I seem to be developing a latex sensitivity from the dry suit seal. I don’t have any problem on my wrists, just the neck. Does that sound strange?
Paddled on Sunday and my neck is red and has small welts, perhaps hives on it. I have been careful of late and am using a silicone lubricant on the neck to prevent chafing.
I suppose it could be the silicone but have never heard of that bothering anyone.
Any ideas or suggestions?
Suz
def be worth it to call a Md…
might might not…could be a rash from colder wether + irratation from sliding the latex edge against your skin…
i get that…
What Kind Of Silicone Lubricant?
– Last Updated: Nov-21-06 1:35 PM EST –
I use the 100 percent grease. It's the only thing that allows me to wear a latex neck gasket. Otherwise, I would have to give up my drysuit and winter paddling. No... Wait... I have my 6/5/4... Very warm and, yes... very sexy.
sing
remote possibility…
This probably isn’t the problem, but something to check out:
On Saturday I wore my drysuit and part way through the day I had a red area on my neck that was absolutely killing me. My friend took a look, and what had happened is that the latex was actually fairly low on my neck, and what had created the irritation was the neo over-cuff. Because the latex was low, the side-seam on the over-cuff had been rubbing against my bare neck. I worked the latex up higher on my neck and by the time I took off the river, the redness and soreness was gone.
I have the new style Kokatat that has the turtleneck-like neo neck that is supposed to protect the neck gasket. Where the side seam is stitched doesn’t feel that harsh to my fingertips, but apparently it can really be irritating on soft neck skin!
Hope you figure it out and work out a solution.
Cheers
latex seals…
Aw Suz, maybe yer jest turnin inta a redneck 
Try talcum powder
Baby powder ot talcum powder my help or solve it.
Many baby powders are corn starch with perfume.
Silicone Grease
Sing,
I’m using what I think is the same stuff you game me a few years ago unless they changed the formula. I bought from Leisure Pro:
http://tinyurl.com/yfnlrh
Maybe it is the silicone.
Suz
Hardly!
I’m doing so much better nowadays! The front yard is all cleaned up and most of the boats are in the garage!
Suz
Not that
I have owned this suit for a couple of years and have always had issues with chafing which is why I use the silicone grease. W/O the grease, I get raw.
Suz
Something to try
My better half gets a rash around her waist in the summer from her sunsuit (She’s had malignant melanoma twice, so lotsa SPF and sun protective clothing is the order of the day), and also in the winter from the layers under her drysuit.
It’s actually diaper rash from being sensitive to your own sweat being trapped against the skin for hours — same thing a latex gasket does. She slogs on some desitin cream beforehand, and it seriously minimizes the rash. I don’t know what it would do to a latex gasket, but it might be worth investigating.
Wayne
Same here
A couple of years ago I cut a tiny ring off the top of the neck gasket to improve comfort. Unfortunately, the gasket now has just enough room that it moves around and chafes. To make things worse, the neoprene cover chafes because the neck gasket sometimes goes slightly below it. I have a short haircut and I think the cut hairs in that area aggravate the chafing, too.
No, I’m not gonna grow my hair long. I’ll replace the neck gasket within the year and keep it tight and high.
try anti-histamines
(take this advice with a minor dash of salt as I’m not an MD)
If it works, you may have a latex allergy or hives. As someone who’s developed pressure induced hives, claritin or loratidine (sp?) work well to prevent welts from tight latex. If it is an allergy, you will probably get the same response on your wrists. Good luck.
Phil
similar
make sure everything’s clean. I have the same sensitivity and this summer I got awful hives from a suit that wasn’t washed after the last outing…but I even get minor ones sometimes from a clean suit. My doctor saw a rash (no pun intended) of wetsuit induced hives this season.
Found the real culprit yesterday
I thought it was weird how the neoprene overcollar only chafed one spot raw, always the same location.
When I took a closer look at it, I found a tough, discolored spot that felt like dried rubber cement. Earlier this year I had patched a small slit in the neck gasket with–yup–rubber cement and a bike patch. I must’ve dripped a tiny bit on the top of the overcollar. I asked my husband to examine and feel the same tough spot (without telling him what I thought it was), and said, “Feels like glue.”
Now if only I could remove the cement without damaging the neoprene.
trying shaving
oops
I see you’re a gal
cancel that last thought
If talcum powder
Get the unscented kind. And yeah, given that I occassionally get minor pressure hives from some elastics, the combo of that and a regular dose of antihistamine before paddling might turn it around. That kind of reaction can sometimes be inhibited by stopping it from happening in the first place for a while.
Easy Enough To Find Out…
Rub some on your neck at home and see what happens. I suspect it’s not the silicone. Pretty inert stuff (outside the body).
Your latex rash is like mine, around the neck. Most of this from constantly getting hit by waves and rolling alot which actually does rub the skin of the neck into the gasket (or vise versa).
If it is allergy to silicone AND latex… Boy (Girl), you have a choice… Give it up for the winter, or get your self a good wetsuit and combine with semi dry top using neo gaskets. I’ve tried that combo late last winter and almost overheated though (probably because I had a .5 mm neo under the wetsuit). I took the top off and was fine. So, different combos can give you adjustability.
BTW, serious, my new Excel 6/5/4 wetsuit is really pliable. I was out in the surf for about 4 hours last weekend. Didn’t hamper me a bit…
sing
Before Silicone Grease…
I tried that. Didn’t work for me because it didn’t last out in the surf. Washed off pretty quickly.
sing