Every race I get an abrasion on the back/side of my neck, where my wetsuit rubs against the skin. And suggestions on how to prevent this? I’m thinking of putting duct tape on my neck. Any better ideas?
I use body glide.
It’s worked the past 3 years for me quite well.
A few suggestions:
-
You may be in the wrong model or brand of wetsuit for you ie it may not be the best fit for you. If it’s too loose or too tight at the collar/neck you will have some problems.
-
You may be in the right suit but the suit is not fitted to you properly to swimming in it. Make sure that it is really hiked up at the hips and that you have the arms fully pulled up.
-
As other’s have suggested, try using something like BodyGlide.
Thanks for the suggestions. By coincidence, I have a nineteen wetsuit. But I had the same problem with my last one which was a different brand.
I use Bag Balm instead of Body Glide, works great.
Body Glide.
I think bag balm has pertoleum jelly (vasoline) in it. If so I think that can be hazardous to your suit.
A thick coat of body glide helps as does getting a T-1. I had an Oraca Predator that was a real neck eater.
Is the suit fittng you tight at the neck or is it loose? With the suit on, when you hold your arms out in front of you parallel to the ground, does the rubber around your collar-bone crumple up or does it stay smooth and flat to the skin? Have you tried using something like BodyGlide?
Nice with my new T1 I no longer have the neck issues.
Dave
Bodyglide is the treatment.
T1 suit is the cure.
First of all I just ordered the T1, hopefully that issue will be over with.
Last couple of years I used duct tape. Worked great, just shave the back of your neck a bit.
I use Pam cooking spray all over, including on my neck. I also use Vaseline on my neck because I have gotten nasty wetsuit rash and I’d rather shorten the life of my suit than put a hole in my neck. That said, I’ve been using the same Orca Predator 2 for almost 4 years, and the small amount of Vaseline used only on my neck hasn’t done any noticeable damage. The Pam spray helps get the suit on and off, as well as helping it sort of slide into place and not interfere with my swim stroke.
Obviously if you can manage without the Vaseline you’ll probably increase the lifespan of your wetsuit, but it sounds like with that abrasion the suit isn’t working as well as it could. I’ve found that Bodyglide works well for some areas, but didn’t have enough substance to it to actually protect in a really high friction area.
Hmmm… now you have my wondering if my wetsuit is too big. Abrasion is an understatement to what I experienced at Cali. I had a huge, nasty wound on the back of my neck. I wasn’t using body glide though, so I’ll try that to see if it helps.
Jodi
i will say it s about 99% chance you will get your neck wreak without body glide in any kind of fullsuit. You really have to put on body glide before a race… and put a lot!!! to not put any is comparable to riding your bike without air in your tire… you will wreak the rim for sure…and it wont be fun!!
i had no problem in AZ last week, i put a lot of body glide and it work perfectly with the Frequency nineteen
I suffered a bloody neck wound during a half ironman in a wetsuit that “used” to fit. I was 10 lbs overweight at the time and the wetsuit was just a wee bit too small. Also, there may have been a little velcro involved as well. I didn’t notice until the next day when I discovered a huge scab on the back of my neck.
I’ll add some discussion because I have 3 different wetsuits … T1, Orca Apex, and IM … and have never had any neck problems at all. I wonder if the brand of wetsuit is really the issue at all. I do use bodyglide liberally on my neck but thats all I’ve ever done. I do roll up the wetsuit strap and place it under the neck seal as that will rub my neck if it just floats free as I swim. Are you also adjusting the neck seal on the suits that have them too tight. I see people with the big neck hickies … almost always on the back of the neck … just not an issue I’ve had.
Dave
I had the same problem around my neck and armpits with my QR Hydrojohn. Body Glide solved the problem.
I tried body glide, Pam and vaseline and still get the wound.
With your arms out, is the suit supposed to lay flat or crumple?
3 suits. Which one do you like best. I’m assuming you have just upgraded your selections and kept your older ones. I went from a IM Instinct to a DeSoto T1 First Wave and love it. The two-piece design does take some time getting use to taking off (especially for wetsuit strippers), but is amazing in the water.
“With your arms out, is the suit supposed to lay flat or crumple?”
According to our fit protocol, it should not crumble. It should lay flat across the upper chest.