Help! Wetsuit Irritation!

[coadavid]

Hey All,

I've been spearing/freediving a few years now, but only recently forked over the money for an open-cell (Picasso) suit. While I love it during the dive, the next day I get a TON (literally over 100) of these nasty, itchy pimple-ish things all over my body (esp. back of knees, small of back, upper chest & shoulders).

I used to use a bit of Aveeno Soap (oatmeal-based, VERY non-irritating) with water as lube, and have now tried conditioner/water. Both cause the same problem.

1st QUESTION: Is there a better lube to use that might help out?

My other thought is that maybe the problem is bacteria and I have a suit maintenance/washing issue. My method has always been to soak the suit in water with Wetsuit soap, then to rinse it well in fresh water, then to hang it dry. I do not, however, use an actual hanger (I hang it over a fence).

Changes I currenlty plan to make are to hang the suit on a hanger so as to keep it open, and to dry it both inside-out and "outside-out".

2nd QUESTION: Am I missing anything about the cleaning process? Should I use a disinfectant once in a while (such as Dettol)?

Thanks in advance, I appreciate the help.

 

[salibandy]

It sounds like contact dermatitis. I think you might be allergic to neoprene. Or at least sensitive to. Previously you had a lined suit, correct?

 

[samdive]

Hi

I used to get this, a lot, and found a solution that works most of the time.

After diving, fill the bath with warm water and add a few capfuls of Milton sterilising fluid - its what you use to sterilise baby bottles (might be called something different in the US)

leave the suit in the bath overnight and don't rinse it and yes, dry it on a hanger so the inside dries properly

I did this and don't often get the problem now, so I guess it was something evil living in the suit

other things that help - use talcum powder or an anti-itch powder on the rash if you do get it, rather than any creams or ointments, it goes away a lot quicker

once you find a lube that works, use quite a lot of it, I think some of the rash is caused by friction

best of luck, I seriously thought I was going to have to give up freediving a few years ago because of this but don't have much problem now

Sam

PS appparently its impossible to be allergic to neoprene as it is inert....

 

[salibandy]

Technically you aren't allergic to neoprene, rather the different compounds used to cure and harden the neoprene

 

[Macnaughty]

You could also use a bodylotion shaken up i water,- that way the skin absorbs any surplus, and I feel that it lubes just as well as soap/conditioner. OH and if possible don't pee in the suit, that can also really mess up the skin if you marinade in it.. if out for long periods consider installing a duckbill pissette to vent the suit while urinating..

 

[strangelove]

Coadavid

Does your has thermic insulation (I think it is called metalite) ? I have a similar problem when using my picasso with that type of filling.

 

[coadavid]

Coadavid

Does your has thermic insulation (I think it is called metalite) ? I have a similar problem when using my picasso with that type of filling.

Yes, mine is a "Thermic" model so I assume so. Do all Picasso suits have this filling?

 

[coadavid]

You could also use a bodylotion shaken up i water,- that way the skin absorbs any surplus, and I feel that it lubes just as well as soap/conditioner. OH and if possible don't pee in the suit, that can also really mess up the skin if you marinade in it.. if out for long periods consider installing a duckbill pissette to vent the suit while urinating..

Really? I've heard urine helps kill the bacteria because of the NH4 (ammonia) content. I could imagine it may not be easy on the skin. Seeing as I like to stay out for 3-4 hours at a time, not taking a leak is impossible. Perhaps I should pull the collar and allow a lot of fresh water in each time...

 

[coadavid]

Hi

I used to get this, a lot, and found a solution that works most of the time.

After diving, fill the bath with warm water and add a few capfuls of Milton sterilising fluid - its what you use to sterilise baby bottles (might be called something different in the US)

leave the suit in the bath overnight and don't rinse it and yes, dry it on a hanger so the inside dries properly

I did this and don't often get the problem now, so I guess it was something evil living in the suit

other things that help - use talcum powder or an anti-itch powder on the rash if you do get it, rather than any creams or ointments, it goes away a lot quicker

once you find a lube that works, use quite a lot of it, I think some of the rash is caused by friction

best of luck, I seriously thought I was going to have to give up freediving a few years ago because of this but don't have much problem now

Sam

PS appparently its impossible to be allergic to neoprene as it is inert....

Thanks for the advice. I currently don't put anything on the rash so as to allow the skin to breathe. Oddly enough it doesn't bother me much, it just looks awful.

As far as lubes, what's your opinion on using a powder? I've used "wet suit eeze" (a tiny expensive can of mystery powder) to get into a drysuit before. I'm guessing it's just Talcum powder though. Assuming my wetsuit is dry and I'm dry, theoretically talcum powder would work right?

Also, thanks for the sterilization tip, that should help a lot I imagine.

 

[dotey]

I use sent free hunting body wash as it is super concentrated so you dont have to use alot of it to mix up a good lube and i just mix it into a spray bottle and spray my suit down and i have never had this problem but just a thought i will try to find a link to the product but i get mine from walmart or gander mnt places like that

Walmart.com : Hunter's Specialties Scent-A-Way Liquid Soap, 32 oz. Bottle : Hunting

Here is a link to walmart for the soap i use and it works great and you wont smell like a fresh rose or what ever your conditioner smells like LOL i love this stuff

 

[Bill McIntyre]

I, along with many of my friends, use Unicure for lube.

Hair Conditioner

I don't know if it matters, but it is scent free and alcohol free and god-knows-what-else free.

But I suspect that just keeping the suit clean is what is most important. I used to try to soak it in expensive wet suit cleaners, but then you have to weight it to hold it under water and its time consuming. My present routine is to turn it inside out, lay it out on the tailgate of my truck or on the ground, and sponge it off with liquid laundry detergent or Simple Green poured on the sponge so that it is not diluted much. Then hang it inside out on a hanger, out of direct sunlight, to dry.

 

[coadavid]

I, along with many of my friends, use Unicure for lube.

Hair Conditioner

I don't know if it matters, but it is scent free and alcohol free and god-knows-what-else free.

But I suspect that just keeping the suit clean is what is most important. I used to try to soak it in expensive wet suit cleaners, but then you have to weight it to hold it under water and its time consuming. My present routine is to turn it inside out, lay it out on the tailgate of my truck or on the ground, and sponge it off with liquid laundry detergent or Simple Green poured on the sponge so that it is not diluted much. Then hang it inside out on a hanger, out of direct sunlight, to dry.

Bill,

Thanks yet again for your timely response

I'm going to order a bottle of Unicare, but which do you and your friends use --> Original (Retail) Formula or Classic (Salon) Formula?

Also, using simple green with a sponge sounds like an easy method. You rinse it off after, right?

- Dave

 

[Macnaughty]

Really? I've heard urine helps kill the bacteria because of the NH4 (ammonia) content. I could imagine it may not be easy on the skin. Seeing as I like to stay out for 3-4 hours at a time, not taking a leak is impossible. Perhaps I should pull the collar and allow a lot of fresh water in each time...

hmmm, few things soaked in pee seem to remain bacteriafree for long...;-) but seriously, yes - you can get a rash from it. Flushing is posssible, but if the water is really cold it will not be pleasant.
A duck bill pissette should not allow any water in the suit when not "in use", and gets rid of all the urine when you need to. They are not that difficult to manufacture yourself all you need is a scrap piece of neoprene of suitable size you can find instruction on the web quite easily.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

Bill,

Thanks yet again for your timely response

I'm going to order a bottle of Unicare, but which do you and your friends use --> Original (Retail) Formula or Classic (Salon) Formula?

Also, using simple green with a sponge sounds like an easy method. You rinse it off after, right?

- Dave

I guess I must use the Classic formula. My bottle looks like the one in the description of the Classic. I think you have to order it in cases of 12 bottles or in gallon bottles. I get the case since it seems my friends keep wanting to take some from me. I mix it approximately 50/50 with water in a spray bottle.

BTW, this stuff is almost like snake oil. A friend up in San Jose is the one who introduced me to it years ago. He said he and his friends bought a case and their wives liked it so much for their hair that they had to order another case for themselves. Another friend has a very large dog with skin problems, and he buys it by the gallon and says it works wonders on the dog.

Its rumored to cure cancer too, but I haven't verified that.

And BTW, if you are curious about that pissette that is being mentioned, the photo below shows what it looks like. I have a friend from Brazil who stops by here and dives with me on his way to more exotic places, and he has one. I made him pose for the photo.

Frankly, I don't know quite how you insert yourself in the first place. It looks kinky when guys are sitting around in the boat reading Hustler magazine before suiting up. And then I'm not sure I'd maintain contact once I got in the cold water.

But they seem to be popular in Europe. It might cause quite a sensation on a Southern California beach.

 

[coadavid]

Haha, maybe it will. I actually just got off the phone with Picasso USA and they game me a few wetsuit customization shops to try. I think I'll opt out on a pissette partially because I wear a 7mm and I certainly don't mind letting a flow of water in every so often. That should not only wash out the pee but also some of the bacteria-infested 98 degree water I'm sitting in for 4 hours.

 

[Bill McIntyre]

Regarding flushing- my boat has a salt water washdown pump, and when I get back in the boat, I just stick the nozzle down the neck of my suit and flush it through. At least I'm not marinating in the same brew all day.

And if its too challenging, I flush with my hot fresh water system, even though the flow is not as vigorous.

Its amazing how the water temp has fallen in the last few days. Last week I dove some coastal spots down here on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and the temp was 70. Yesterday I dove the same spots, and the surface temp was 61, with more like 58 at about 20 feet depth.

So I was flushing with the salt water, and then topping off with a shot of hot fresh water for comfort.

 

[strangelove]

Yes, mine is a "Thermic" model so I assume so. Do all Picasso suits have this filling?

No they don't only some models do, but with my case I am just going to ditch the suit. When diving in colder water I had less problems (but still had some hashes) but when the water is warmer, I red hashes all over specially on the chest area (I do take leaks inside the suit), but if that was the cause, I would think the worse areas would be around my legs.

Any case the good news is the "true" open cell does not have any type of cover, in fact based on what I've read in this forum they are actually warmer, and I don't have any skin problem with those (I have two other picasso suit without the filling) , hopefully that would your case as well.

The way I use my suit, is I put it on when I go in the boat to avoid sun burn, and I take it out when I leave the boat only, so it stays on the whole day.

Our skin problem cannot deal with the thermic ink (I assume it is ink), I would just sell that suit and buy one without the thermic filling. Picasso has several, but so the other brands.

 

[shaun.reid]

I have plenty of friends that have the same problem - Best solution is change back to double nylon suit - i know you miss out on comfort but at least after the dive you will look good!! Enjoy hope you find another solution!

 

[coadavid]

How about if I wore a 1mm Lycra "inner" suit?

I'd sweat my ass off (except during Winter) but I'd really hate to toss a good $400 wetsuit...

 

[shaun.reid]

I Think it has more to do with the hairs on your leg being agitated buy the sticky material -so I say Lycra might not solve the problem - do you know anyone with a Lycra suit? Give it a try. $400 seems like a waste!! Does the top half of your body react the same way??