Severe soft tissue infection, presumed related to rental wetsuit

[Joaz Banbeck]

...The skin of his butt was heavily covered with ugly, red, angry-looking pimples and pustules...

Judging from the location and your description, it could have been dermatitis herpetiformis, aka celiac rash. ( It is very difficult to stay gluten free while traveling. )
Did he have it on elbows or knees?

 

[drl]

Would it help to wear your own dive skin if you have to rent a wetsuit? A skin takes little space to pack and dries quickly, and is a layer between your skin and the wetsuit.

 

[KathyV]

Judging from the location and your description, it could have been dermatitis herpetiformis, aka celiac rash. ( It is very difficult to stay gluten free while traveling. )
Did he have it on elbows or knees?

Nope, just his butt - he looked like the picture of health otherwise. I checked him out surreptitiously while we were all hanging out in the departure lounge.

 

[KathyV]

Would it help to wear your own dive skin if you have to rent a wetsuit? A skin takes little space to pack and dries quickly, and is a layer between your skin and the wetsuit.

I think it would help, it would reduce contact, moisture, and chaffing - but that is just my opinion.

 

[Schwob]

I'm in! Seriously, it sounds like an easy study to do,....

Well,
after the "easy" lab experiments and evaluation, when you get that larger grand to research the "hard part", the correlation between lab results and real live conditions, that's where I can expertly help you in determining if those various cultures behave identical or aberrant during various dive expeditions - north and south of the equator of course to cover all possible parameters that could lead to variations...

 

[KevinNM]

I'm in! Seriously, it sounds like an easy study to do, I just left academic medicine about 15 years ago, so don't have lab access any more...

Get a bunch of squares of different wetsuit material, get a bunch of standard cultures, try saline, soap, Steramine, Vikron, etc...

While in vitro results don't necessarily correlate with clinical disease, it's a start!

Walk down to the ED and they can get you something to culture if it’s anything like our ED. Nurse mentioned to me that pretty much all the abscesses they see are MRSA.

 

[outofofficebrb]

Well...It took me a while to get the courage to click and then read the post and then even more to read through all the posts. I did this allllllll with my legs crossed.

I'm definitely more concerned about picking up athlete's foot on a boat or dodgy hotel shower.

YES. That’s what my cheap Old Navy flip flops are for.

Would it help to wear your own dive skin if you have to rent a wetsuit? A skin takes little space to pack and dries quickly, and is a layer between your skin and the wetsuit.

I’m no expert here but my guess is not - it’s not a complete barrier. It seems liquid like water and solids as in viruses and bacteria can go through between the weaving.

So....i never thought much about this whole wetsuit thing until now. And now i never want to rinse in a communal dunk ever again. Ayeeeeee

 

[Schwob]

....And now i never want to rinse in a communal dunk ever again. Ayeeeeee

^^^
THAT!

 

[Dogbowl]

Basic question here...is Woolite or Tide safe for washing wetsuits?

I know you’re not supposed to store wetsuits in the sun but I suppose an hour of direct sun exposure after it’s already dry wouldn’t hurt? As a previous poster noted, UV kills germs.

 

[Peter69_56]

When dunking isn’t an option I wonder if Dettol diluted and in a small spray bottle would be workable and just target the groin and axilla areas. From previous threads I know some dive shops use this in their dunk tank and according to their product info it does kill MRSA.

For me it could prove useful when in locales with concierge service and they handle the wetsuits between dive. Until now I have used the what “I don’t know can’t hurt me” option.

I have used Dettol to wash my wetsuit and boots, kills the bacteria and kills the dead body smell from the boots. Hasnt seemed to have had any adverse effect on the wetsuit or boots.