Contact Dermatitis

Discussion in 'Boatbuilding' started by Charly, Aug 14, 2014.

  1. lewisboats
    Joined: Oct 2002
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    Location: Iowa

    lewisboats Obsessed Member

    The dermatologist said I was sensitized/alergic to epoxy... funny though... the only reaction I have ever had was to the patch they stuck on my back. I have developed mild Psoriasis over the past couple of years but I have always had various skin problems since I was a kid. I still use epoxy and still manage to get some on me regardless of the protections and still don't have any specific reactions to it. Peculiar!
     
  2. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
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    Location: Eustis, FL

    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    I've noticed most that have significant sensitivity, also have had some skin issues previously. I mentioned this to a buddy who's so sensitive to certain types of epoxy, he will not even come into the shop. He said he doesn't have skin issues, but his heavily pot marked face suggested he's forgotten about his teenage years.
     

  3. Petros
    Joined: Oct 2007
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    Location: Arlington, WA-USA

    Petros Senior Member

    I have two pieces of experience that may be of interest to you:

    Rashes on my lower legs; starting back when I was in my twenties, I would get small dry skin patch on my legs, sometimes taking weeks to clear up. I used to do a lot of backpacking, diving and other outdoor sports and just assumed I pick something up some where, after a hiking trip with lots of mosquito bits it got worse for a number of days, and than eventually clear up. Each time I showed it to a Dr. during regular check ups they would give me a steroid cream to rub on it, eventually it would go away. As I got older they would get bigger, sometimes would crack and bleed, and persist for many days or weeks. They always formed from below the knee, and seemed to have no reason for when they would show up and go away. after one got infected I decided to see a real dermatologist, rather than the insurance approved GP. He took one look at it and knew it was from my varicose veins. As I got older the circulation in my legs was degrading and it was causing the infections, and why it was so slow and difficult to heel from minor scratches or the bug bites, made it look like a rash. Otherwise it never hurt or caused any other issues, which is why it never occurred to me. Both my parents had varicose vein surgery, eventually I had to also. Using ace bandages, kept it from swelling, and regular lower leg massages helped clear it up (rubbing all that cream on my legs before I thought was working, but it was the rubbing that helped the circulation and not the cream that made it go away). Eventually I had surgery to remove the damaged veins the problem went away. Modern methods make this a minor out patient treatment, they go in orthsocpically under local anastesia (I watched the whole procedure on the sonogram). I drove back to my office from the treatment without the damaged veins, and only a few small band-aids on my legs. A far cry from the very invasive and destructive stripping they used in my parents days (recovery took 4 to 6 weeks!).

    The other is with contact dermatitis on my hands. I have been working on motors, bicycles, handling tools, solvents, fuels and lubricants since I was about 11 or 12 years old. I worked on many cars in high school and collage (buying non-runners, fixing them and flipping them at a profit help pay for about half my collage). the center of my palms had developed dry patches that would crack, when it was bad it would spread to all the creases. In hot dry weather it seemed to get worse, even bleed. At times it was so painful it felt like I had a pin cushion in the center of my palms whenever I picked something up or grabbed a handle or something. I learned to ignore the pain because it happened so often. I eventually I found if I used some heavy hand lotion on it it would keep it from cracking, but it never went away. When I had some jobs that did not leave me much time to work on old cars it would clear up. But as soon as I had to do a major dirty/greasy job like change a clutch or swap an engine, it would come back. I eventually stated using the protective hand cream and light disposable gloves with the coated palms (I do not care for the mechanics gloves, too costly and stiff, and the latex ones, too easy to damage), and used heavy duty hand lotion ("working hands" "udder cream", etc) regulary it controlled it pretty well. But when working with small screws, nuts and bolts and tiny parts, bare fingers are much faster with less dropped parts. It appears to be exposure to petroleum products that causes it. fortunately I do not have to handle greasy auto parts daily anymore like I did when I worked in a repair shop in collage, and if I am diligent on using the barrier cream and cleaning up after, my palms stay clear. One thing that is interesting, unlike my leg lesions, my hands never get infected. Nor any of the many many cuts and nicks on my knuckles and fingers I get working on engines. I suspect the petroleum products will not allow bacteria or germs to take hold and grow, so I have never gotten infections on my hands (much the way Vaseline, aka petroleum jelly, stops infections).

    I built one fiberglass kayak in high school (38 years ago), of course when you are that young you never think of using protective gear. I went to bed all itchy for a month, nothing seemed to make the itch go away! I never wanted to touch fiberglass again, and pretty much have not (other than some minor patching). I have built some 20 or more small boats, either all wood, or skin on frame. Anything to avoid fiberglass and epoxy! No more itching. Glad I stayed away from it, for I know of many other builders that had to sell off their projects because they became so sensitized they could not even enter their shop any more, let alone finish their boat.

    good luck
     
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