Latex neck seal chaffing back of neck

[Grey_Wulff]

I have a dry suit with latex neck and wrist seals. It appears the neck seal is chaffing or irritating the back of my neck. If I do more than several dives in a weekend, the skin will eventually break and get very sore.

I don’t think I’m allergic to latex. Neither my wrists or the front of my neck show any allergic reaction so I’m guessing the back of the neck seal is moving on my neck and chaffing the skin. However, I would think the neck seal would not really move once in place.

Anybody have any thoughts on what the problem is and how to cure it?

Help would be greatly appreciated.

Grey_Wulff

 

[ApexLongimanus]

I don't now what the problem is but you might want to try the Apollo Bio Seals. They go between your skin and the latex seals. There are some threads on the board that discuss them.

 

[do it easy]

I used to get a little irritation from some leftover adhesive that was on the latex seal... I peeled and scraped it off and the irritation went away...

 

[jeckyll]

I find that if I have a fold in the latex seal I get irritation. So after I put my hood on, I reach back under and make sure the seal is not rolled and is flat everywhere. The hood then holds it in place.

YMMV

 

[all4scuba05]

Chaffing can't be it. A well sized latex seal is not going to slide back and forth on the skin. Its just too "grippy"

 

[Grey_Wulff]

Chaffing can't be it. A well sized latex seal is not going to slide back and forth on the skin. Its just too "grippy"

Grippy might be a better word but how's it irritating my skin? The seal does not seem too tight. I cut it to the ring size described in the documentation. Further when I put air in the suit, the first place it releases out of is the neck seal. It's possible the seal might get folded over during the dive and this is causing the problem, although I'm careful to have it laying flat at the beginning of the dive.

Grey_Wulff

 

[all4scuba05]

Never experienced it myself so anything I say would be a guess. Even though it only happens on the back of the neck, there's still the possibility that it could be an allergic reaction but I'm no doctor. Someone here will eventually see this post and know what it is. Good Luck

 

[Rick Inman]

I've still got a scabbing, flaking ring around my neck left over from the bleeding rash I got from diving a new seal every day for a week.

For me, it's like walking in a new pair of shoes in a parade - you're bound to get blisters. But once they're broken in, they're fine.

This always happens to me with a new seal, and then I seem to get used to it and the chaffing stops.

 

[Hoosier]

Put KY jelly enough on your NECK to block your skin from the seal... It helps a lot based on my GF experience.

 

[Lightning Fish]

This thread might help,
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread...ght=latex+seal

and to a lesser extent this thread,
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread...ght=latex+seal.

Bill.