"Hickey's" or "The Bite of the Latex Lover"

[Diver Lori]

I wear a drysuit all the time. Fresh water and salt. I've only had hickeys in the cold salt water....never in cold fresh water.

If you're diving cold salt water it may be a rubbing irritation with the salt. When I was on the Nautilus Explorer in BC, they told me to use Bag Balm on my irritated neck AFTER I was done diving for the day and to wash it off before donning my suit the next day.

 

[do it easy]

I had an irritation from my neckseal once and I noticed that there were large amounts of glue still on the seal (the parts that don't connect to the suit). Once I removed the excess glue, the irritation went away.

 

[limeyx]

Interstingly, neither one
of us has any sort of hickey on our wrists. Hmmmm? Could our neck seals be too tight?

(I like to think that I'm as kinky as the next guy but I'm not into wrists.)
(Not that there is anything wrong with her wrists. I rather like them.)
PTN

I have exactly the same thing, so do a lot of people I know/dive with.
Sometimes the talc on the neck seal can help.
Also, for me (guy) if I have just shaved, it's noticeably worse.

 

[Lightning Fish]

This thread might help,
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=77883&highlight=latex+seal

and to a lesser extent this thread,
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=64319&highlight=latex+seal.

Bill.

 

[MSilvia]

I had the same problem, and more talc fixed it.

 

[Snowbear]

Trouble with talc - if you have a latex allergy, the talc seems to make it worse. That's why most hospital/Dr office exam gloves are now powderless.

 

[Aquanautchuck]

You might try Baby Shampoo. I have used it for years, and when you use @100% it stays on the underside of your neck seal and keeps it lubed through out the dive.

:14:

 

[MSilvia]

It might seem like a dumb question, but if you have a latex allergy, why not get neoprene seals instead?

 

[vetdiver]

I get the neoprene hickey(s), myself, when I have my neck seal on for more than a few hours - I am not allergic to neoprene or to latex (I work in a medical setting, so I'd know!!!), but I prefer a neoprene neck seal...it's just that the stickiness irritates my skin. One of the honchos at my place of employ noticed it last year and openly mocked me in a meeting. I am a girl, so it was not exactly a mark of pride...yeargh. Where the hell is HR when someone actually needs them???

If you get these again, and you feel confident that they're due to irritation (and they're not open sores/cuts), put a little 10% hydrocortisone cream on them overnight. That will diminish the redness.

 

[paulthenurse]

It might seem like a dumb question, but if you have a latex allergy, why not get neoprene seals instead?

Not a dumb question at all. I have only a slight latex allergy. When I had my titre done I was just over the line towards latex sensitivity. We used latex seals in the suits we got certed in and had no problems. Our suits came with latex seals and we didn't feel the need to change them at the time as we hadn't experienced any trouble up till then. I'm not convinced it is a latex reaction, the only symptom I have seems more of an irritation than a reaction. Same for her. I think we'll try some of the proposed solutions and see what works and what doesn't. If we need to we'll switch to neoprene.