Bad Rashes after wearing wetsuit

[roughwater]

Hi,

My wife has this problem that most of the time, after wearing neoprene wetsuits she comes out in a really bad rash / hives (itches like crazy) with big red welts that takes days to go away. (Mainly on the legs)

She's tried wearing stockings underneath which has helped, but recently even that failed on her.

Does anyone know what could be causing this, or a good solution? Has anyone come across this before?

Thanks & Regards

Adam.

 

[tonka97]

Hi,

My wife has this problem that most of the time, after wearing neoprene wetsuits she comes out in a really bad rash / hives (itches like crazy) with big red welts that takes days to go away. (Mainly on the legs)

She's tried wearing stockings underneath which has helped, but recently even that failed on her.

Does anyone know what could be causing this, or a good solution? Has anyone come across this before?

Thanks & Regards

Adam.

Here is a link to DocViking's contribution on SB on this subject:
Neoprene/Latex allergy?! [Archive] - ScubaBoard

Neoprene - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This info from wiki may be useful:

"Some people are allergic to neoprene while others can get dermatitis from thiourea, a compound used to vulcanize rubber into neoprene which can be left over after the manufacturing process."

Thiourea: "Toxic. Known animal carcinogen and probable human carcinogen. May cause irreversible effects. May affect fertility. May be fatal if swallowed. May cause allergic skin reaction. May cause skin ulcers, liver damage."
Safety (MSDS) data for thiourea

Perhaps another brand of wetsuit? Henderson is the cat's meow for me.

 

[robint]

1. are they rental suits? I think they are like sharing someone else's underwear. Ewwwww.

2. neoprene allergy, most likely. Get a nice dive skin to wear under the wetsuit, then between dives get out of the wetsuit... limit her time exposure to the neoprene and see if that helps. Most people I have met with this problem do these two things and they work.

3. skin bends, rash is a symptom.

 

[The Chairman]

I agree with RobinT... try a skin. They are thicker than hose.
Also, I told you NOT to pee in your suit for a reason!!! (Only kidding here).

If that doesn't work check with Connie at WetWear. They use only NATURAL rubber and not the synthetic stuff. It's called RubaTex and it MIGHT solve her proble. Maybe Connie can send her a piece of it to tape to her skin for an hour or two. Don't forget to tell her where you heard about this!

FWIW, I dive one of her suits, and it makes using a wetsuit fun again for me.

 

[kiltdiver]

my fiance had the same exact issue when she was on her check out dives with a rental suit. she got her own suit and has not had any issues at all. you can check and see if she has any skin sensitivity to cleaning solutions that a shop uses but doesnt completely rinse out too, then again they may not be rinsing them after someone returns it after they pee'd in it too.

 

[Hawaii Eco Divers]

This same thing happened to me the first multiple times I dove! I found that vaseline helped temporarily, but that also eats away at the wetsuit...

I wrote a blog post talking about all my suggestions for wetsuit rashes!
http://hawaiiecodivers.com/blog/wetsuit-rash/

 

[flyboy08]

I can't wear neoprean...if in contact, I itch like there's no tomorrow....but! Claritin will alleviate the itching. I wear Sharkskin but mostly dive warmer waters and only in shorts and a rash shirt.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Since it's mainly on the legs it could be diaper rash. Does she pee in her suit? As someone who worked at a dive shop for a lot of years and had to wash thousands of rental wetsuits I can attest that urine does not rinse out during the dive.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

I was decompressing from a cave dive and decided to pee in my wetsuit like I had done 100's of times before. I thought I took a DCS hit. Immediately after peeing, I had a histamine reaction. Big, itchy, red welts appeared from head to toe. My ex-girlfriend had told me the reason she doesn't pee in her suit is because she gets a bad rash. I called her and she told me to take Benadryl. Within an hour or two of using the medication all welts were gone and I was fine. Now, whenever I need to pee, I flush the suit like crazy and I always feel a bit scared to let a stream go. I have no idea what perfect storm came together to have caused that.

 

[jerrwhy01]

It could possibly be Pressure Urticaria. My wife has this issue; it's basically an allergic reaction to pressure that causes rashes, itching, hives and it mainly affects her from the waist down. Skin tight clothing can be a real issue.