dr.md
First, when you say neoprem are you referring to neoprene rubber?
I agree with Dr. Paul T. Taking an antihistamine for allergy prophylaxis probably isn't appropriate and may complicate diving because so many cause drowziness.
Allergies, once established will follow you for a lifetime. Some allergies are uncomfortable but others may become life threatening.
Latex allergy may present as nothing more than itching eyes and itching around the mouth. However, there have been episodes where latex allergic individuals have an exposure that causes anaphylactic shock and closing of the airway. This type of exposure can occur in just minutes in the sensitized individual.
You are reporting what appears to be a "contact dematitis" type of reaction. Simply keeping the offending material off the skin may suffice.
So consider the following suggestions...wear cotton socks under your booties and make sure that they extend above the boot's opening. Try straping on the watch OVER you glove. Some gloves have elongated wrist areas. There is a Kevlar fillet glove that nearly extend halfway to your elbow.
If you are really allergic to the material, then even these barriers won't help but it's worth a try. The only drawback I can forsee is that the socks take up room inside the bootie and you may need a size larger. Same thing for a glove liner. The Kevlar gloves are not insulated so if you need warmth, this is probably out. In that case you might want to try nitrile exam gloves under your glove.
If your watch won't fit over you glove cuff, you can still make a barrier from an old sock or change the wrist strap to a velcro one. You can also cut off the wrist section of a nitrile exam glove or go to a hardware store and purchase nitrile work gloves (they are thicker). Cut the wrists off and strap your watch over this.
I work with latex daily. I will occasionally have an itchy nose--it's worse with powdered gloves. I keep nitrile gloves on hand for patient's who are allergic. You wouldn't believe how fast or how bad their skin reacts. Strangely enough for me, I usually tolerate contact with latex but if I purchase a length of latex rubber hose for a spear gun, and simply stretch it once, I am turned into a sneezing, itchy eyed, tear soaked, stopped up miserable puppy. Stretching the rubber must release molecules of the allergen into the air and the reaction is extremely rapid.
So, I use a pneumatic gun instead.
Anyway, you might find that you can continue to use your gear with barriers. If that doesn't work, change the gear. The steroid creams suggested by Dr. Paul work slowly and as he said they are for a limited time. See you dermatologist and see if you can identify the exact allergen.
Larry Stein
