Rash under mask

[beth_castroll]

All-

After 5 days of diving in Roatan I developed a rash along the inside of my mask area.
The rash has swollen my eyes and is in my ears and nose. I went to a dr here in the states who claims it's a coral rash but it doesn't look like any pics I've seen.
Any clues?

 

[scubafied]

You should post this to the dive medicine forum with some pictures and you will get some more enlightened responses. That being said I am not a doctor and suggest you seek the counsel of a dive physician as opposed to a regular doctor.

I personally have a hard time believing that its from coral unless you were rubbing your face in the stuff or set your mask down on some while in the water (maybe transference in the dive bag between equipment?). Was it rental equipment? If not I would check your mask for bite marks or mold. Cockroaches are notorious for not only carrying plenty of nasty germs but they have an appetite for silicone mask skirts. Mold can start to grow rather quickly inside a masks skirt while in the tropics. The possibility that you are having some kind of reaction to something on the mask skirt or used in the mask (no-fog solution?) is pretty good.

Again, not a doctor so take all of the above as speculation at best.

 

[beth_castroll]

I didn't see a dive medicine forum (link.) , but I think you are on to something. I was using spit the first few days to de-fog. The boat has some kind of soap as de fogger and someone cleaned my mask for me on the night dive. I do have sensitive skin and soap allergies. I tried taking a pic but it only shows slight redness not the rash acnd swelling.
dr gave me hydroxyzine, Zyrtec and a steroid lotion.

 

[Diver0001]

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