Am i allergic to my board?

Question

i have a soft top surfboard and whenever i use it, my thighs, knees, and even the tops of my feet get really bad rashes, and the skin gets all raw and oozey and it really hurts (sorry if that was too much info) but why does that happen? And when i use a fiberglass board im totally fine? What's up with that?

Answer 1

i would say that you are probably not allergic to your soft top board, only because if you were, you have noticed this type of reaction earlier, since the material is used on things other than surfboards as well.

if you have really sensitive skin, that may be the cause.

do you wear anything while you surf? rash guard? wet suit? it could be the combination of your skin being particularly sensitive to the material and the drying characteristic of salt water. if it only happens when you use a soft top, that would be my best guess.

Answer 2

It could be a couple of different things.  

Most likely scenario is it's friction between your skin and the board.  Less friction on a glass board.  Get a rash guard  (or a wet suit) and see if that fixes things.

Soft tops can hold water, which means they can also hold all the c**p that's in the water.  If you've been surfing in an area with drainage run-off, you may have some bacteria trapped in the material of your board.  That could be causing more skin irritation.  Like I said, though, it's more likely just friction.

You could  trying to wax your board too.  In theory that's supposed to create more friction, but in this case it will be good.  The most likely problem is there's friction enough to catch at your skin, but not enough to hold you in place, which is why you're getting rashed up.  The wax will keep you put, so there will be less sliding around on your board, therefore less friction.

Answer 3

Probably irritation from rubbing against the board although there may be a slim chance that you are sensitive to the material that is made out of.  Wear a rash guard.  You could also try to find one of those lotions that creates a protective layer, although

i am not sure how long they would hold up in water.

Answer 4

same thing happens when you bodyboard without a rashguard so you should get one because the combination of the material does that.  fiberglass doesnt do this because your skin kinda just slips off the board

you might wanto also wax your soft top if you dont have a rash guard or wetsuit

but your not allergic to your board