A couple of years ago I got into diving a little more seriously and hence spend a lot more time with a snorkel in my mouth. Initially I was using a cheapish snorkel which worked perfectly well. Some time (many months) afterwards I noticed that I had a very sore bottom lip - it looked almost like cold sores. The skin had peeled off in spots and they were very sensitive, made eating a curry torture !
The winter came, my diving dropped off and the lips improved. Summer arrived then mysteriously I notice my lips getting 'those sores' again....A few trips to doctors & between us we finally work out that it is friction of the snorkel rubbing at the ????? membrame on the inside of my lip. Good to finally find out the cause but how to fix it ??
Firstly I caked the mouthpiece of my snorkel with vaseline. This helped a bit but the sensitive areas of my lips were still being rubbed. I did some research & bought a Beuchat snorkel as it was reportedly the most comfortable mouth piece on the market. This also helped but the soreness would not repair. I have been using this snorkel for ~12 months now & things are still not improving and is actually getting worse with more diving...I've resorted to caking the mouthpiece with vaseline again to find some relief.
I've tried using a more relaxed grip with my lips on the tube but not sure if this helps - I always ended up with a mouthful of water.
Has anybody every experienced this or anything like this before ? Anyone have any ideas on what I can do to alleviate the symptoms ?
...I am really hoping to enjoy a curry again without torturing myself !
any thought greatly appreciated
The winter came, my diving dropped off and the lips improved. Summer arrived then mysteriously I notice my lips getting 'those sores' again....A few trips to doctors & between us we finally work out that it is friction of the snorkel rubbing at the ????? membrame on the inside of my lip. Good to finally find out the cause but how to fix it ??
Firstly I caked the mouthpiece of my snorkel with vaseline. This helped a bit but the sensitive areas of my lips were still being rubbed. I did some research & bought a Beuchat snorkel as it was reportedly the most comfortable mouth piece on the market. This also helped but the soreness would not repair. I have been using this snorkel for ~12 months now & things are still not improving and is actually getting worse with more diving...I've resorted to caking the mouthpiece with vaseline again to find some relief.
I've tried using a more relaxed grip with my lips on the tube but not sure if this helps - I always ended up with a mouthful of water.
Has anybody every experienced this or anything like this before ? Anyone have any ideas on what I can do to alleviate the symptoms ?
...I am really hoping to enjoy a curry again without torturing myself !
any thought greatly appreciated
