Question about drysuit fit

[Phrenzy]

I currently dive with a DUI CF200 drysuit. When I bought the suit around a year and a half ago, I had someone at the LDS fit it to me and cut the neck and wrist seals. The fit of the suit is pretty good and I have no issues with comfort, but I am having trouble with the neck seal.

In the past, at the end of a dive I would occasionally end the dive with a raw neck. After I came up to the surface I would notice a red line across my neck. This doesn't happen with every dive, just once in a while. When it happened, I would think about trimming my neckseal, but then I would forget about it and not do anything.

Last night I did a dive and the sensation on my neck was the worst it has ever been. I did a mad dash to my car so I could get out of my drysuit and make my neck feel better. This morning I took a look in the mirror and my neck looks like someone tried to garrote me in the night. I have a deep, dark red line across the front of my neck. It is just in the front, nothing in the back.

I dive with a wing, back plate, and a steel HP120 and I usually dive with a 40cu sling bottle on my left side. Does anybody have any ideas how I can take care of this issue?

[paddler3d]

Are you sure your not having some reaction to the latex or something you put on differently that day? A tight neck seal feels like it is choking you and you'd know. It would be more than just uncomfortable. Sounds like you've been having quasi allergic reactions. I used to get a rash if I had shaved the day I wore my dry suit. Another time I had a bad one, it had just changed shave cream. Seals do wear out. If they are 1.5 years old, trim off one more ring, if it works it works, if not you're not too far off from needing to replace the seals, unless you've taken unusually good care of them.

[Gombessa]

Sounds like a classic latex allergy, or contact dermatitis(?). It happened to me when I got a new neck seal too, but has been getting better as the seal loosens over time. When the seal was new, I'd also get the "sometimes you get it, sometimes you don't" phenomenon and really don't know when/how it will strike.

I've found that applying seal saver, KY jelly or body glide to the contact area after donning the seal helps a lot - liberal amounts directly to the neck. I also try to wash the seals better after each dive, with some mild soap, in order to get rid of any residual salt crystals from the water that may be abrading the skin when they get trapped between your neck and the seal.

[ligersandtions]

If none of the tricks above help, you may consider going to a neoprene neck seal. I never had issues with my latex neck seal (granted, I only did about 10 dives on it before I replaced it....bought used and was seeping enough to justify replacing), but I absolutely love my neoprene neck seal.

It's supposedly warmer (don't know how much truth there is to it), but I find that it's less constricting and seals at least as well - I also wear the Apollo Bioseal between my skin and the neoprene neck seal and it works very well.

[Dr Neil]

Do you use a powder on your neck or the seal before donning? It sounds like a contact reaction.

Do you get the same reaction on you wrists?

I would hesitate trimming because it may cause leaking.

If you have zip seals, take the seals off the drysuit. Wear the neck seal for an extended period of time. (Watch TV etc.) Check it periodically to see if you have any reaction.

[AbyssalPlains]

Sounds like drysuit rash to me. Seriously, I get the worst rash after only a couple of dives. I look as if someone tried to strangle me for an entire week after diving my drysuit. To the point where the other divers in the group see me in the morning, stop in their tracks and ask if I'm alright. And I'm not just talking a red line, I'm talking bleeding and scabbing. I'm sure it's not a reaction to the latex, because I have no problem whatsoever on the wrists nor have I ever experienced problems with latex gloves (I used to work in a lab years ago). I have trimmed my neck seal enough that I'm hesitant to trim it any more. The only thing that helps me - a little - are ample amounts of Astroglide or some other lubricant that I apply before the dive. I've been seriously considering replacing my latex seal with a neoprene one.

[Gombessa]

I'm sure it's not a reaction to the latex, because I have no problem whatsoever on the wrists nor have I ever experienced problems with latex gloves.

Same here, rash/bleeding/scabbing on the neck, but absolutely no reaction to wrist seals or latex gloves. Regardless of what it is, cleaning the seal and using some kind of lubricant seems to help in my case, and it's gotten less frequent after about 20 dives on the seal.

[mdb]

I currently dive with a DUI CF200 drysuit. When I bought the suit around a year and a half ago, I had someone at the LDS fit it to me and cut the neck and wrist seals. The fit of the suit is pretty good and I have no issues with comfort, but I am having trouble with the neck seal.

In the past, at the end of a dive I would occasionally end the dive with a raw neck. After I came up to the surface I would notice a red line across my neck. This doesn't happen with every dive, just once in a while. When it happened, I would think about trimming my neckseal, but then I would forget about it and not do anything.

Last night I did a dive and the sensation on my neck was the worst it has ever been. I did a mad dash to my car so I could get out of my drysuit and make my neck feel better. This morning I took a look in the mirror and my neck looks like someone tried to garrote me in the night. I have a deep, dark red line across the front of my neck. It is just in the front, nothing in the back.

I dive with a wing, back plate, and a steel HP120 and I usually dive with a 40cu sling bottle on my left side. Does anybody have any ideas how I can take care of this issue?

Phrenzy: Many drysuit divers have found that the bio-seal will solve your problem.

Apollo Sports: Dive Gear: Bio Seal

[ligersandtions]

Phrenzy: Many drysuit divers have found that the bio-seal will solve your problem.

Apollo Sports: Dive Gear: Bio Seal

The bioseal is great....I love mine and would be sad if I ever forgot it at home.

However, it is known to break down latex seals faster....so I would suggest using it only with a neoprene neck seal (that is, unless you are looking for an excuse to replace your latex neck seal....in which case, the bioseal may be able to break it down faster for you ).

[Phrenzy]

Thanks for all the input guys. I really didn’t consider a latex reaction. But I am not completely sure that is the cause.

I have remembered some more info that might shed some more light. Compared to the original wrist seals, the neck seal is in much, much better shape. When I first bought my drysuit I was either not told or I didn’t remember how to care for the seals. (I lean towards the latter; the folks at my LDS are very, very helpful. Yay Lighthouse Dive in Seattle!)

Anyway, the wrist seals were in bad shape, so I replaced them. While learning about how to replace the seals, I learned how to take care of them. So my last dive and the dive that caused this reaction was only the 3rd dive after using UV tech on the seals. I may have been somewhat liberal on the amount I applied in hopes to rectify my transgressions of the past.

What is the likelihood of my neck having an issue with the UV tech? Also I usually dive later in the evening and there is a decent amount of five o’ clock shadow. Maybe the hair growth and/or the more sensitive skin is making this more of an issue.

My original suspicion was that maybe my straps were misadjusted and causing my tank and BC to ride differently and causing greater stress on the front of the neck seal.

At any rate, thanks for the advice and I try out some of your tips.

@ paddler3d: It didn’t feel like chocking until the end of the dive. Not a hands around my neck kind, but an sensation of irritation and a desire to get out of the water and get this off my neck. I had thought about a trim, but I figured I look at all my options before I do something irrevocable.

@ Gombessa: I had also thought about using some KY jelly. I have some after a failed attempt to make wetsuit gloves easier to put on for a 2nd dive of the day.

@ligersandtions and mdb: Thanks for the tip. I’ll have a look and see if a Bio-seal might help

@Dr Neil: No, I didn’t use a powder. I have on occasion. But I don’t have any data on whether the dives I did use it were more or less ‘rash’ prone. I’ll be more diligent and see if that is a solution. I have never seen a reaction on my wrists. I would tend to use the powder more often on my wrists than my neck. I agree, I am hesitant to take a sharp object to this problem by trimming the seal. No zipseals yet, unfortunately.

@AbyssalPlains: That sounds rough. Mine usually looks kind of bad for 12 or so hours. But this one is still looking rough 24 hours later. I have never had any allergy issues in the past, but maybe the daily scraping with a (sometimes) sharp knife makes my neck more sensitive. I’ll give the lubricant a try.