Neoprene Related Rash

[seaangel]

I have had a similar problem develop for the second time. The first time I had been diving over a weekend at our local lake was wearing my Scubapro 0.5 Titianium skins and 3m wetsuit. I rinsed them off to get the sand off, and they did not get completely dry over night I wore them again the next day. By the evening I had a
few red spots on both of my arms nothing much though. I used Cortisone cream and it cleared right up.

I was diving again this weekend both days, using the skins and a 7/5 Henderson Hyperstrech suit, water temp is colder we were doing deep dives, and on Saturday I did rinse off again and laid them out on my deck to dry, but again the skins inside were still damp and felt kind of slick. Well, by late afternoon I had a few red spots on both arms. By last night their was a patch on each arm just below my elbows, on the inside, and just above on the biceps, with a new spot on my shins. No where else, but they itched like crazy. I put on more cortisone and took a benadryl cap before bed. The spots are better this am. But, not completely gone.

I am wondering if since this never occurs when I wear the skins and they are fully cleaned and dried if it is something in them from the lake or it is the skins themselves. I have worn them in saltwater and this has not happened before. I also worn just my 3m without the skins with no problems like this. I don't think it the neoprene, I am wondering more if it is that silverlining inside that is the culprit.

 

[jg488]

Wow, I'm so glad I found this message board. I'm experiecing a similar problem. I live in St Thomas, USVI and I just got certified to dive.
While taking the diving course, we used neoprene wetsuits. The first time I wore it, I had no problem. The second time, I developed a rash on my arms and chest the next day. Very itchy, looked like poison ivy. But I dismissed it as a heat rash, even though I didn't get very hot that day. The following week, I dove again and the day after, the rash returned but much worse. Very itchy, coverning all of my arms, chest, stomach.
I saw a doctor the next day and he put me on prednisone pills, saying cortisone cream wasn't nearly strong enough. Has anyone out there heard of a reaction so severe? The rash went away after 3 days.

Now I want to keep diving, but I definitely want to avoid that rash! I understand that it will keep getting worse the more I'm exposed to the offending substance.

The plan now is to get a test from an allergist to find out exactly what I'm allergic to, then get a suit that doesn't have that substance.

I should say that I'm prone to allergic skin reactions - I can get them from mangos, poison ivy, heat rashes.

I'd appreciate any comments.

Josh