Help...Allergic to Neoprene

[Suhdsy]

Hi All,
I have been diving a long time and have many (over 1,000) dives, but have recently been diagnosed with an allergy to neoprene. I currently use a Pinnicle mariano wool alternative which is top entry and not too warm.Does anyone have any suggestions? Am looking into Sharkskin and LavaCore suits, they are equivalent to 2mm neoprene. Am I the only diver with this allergy? Any suggestions are much appreciated.

 

[David Wilson]

Have you searched the ScubaBoard forum archives with "neoprene allergy" as the search term? There is a good thread at Neoprene Allergy, where there is a summary of SB contributions on the subject with links, some medical information and certain practical solutions for diving with the condition.

 

[Suhdsy]

Have you searched the ScubaBoard forum archives with "neoprene allergy" as the search term? There is a good thread at Neoprene Allergy, where there is a summary of SB contributions on the subject with links, some medical information and certain practical solutions for diving with the condition.

J

 

[Suhdsy]

Just a quick note, I went to the Long Beach Scuba Show today and ordered a Sharkskin Full Suit with a front zipper. It takes the place of a 2mm or 3mm neoprene suit. It has a fleece lining, and is neutrally buoyant in the water. It is a little pricy, but after getting a patch test and testing positive for "black rubber compounds" this seems to be my best option.
David, thanks for the post.

 

[Scuba Christine]

Hi Suhdsy,
I'm not allergic to black rubber compounds, but do react strongly to the manufacturing chemicals for neoprene, so some of my experience in prepping gear may be helpful in treating your new sharkskin suit for best results. I generally wind up with full body hives and breathing issues if I don't prep my gear properly. It probably seems like overkill to anyone that hasn't reacted to their gear, but it works for me. In case some of your reaction is due to lingering processing chemicals, this could help.

tldr: use a mild dish soap to wash, soak, and rinse your gear for several days before using.

The Details
Any new exposure suit goes in the bathtub with a safe dish soap for multiple soaks and washes. I use Dishmate Pear soap because I don't react to it and it doesn't leave a fragrance. If you are ok with the original Dawn dish soap, it has a good reputation.

The bathtub, washer or large tub will become soak central for a few days. Start with puting in the suit in tepid water and squirting a medium amount of soap on it. Wear safe gloves or have someone without the allergy work the soap through the suit and leave it to soak. In the evening, give it a long rinse and restart a soap and soak. In the morning, empty the tub and rinse the suit in the shower with you and then refill the tub. Repeat this process till you can hold the wet gear without any issues and can put an arm or foot in the soak water for several min. without getting itchy. (I react quickly, so it is easy for me to figure out when my gear is clean -- YMMV.) Once you reach this point, switch to soaking the gear in clear water and doing long rinses -- for a wetsuit, you can gently walk on the suit in the tub to cycle fresh water through the suit cells. Generally, use one day of soaking/rinsing in fresh water works all the soap out.

 

[emoreira]

Have you thought about using a dry suit instead of a neoprene wetsuit ?
Dry suits are often linked to extreme cold water, but it could be used in warm water using the correct under-garments. As your body will be covered with the interior cloths, the suit would not touch your skin. Besides, dry suits are made with different components and not with neoprene.
Of course, price is a point to consider.