Is the wetsuit you use petroleum based or limestone based neoprene?
I have no idea. The wetsuit I'm currently using is Polosub Forza Tre, 3.5 mm. Do you know if Polosub uses one of those?
Maybe you're allergic to your urine. Do you pee inside your wetsuit? If so, you can try installing a pissete to it.
Also, you can let it soak overnight in a baking soda solution and then throw it in the washing machine for a delicate cycle. That would kill the bacteria.
As a lubricant, I use a shampoo/water solution (1:20 ratio or less) and let seawater into the wetsuit as soon as I get in.
I don't pee in my suit anymore. I ordered my current suit with a pissette and have never peed in this suit.
I gotta say, my wetsuit is pretty darn clean. I wash that thing good after every dive and air dry it inside out completely. The suit smells and feels brand new. I washed it last week more thoroughly (just in case) by hand, gently scrubbing with detergent. Still this past weekend it caused a lot of itching.
The lubricant I use is Slippy, which is supposed to be non-allergy causing.
My last wash I let soak in my usually Slosh cleaner.
Thank you for the suggestions.
You may be interested in trying some of the wetsuits that are specifically teargeted for people with Neoprene allergies. I don't have personal experience with them but I've heard that they do work if you get the size correctly.
Take a look at these brands:
Sharkskin
Lavacore
Fourth Element
Thank you for the suggestions!
I did look into each of those companies since you posted them. The Sharkskin I have some experience with since I have a tank top of theirs. I used it prior to help with warmth (on a thinning wetsuit). That said, I don't remember it causing any itching when I had it on in that area. So yes, that brand or barrier works. However, even though I'm in Hawaii, I tend to get cold easily and using the Sharkskin on its own would be too cold. I would need a suit that's full body and at least 3 mm. Unfortunately they don't offer that. Also, putting on and taking off a suit with sharkskin was very hard. The skin is meant to simulate a sharkskin so it worked against me in one direction.
Lavacore and Fourth Element are similar in that they do not offer a suit with full body that would include a hood. Fourth Element comes close, but no hood. I'm also a little concerned about any one piece full body that may require a zipper since I've had cold experiences with those in the past.
Since my last dive this past weekend, I've noticed that it takes a few hours for the itching to kick in. I'm not itchy in my suit or just after I take it off. I'm starting to wonder if something is giving me dry skin, which would be causing the itch and not an allergy. Anyone have issues with dry skin after a dive? Does anyone include moisturizer in their lube?
