Neck seal question

[Alexitt]

Lately my neck seal has been giving me what feels like a raw red rash under my beard and looks like a hangmans rope burn. It's fairly painful for a few days then heals up enough to dive again, one dive generally doesn't cause a problem but after 2-3 it starts to bother me. It's an older Oneil neoprene but the seal appears fine and doesn't seem to have any bad spots that would cause the chaffing. Don't bother suggesting latex as I have a severe allergy to it... What I'm wondering is will vaseline or some other lubricant harm the neoprene or is there some type of product that will help because I REALLY don't want to go back to a wetsuit.... Any suggestions or advice would be most appreciated (except shaving off the beard, even my wife of 29 years has never seen my face nekkid)

[cardiver]

Lately my neck seal has been giving me what feels like a raw red rash under my beard and looks like a hangmans rope burn. It's fairly painful for a few days then heals up enough to dive again, one dive generally doesn't cause a problem but after 2-3 it starts to bother me. It's an older Oneil neoprene but the seal appears fine and doesn't seem to have any bad spots that would cause the chaffing. Don't bother suggesting latex as I have a severe allergy to it... What I'm wondering is will vaseline or some other lubricant harm the neoprene or is there some type of product that will help because I REALLY don't want to go back to a wetsuit.... Any suggestions or advice would be most appreciated (except shaving off the beard, even my wife of 29 years has never seen my face nekkid)

KY jelly.......

[Burntchef]

or seal saver if you could find it, i went to 3 shops and didnt see any.

[Dusty2]

You could try the Apollo Bioseal It's a silicone ring you put around your neck to prevent the seal form coming in contact with your neck. Vaseline or any petroleum product cannot be used on neoprene or latex for that mater.

[Alexitt]

Thanks... I could probably find some ky around here somewhere... Do any of the shops up north here carry the bioseal? or is it something best ordered online? And I figured the petroleum based products probably weren't a good idea but I had to ask just in case I was wrong...

[Blaiz]

owwie like this? try lots of baby powder or KY jelly, and sooner or later you'll get a gorgeous callus on your neck like mine

and i don't have a beard to hide it under!

[cardiver]

owwie like this? try lots of baby powder or KY jelly, and sooner or later you'll get a gorgeous callus on your neck like mine

2010_0722cameranew0004.JPG

and i don't have a beard to hide it under!

Good to know (about not having a beard).....

[Blaiz]

owwie like this? try lots of baby powder or KY jelly, and sooner or later you'll get a gorgeous callus on your neck like mine

2010_0722cameranew0004.JPG

and i don't have a beard to hide it under!

Good to know (about not having a beard).....

yup... that's what my tweezers are for!

[Pinkpadigal]

You may have an allergy to latex. You could also replace the latex seal with a neoprene seal.

[Tangfish]

I am allergic to latex (let the jokes begin). I confirmed it with a blood test. For some reason, neoprene seals irritate my neck more than latex ones do. Anything rubber-like is likely to irritate me though (let the jokes continue....)

[LCF]

The Underwater Sports at 104th and Aurora has bioseals. They work quite nicely under neoprene seals, even though they feel like a nasty alien creature is wrapped around your neck.

Another suggestion would be Bag Balm. I use it under my latex seal when I get seal burns.

[-Aaron-]

I used to use conditioner to help keep my neck from getting a rash.

I recently switched to body glide (http://www.bodyglide.com/#/products/anti-chafe). It is made for runners and triathletes and looks something like a clear deodorant stick. So far it seems to work well. It is less messy than conditioner and seems plenty slippery. If you have a local running or triathlon store you might check for it there.

[whatevah]

Lately my neck seal has been giving me what feels like a raw red rash under my beard

I guess the first question I'd ask is, what changed? Have you gained or lost weight? Changed the way you trim your beard? Has to be some reason for this problem to suddenly arise - maybe you can isolate it and address it directly.

[Nwbrewer]

Perhaps - http://www.waterproof-usa.com/pdf_doc/W ... -SEALS.pdf

[Waynne Fowler]

A bio seal will eat your neckseal up in pretty short order. And neo seals are sorta spendy to put on and you'll be giving your suit up for a while to get it done. Who asked "what changed?" That's where you should start. This is the first time I've heard of this kind of thing while using a neoprene neck seal though.... Hmmmm... Most of the people I've known who've had this problem (myself included) have solved it by A) switching to Seal Saver (if you can't find it PM me... Our shop has TON'S) and/or B) (this cured it for me) makeing sure their hoods neck did not fit so tight it wouldn't allow the neck seal to move under it, making it drag across the neck every time they/I turned their/my head.

[John Rawlings]

Lately my neck seal has been giving me what feels like a raw red rash under my beard and looks like a hangmans rope burn. It's fairly painful for a few days then heals up enough to dive again, one dive generally doesn't cause a problem but after 2-3 it starts to bother me. It's an older Oneil neoprene but the seal appears fine and doesn't seem to have any bad spots that would cause the chaffing. Don't bother suggesting latex as I have a severe allergy to it... What I'm wondering is will vaseline or some other lubricant harm the neoprene or is there some type of product that will help because I REALLY don't want to go back to a wetsuit.... Any suggestions or advice would be most appreciated (except shaving off the beard, even my wife of 29 years has never seen my face nekkid)

One question and one suggestion....

Question: Have you lately been diving with more than one buddy at a time? The reason I ask this is because with more than one buddy divers find themselves in the situation in which they are see-sawing their head right and left in an effort to maintain visual contact with all of their team-mates. I find that if I dive with one buddy this problem does not arise. If I dive with more than one I will inevitably get the beginnings of a rash such as you describe from moving my head back and forth. Your "new" issue just might be that simple.

Suggestion: Drop in at REI and pick up a small can of "Body Glide". Bike racers use it to protect their inner thighs from friction, and it will do the same thing for your neck. It rolls on much like a deoderant and will not harm your neck seal. You need to remember to put it on BEFORE the dive, since once the rash starts it is too late.

- John

[Waynne Fowler]

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you."
I just read that for the first time.... That's hilarious! Made me laugh for the first time today! Thanks!!!!!

That's an interesting observation about the team configuration and moving ones head more.... Nice!

[Norris]

+1 for seal saver. I had dives where this was becoming an issue and since I have been shown this it has changed everything. Just before slipping my head through I put some on my finger and just lube the inside of the neck seal along the top and about 1.5 inches in depth. Make sure to get good coverage. Also make sure you are rinsing your suit well; I believe salt crystals will chew the hell out of your neck regardless.

[renoun]

I think I have correlated my neck seal rash/abrasion with extended surface intervals where my neck dried out and salt crystals chafed my neck.

[lavachickie]

Oh boy, I can just hear the jokes now when you bust out the CostCo size of KY at the dive site. Along those lines, any latex-safe personal lubricant would work. But how will this effect the integrity of the seal to keep you dry during the dive?

I tried the powder to ease the donning of the wrist seals. What a mess.

I've never dove more than two days (2-3 dives per day) in my drysuit, and at that point I had a red line but it wasn't bad. Let's see what four days in the Channel Islands looks like.

[Alexitt]

One question and one suggestion....

Question: Have you lately been diving with more than one buddy at a time? The reason I ask this is because with more than one buddy divers find themselves in the situation in which they are see-sawing their head right and left in an effort to maintain visual contact with all of their team-mates. I find that if I dive with one buddy this problem does not arise. If I dive with more than one I will inevitably get the beginnings of a rash such as you describe from moving my head back and forth. Your "new" issue just might be that simple.

Suggestion: Drop in at REI and pick up a small can of "Body Glide". Bike racers use it to protect their inner thighs from friction, and it will do the same thing for your neck. It rolls on much like a deoderant and will not harm your neck seal. You need to remember to put it on BEFORE the dive, since once the rash starts it is too late.

- John

Actually now that you mention it I have been diving with 2-3 others more often than not lately, strangely enough right around the time this irritation started so that makes a lot of sense... And I'll take that suggestion of the "Body glide" that sounds like just the ticket and see how it works. I wasn't too keen on the idea of gels or another layer around my neck like the Bioseal. Thanks Everyone for the suggestions!!

Oh, and I too love your sig line... So true, so true...

[Alexitt]

owwie like this? try lots of baby powder or KY jelly, and sooner or later you'll get a gorgeous callus on your neck like mine

2010_0722cameranew0004.JPG

and i don't have a beard to hide it under!

Good to know (about not having a beard).....

yup... that's what my tweezers are for!

Oww!!

[Dashrynn]

I am allergic to latex (let the jokes begin). I confirmed it with a blood test. For some reason, neoprene seals irritate my neck more than latex ones do. Anything rubber-like is likely to irritate me though (let the jokes continue....)

What do you use for a neck seal then? The dui zipseal with silicone seals?

[whatevah]

Actually now that you mention it I have been diving with 2-3 others more often than not lately, strangely enough right around the time this irritation started so that makes a lot of sense... And I'll take that suggestion of the "Body glide" that sounds like just the ticket and see how it works.

I've used Body Glide under my triathlon wetsuit and it works well to prevent chaffing. But I hear that many deodorant sticks will work just as well. Maybe you can save yourself some hassles and some $$. Wait a minute - I'm an REI member and I get dividends - Body Glide is the only answer - slather it on before every dive! Tell all your friends about it!

[John Rawlings]

One question and one suggestion....

Question: Have you lately been diving with more than one buddy at a time? The reason I ask this is because with more than one buddy divers find themselves in the situation in which they are see-sawing their head right and left in an effort to maintain visual contact with all of their team-mates. I find that if I dive with one buddy this problem does not arise. If I dive with more than one I will inevitably get the beginnings of a rash such as you describe from moving my head back and forth. Your "new" issue just might be that simple.

Suggestion: Drop in at REI and pick up a small can of "Body Glide". Bike racers use it to protect their inner thighs from friction, and it will do the same thing for your neck. It rolls on much like a deoderant and will not harm your neck seal. You need to remember to put it on BEFORE the dive, since once the rash starts it is too late.

- John

Actually now that you mention it I have been diving with 2-3 others more often than not lately, strangely enough right around the time this irritation started so that makes a lot of sense... And I'll take that suggestion of the "Body glide" that sounds like just the ticket and see how it works. I wasn't too keen on the idea of gels or another layer around my neck like the Bioseal. Thanks Everyone for the suggestions!!

Oh, and I too love your sig line... So true, so true...

Yeah....that realization "dawned" on me one day after a few days diving with a couple of friends, one of whom had a reall "talent" for straying. I spent so much time twirling my head around looking for him that I felt like Linda Blair! I also ended up with a neck rash.

The following week I dived with just one buddy and....voila! No rash!

- John