Foot Pocket Pests

[Mermaid Mika]

Hey, so I'm really not sure where to post this, but I am at a loss of what could be going on. So lately I've been in my tail A LOT and I just got home and noticed that in addition to my usual blisters from the monofin (which seems to happen regardless of if I wear swim socks or not), that now I also have tons of extremely itchy red bug bites. The really weird thing is that they are all exactally along the lines of where the foot pockets are and on both feet. So whereever the straps met my foot I have a bump. 8 to 10 bites on each foot. I think that maybe after I washed my tail...and while I had it outside to dry that maybe something crawled into the tail and wasn't happy when my feet came back in? Or someone said it might be rash related? What do you think....

I'm super curious....has this ever happened to anyone else? I wonder what I can do to prevent it in the future. Besides maybe not bringing it out to dry and super checking before I get in it again?

Any thoughts?

[AniaR]

Its a rash. I get it too. Use Lysol wipes inside your foot pockets and you'll be better :) I have the exact same thing once in a while

[AniaR]

I swear its not bugs lol but I thought that at first too

[PearlieMae]

Are you sure they are bug bites? It sound like contact dermatitis, which is really a catch-all term for something irritating your skin. Perhaps whatever you use to clean your tail wasn't completely rinsed out?

I would wear some kind of barrier lotion and socks until you can get it figured out! Perhaps check with a dermatologist.

[PearlieMae]

And obviously Raina writes faster than me! :)

[Mermaid Wesley]

I had a rash recently that I thought was bug bites but then spread and stuff and turned out to be a 'contact dermatitis' aka a reaction. Still don't know why. But they look and itch just like big bites. It could be big bites too in theory, but if it is it should be a one time thing and I wouldn't worry.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[AniaR]

lysol wipes cured it for me. it's a combination of all the bacteria in there and the constant rubbing from the foot straps.

[Merman Arion]

You guys make me want to check my foot pockets so I can be sure that all is going well inside.
I didn't swim since ten days and my tail dried properly but it doesn't hurt to verify.

One more day till I get home in Paris and see my tail. I will try not to worry much :(

[Sherielle]

That's it. I'm all paranoid now. I'm getting Lysol wipes and cleaning the hell out of my tail, lol.

[Mermaid Mika]

So what do yall do about the INSANE itching?! I was wondering why the normal bug itch stuff wasn't helping...so this idea makes sense. But I'm not sure what to do instead.

[Mermaid Wesley]

You just deal with it -_- hydrocortisone helps if you go to a doctor and benedryl cream too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[AniaR]

Coconut oil or coritzone creme.

[Mermaid Mika]

I am going to be in my tail A LOT still, like every weekend almost all day each time. I'm going to try the wipes and I've been cleaning my tail every Monday with baking soda too. Any thoughts with dealing with the bumps in the meantime? How long do they take to go away?

[Mermaid Galene]

Mika, I have trouble with itchy dermatitis from several different causes. Sombra Cool Therapy gel really relieves the itchiness for me:

http://www.amazon.com/Sombra-Cool-Therapy-Natural-Relieving/dp/B00168BU5E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1409104813&sr=8-2&keywords=sombra+pain+relieving+gel

[AniaR]

Mine went away in 2-3 days once I started wiping out my foot pockets before every use and putting cream on. I'm in my tail 6-8 times a week at this point.