax t-shirt, Polartech 200 top/bottom, merino wool & polypro blend long underwear), because I found that often I was too hot under the drysuit and I ended up sweating a lot so it was more like a damp drysuit inside.
The problem is twofold: 1) If I do >1 dive I end up with a red welt across my neck (have to wear a turtleneck the next day it's so bad). It's slightly itchy, but not too bad. 2) My body (mostly the torso area as well as forearms, inside elbows, behind knees) breaks out in an itchy hive-like rash, red and splotchy. This rash at first appeared approx. 24 hours after the last dive, but after this weekend's dives it appeared only about 12 hours after the dive (woke up very itchy at 2 AM). It's interfering with sleep (Benadryl helps but only temporarily & I can only take it at night because it puts me to sleep).
I wore a 5/7 wetsuit all summer with no traces of any rash, so I'm thinking this is not a latex/neoprene allergy. Also, my wrists are not affected by the latex seals (no rash). I've read some threads that say that latex neck seals can cause a red line to form on the neck because they grab the skin & irritate it. I will look into using one of the solutions mentioned (KY, lotion, etc.) to fix that problem. As for the second problem: when the drysuit arrived at the LDS, it was freshly made and smelled very strongly of rubber cement(?) (ie. the glue they used to seal the seams). The seams on it are not taped, so the glue could possibly be irritating my skin when it comes in contact with my skin or mixes with sweat. This past weekend I also noticed that there is chafing involved as well. I'm thinking it's because the suit doesn't fit me very well in the torso and arms/shoulders. I noticed that where there were seams on the undergarments I wore, I got red, itchy welts. As well, two very sensitive frontal spots have become irritated (itchy, peeling and chafed), which is causing a lot of problems, too. I'm thinking of taping them like runners do, for next time.
I'm also thinking of going to see an allergist but before I do, what do I ask to be tested for? Is it possible the glue is an irritant? Or the suit itself? Or the combination of sweat mixed with glue residue? Or just chafing/sweat? I mentioned my problem to my LDS and they said it's probably not the glue because it's the same type as used in wetsuits (although my wetsuit has taped seams). They think it's a heat rash, but I've had one and this is nothing like that. I asked if they have any other types of rental suits I could try but all they have is neoprene ones.
I've also wondered whether taping the seams would help at all, if it is the glue that's causing the problem. Could drysuit squeeze also be contributing to this? I use my BC for buoyancy, and only put a bit of air in the drysuit if I feel too much squeeze.
What about using a barrier cream? Would it stay on if I sweated a bit? What types are available?
Can anyone shed any light on this problem? The itch is driving me nuts but I still want to keep diving!
.
