Painful Peeling Hands and Feet After Diving

[aquacat8]

I am not a dermatologist, but I am a cosmetologist.

 

[aquacat8]

Of course I must recommend that you should talk to a real dermatologist about this.

 

[Valyngar]

Now that you showinh new pictures, they don't look like dermatitis eczema at all. Just skin peeling off like snake. Probably just because of long time in water your skin peeled like that. I would just give it time not worry about.

 

[tracydr]

This sounds like a great idea. Thank you again for your time!

I have been racking my brain lately and it dawned on me... I realized that during the last two trips I was getting cold towards the end of each dive. I did purchase a new hood before my March trip that may not have been snug enough, although I wasn’t getting as cold then as during my most recent trip. Which may explain why my hands fell apart once I got home to a colder climate. My new hood seemed to have stretched even more and I had a lot of water flushing in and out that was trapped at the base of my neck. I had to even turn a dive because I was getting cold. I’m not sure if this contributes to my skin problem, but I am wondering if it is a circulation issue due to the cold... it could be a combination of things .

I am looking into a semi dry, I have been diving wet and haven’t entered the dry world just yet. Although I think I must if I want to continue diving in such climates!

I will look into a thin barrier for my hands just to keep them from ripping, and someone here mentioned dress socks in booties. So thankful for everyone’s knowledge here, it has been a dark place wondering if this could keep me from doing what I love!

Sounds like it could be a type of trench foot. Cold,wet conditions to the extremities.
If that’s the case then I suspect that diving day will fix the problem by allowing you to layer and keep your core warmer,plus your feet would be dry. Would be curious to see if your hands are better when the rest of you is dry.
I have dishydrosis,it doesn’t really look much like this although the conditions are certainly conducive for it. Stress,cold and then very dry climate after being wet. I used to get it badly in Colorado and winter plus swimming plus busy school schedule was a guaranteed rash inducer. Even worse in college,super high stress,Northern Iowa swimming and running outside all winter I had a time with it. Wool socks and gloves did seem to help.
I suspect a dry suit will make a big difference once you figure out the liner you need for the water temp and dive lengths.
You sound like a very experienced diver. The dry suit should only take a dive or two in a local quarry to figure out.

 

[Jack56]

Sounds like it could be a type of trench foot. Cold,wet conditions to the extremities.
If that’s the case then I suspect that diving day will fix the problem by allowing you to layer and keep your core warmer,plus your feet would be dry. Would be curious to see if your hands are better when the rest of you is dry.
I have dishydrosis,it doesn’t really look much like this although the conditions are certainly conducive for it. Stress,cold and then very dry climate after being wet. I used to get it badly in Colorado and winter plus swimming plus busy school schedule was a guaranteed rash inducer. Even worse in college,super high stress,Northern Iowa swimming and running outside all winter I had a time with it. Wool socks and gloves did seem to help.
I suspect a dry suit will make a big difference once you figure out the liner you need for the water temp and dive lengths.
You sound like a very experienced diver. The dry suit should only take a dive or two in a local quarry to figure out.[/QUO

Thank you! I am looking into a dry suit. Thank you very much for your time.

 

[Jack56]

Now that you showinh new pictures, they don't look like dermatitis eczema at all. Just skin peeling off like snake. Probably just because of long time in water your skin peeled like that. I would just give it time not worry about.

Yes. Just saw a dermatologist and she suspects it is Aquagenic Wrinkling of the Palms and Feet. It’s very rare, of course.

 

[Jack56]

I wonder what would happen if you tried some sort of barrier. This sounds like more of a hypersensitivity reaction than a true exposure to a noxious substance so you probably don't need anything elaborate; what if you tried some form-fitting dishwashing gloves, taped to your forearm with Blenderm or other non-porous medical tape, under your drysuit cuff? Just an idea. I ran this past one of our attending physicians who's an expert on marine life and water-related injuries and he was puzzled as well.

Best regards,
DDM

Hello Duke, I saw a dermatologist at UPENN today. She suspects it is Aquagenic Peeling of the Palms. It is very rare, mostly seen in those with CF. Which I do not have, but they want to screen for it anyway. She recommended Aluminum Chloride cream to be applied two weeks before a dive trip. This should make my pores smaller, which will make my hands and feet hold on to less water. It is prescribed for those with sweaty palms and feet. I am hoping this will work. It is a complete bummer, there doesn’t seem to be a cure. This could explain why I had the issue as a child, I must have had his rare condition my whole life and since I’ve been in water so much lately it is reemerging. I was also taking Naproxen before my last two trips and she believes this could have exasperated the condition.

I will post again after my dive trip in February where I will be doing my full cave, I will be in the water for much longer then (yikes)

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

That's very interesting, thanks for sharing your diagnosis. Will put that in my bag of tricks.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[Tamara SS]

Sorry about the peeling. I am also suffering from this condition but for the first time. I was in Zanzibar. I stopped diving Tuesday afternoon, but then had two hyperbaric chamber dives Tuesday and Wednesday. Friday evening my fingers started peeling. I read an article called Diver's hands regarding compression divers. The article said that it can last a couple of weeks. I'm not looking forward to this. I followed all the rules, but ended up almost dying from decompression sickness or illness. I'm getting better slowly, but this skin thing is new. I will have my husband ask the hyperbaric chamber doctor about it.

 

[tcherna]

Jack56, your pictures are exactly what I get after every dive trip. I was diving fine for a while, but I guess it has been 5-10 years now that after yearly trip, my finger tips get somewhat numb and feel puffy / calloused, and then the outer skin peels and underneath is cracked, wrinkled and very sensitive. Takes about a week for the condition to start and then lasts about two weeks.

My dermatologist wasn't sure. I'm not sure if it is Aquagenic Peeling, since that description seems to have the spots and plaques developing right after water contact. The paper on saturation diving is much closer, strange that there has been no more info since that article from the 1990s.