Painful Peeling Hands and Feet After Diving

[Jack56]

Sorry in advance if this isn’t the place to post this.

Just wondering if anyone has experienced skin peeling on their hands and/or feet after extensive diving. I have been diving for many years and recently experienced severe peeling on my fingertips after my last two trips to Mexico this year. I was doing my intro to cave course in March and when I returned to the states on the East Coast it was snowing. The peeling and painful cracking began then, some bleeding occurred. I thought it was the temperature change.
My dermatologist told me it was Contact Dermatitis... maybe I touched a chemical somewhere, but I don’t think this is the case because I recently returned to Mexico this August for experience dives and after the very first dive my fingertips were inflamed and red. The peeling and cracking began during my trip and I had to wrap my fingers each day. They become very pruned underwater and the skin literally rips when I touch my gear. My feet are peeling, but they are not painful.

I’m considering contacting DAN, but want to hear if anyone has experienced this or has medical insite. I believe I need a dermatologist that deals with athletes as I had this problem on my feet as a synchronized swimmer growing up. Doctors had no idea what it was, I’m hoping there’s more studies/information out there now.

 

[flyboy08]

Interesting..... @Duke Dive Medicine will probably respond.

 

[JamesBon92007]

I had been exposed to latex (in my particular case) on numerous occasions without any reaction and then suddenly I started getting serious rashes from it. Did you recently start using new booties and gloves? It would be horrible is there's something in neoprene that causes it!

 

[Jack56]

I had been exposed to latex (in my particular case) on numerous occasions without any reaction and then suddenly I started getting serious rashes from it. Did you recently start using new booties and gloves? It would be horrible is there's something in neoprene that causes it!

Hm, I did get new booties right before the March trip. But, I have been diving with neoprene my whole life! We can’t wear gloves in the caves unfortunately...

 

[Norwegian Cave Diver]

Try wearing a pair of dress socks. Will keep your feet away from the boot, easier to put the boot on and off and might make them a little warmer. Would be interesting if the foot issue improved.

 

[Bubblesong]

If it is a latex allergy, you can’t touch related items, avacodoes, mango, bananas, several other things in latex Family. It might not hurt to get allergy tested.

 

[Norwegian Cave Diver]

If it is a latex allergy, you can’t touch related items, avacodoes, mango, bananas, several other things in latex Family. It might not hurt to get allergy tested.

Avocados, mango, bananas, are related to latex?

 

[Bubblesong]

Avocados, mango, bananas, are related to latex?

Yes, my sister has this allergy, so I learned about it from her, but you can google “latex Family allergy” for full list of foods to avoid, if the test turns out to be latex allergy.

 

[Jack56]

I handle and eat avocados, mangos and bananas on a regular basis, and I wear latex gloves for work throughout the year. I do believe it is prolong exposure to water related and not an allergic reaction, but I will look into an allergy test.

 

[Jack56]

Try wearing a pair of dress socks. Will keep your feet away from the boot, easier to put the boot on and off and might make them a little warmer. Would be interesting if the foot issue improved.

This is a good idea, I do get cold hands and feet while diving. I need to dive dry, I just need to work on learning the ins and outs of the dry suit. This would solve the foot issue, but not the hand issue since I can’t wear dry gloves. My feet do look horrible after a dive, they’re pruned and extremely delicate and pale. The skin almost looks dead until they dry out. Now that I am home they look and feel like plastic. It so odd!