Is Neoprene an answer to Latex Allergy?

[lostinspace]

by the way - did you get checked out for skin bends?

 

[tangfish]

Well, i don't believe they were skin bends because they lasted over a month!

 

[lostinspace]

hmmmm..... an allergy rash wouldnt last that long though, whether it was sweat, neoprene allergy, or washing powder.

were you given any steroid/anti-histamine cream for the rash, and how soon after the application did it help?

 

[lostinspace]

check out this website: http://www.bsac.org/techserv/increp03/decoincidents03.htm for incidents about skin bends.

 

[Dive-aholic]

Gotta disagree here, i dive dry and teach dry all year round. I have a cordura suit with latex seals for about 2 years now and an 8ml compressed neoprene suit, i've changed the rubber seals 2wice already- neoprene are going strong 4 years later!
SF

Probably not the forum to continue this discussion, but that's interesting. My experience has been different. I also know other divers that have had latex last longer than neoprene. Do you think it's the quality of the neoprene? The problems I've had deal with the neoprene stretching, thus more leakage, and the seam becoming compromised. The neoprene also initially has allowed more leakage for me when I move my hands around; whereas, the latex rarely leaks at all (better fit). This would be a good topic for the exposure suit forum.

 

[tangfish]

hmmmm..... an allergy rash wouldnt last that long though, whether it was sweat, neoprene allergy, or washing powder.

were you given any steroid/anti-histamine cream for the rash, and how soon after the application did it help?

by the time I got back to the US and saw my doctors it was about 2 to 2 1/2 weeks after the rash began. My dermatologist gave me some elodil to use on the remnants of the rash. I'm not sure if that helped it go away or if it was just going to go away on its own. I can only say that they didn't really resemble what the other accounts of skin bends sounded like. They were more colorless or slightly red (from scratching) bumps that itched like heck at times and then didn't at others. It was mostly concentrated on my arms and shoulders like the other reports, but also on my torso to a lesser extent. I guess I'll find out if it was a neoprene allergy the next time I go diving in that wetsuit!

 

[juleighstar]

Hey there.
I know my reply might be somewhat late, but I wanted to share MY experience with allergies to both neoprene and latex. In my experience, if you're allergic to one, you're pretty much allergic to the other.
After being diagnosed with an allergy to latex I was fitted with a neoprene knee brace (due to knee surgery in '01). At the time we were unaware of my neoprene allergy and I developed contact dermatitis while ultimately lead to a staph infection (a bad one at that), which took almost 2 months to recover from. Staph infections can be extremely painful and can become recurring. A MRSA staph infection (in '05) landed me in the hospital for 7 very long and miserable days (sepsis, and then surgery). Now I get one just about every couple of months.
Just proceed with caution where ANY allergy is concerned because the outcome can become pretty severe.
Good luck,
Julie

 

[*Floater*]

Neoprene seals work fine, they just take a little more effort to put on because you have to fold them back in (at least on the drysuits I've used and seen). Some people prefer them to latex seals, others do not. And many people seem to prefer a neoprene neck seal with latex wrist seals. In my admittedly limited experience both work fine if sized correctly and it's just about personal preference.