A question about drysuit seals

DryGear · Sep 30, 2008

Got my OW and AOW this summer, been hitting the water as much as possible and the more I get out there the more I love it.

I dive a White's drysuit with latex seals and when doing multiple dive per day I get a very irritated neck, soo much so that it can even scab and looks/acts like a burn (resembles a failed hanging). If I'm only out for a single dive I don't notice anything and as far as I'm aware I have no latex allergies, I've had a fair amount of practice with latex *cough**cough**nudge**nudge*

I'm just wondering if this is a case of the seal being too tight (I'm not choking or anything) or if this is a common problem with latex seals? Should I be going to the expense of having a neoprene neck seal installed or is there something I can do to prevent this? (insert KY joke here)...
:headscratch:

String · Sep 30, 2008

KY wont help - its a water based lube that only helps easy donning/doffing.

You could try a barrier cream such as dermashield ( Derma Shield - Derma Shield; the ultimate skin protectant™ ) which will help.

Other than that remember to rinse the INSIDE of your seal as well as out after a day of salt diving as tiny salt crystals form and get abrasive on the inside from the sea and sweat.

Other than that i find if ive shaved my neck that day it hurts like hell so i dont bother that morning and i get much less of a rash.

almitywife · Sep 30, 2008

what about a talc??

for my seals i use a non fragrance talc i bought from a hairdressing warehouse

goodluck

D_B · Sep 30, 2008

Try a little K-Y Jelly on your neck (no joke)

Or water soluble silicone spray on the seal

scubadobadoo · Sep 30, 2008

String:
KY wont help - its a water based lube that only helps easy donning/doffing.

You could try a barrier cream such as dermashield ( Derma Shield - Derma Shield; the ultimate skin protectant™ ) which will help.

Other than that remember to rinse the INSIDE of your seal as well as out after a day of salt diving as tiny salt crystals form and get abrasive on the inside from the sea and sweat.

Other than that i find if ive shaved my neck that day it hurts like hell so i dont bother that morning and i get much less of a rash.

What he said exactly.

But scabbing? Wow. I have never seen that. Allergy maybe. Too tight maybe. Salt could do it. The shield should help but shouldn't be needed, even if you shave, to prevent scabbing for crying out loud. Seriously though, scabbing? Ouch. That's not normal. I hope it gets better.:depressed:

String · Sep 30, 2008

Ive had the scabbing. Its not pleasant.

fairly common here to keep your suit on for 8-9 hours at a time on a standard diving day. A few days of that sort of abrasion and i get similar issues.

Edit:- Forgot about these: http://www.apollo-europe.com/bioseals.html

The neck seal may well stop it. Its a very soft material.

White Knight · Sep 30, 2008

Drysuit Talc helps me. Yes, it washes off, but it does stay under the seals for a long time--even while under the water. I put "a lot" on my kneck and wrists before I put on the drysuit suit.

fdog · Sep 30, 2008

Use SealSaver.

It's what the manufacturer reccomends to extend the life of the seals (I can confirm it really works in this regard), and I believe it helps prevent the "failed hanging" rash. I usually never have the rash, and my wife isn't so lavish in the use of SealSaver as I am, and it happens to her a lot.

All the best, James

Flightlead · Sep 30, 2008

I have the same problem. I find that if I shave really well that morning it is greatly reduced. what prevents it almost completely, to where I can get several days of solid diving in with only minimal irritation, is to spray the inside of the seal with a mist of diluted dish soap. I do this on my wrist seals too, its great for helping the seal slide easily into place. plus its much better for cleaning out the P valve than ky

D_B · Oct 1, 2008

Note: Seal Saver is a water soluble silicone

A question about drysuit seals

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