Allergy issue: alternative Sport bands in the UK

[anez]

Apparently, my skin has decided wearing the rubber Sport band for 12-18 hours a day for the last month doesn't agree with it, and I have developed a small rash on my wrist (image stored off-site here*).

I've moved the Watch to the right arm for a day or two, but obviously swapping it back and forth is no long-term solution. I looked on Amazon today for replacement bands that might fit with the Sport, and found a few decent looking ones, but none will ship to the UK! They're US-only, it seems.

There are alternatives available for the SS version and even the 42mm Sport (leather loop, for example) but for the 38mm Sport version, there's nothing. Has anyone in the UK been able to order a leather strap online that doesn't have a steel metal connector? It's important to me that it match the body of the Watch. Something like this or this would be perfect.

Anyone?

*Note: the weird cut above my vein isn't self-harm, so nobody need worry. I was installing Velux blinds last week, and had a very lucky escape with a piece of sharp aluminum which grazed my skin right under the Watch band. And it just missed my vein, as well!

 

[Ecoh]

Are you allergic to the metal in the band or the rubber ? Could you try putting a piece of tape over the metal part that touches your skin ?

 

[anez]

Strangely, it's the rubber and not the metal. The rash is occurring where the folded-in tail of the strap ends, not where the metal clasp sits.

I figure it's maybe the rubbing of the tail-- or maybe it's the rubber in general, and will spread with continued use. I didn't have any problems before yesterday. My skin had been fine before that (I am not an allergy-prone person), so when I noticed it was itchy, I removed the watch, and saw the irritation.

This makes me even more annoyed that the Classic Buckle alternative for the 38mm version is the metal-attachment Modern Buckle, and not the no-metal Leather Loop you can get for the 42mm. My wrist is 5.5", so the 42mm was not really an option for me.

 

[Ecoh]

Could you have gotten something under the band that caused the irritation ?

I once got some fertilizer dust under a watch band and the skin under the band turned red and itchy.

 

[OneMike]

Reminds me of the Fitbit first version. I've seen some people experience similar.

 

[anez]

Could you have gotten something under the band that caused the irritation ?

I once got some fertilizer dust under a watch band and the skin under the band turned red and itchy.

I didn't notice anything, but it's possible. I've been cleaning it with handwash nightly since I got it (the same one I use for years, and no problems there), but it's not outside of the realm of possibility. Maybe it needs to be rinsed more thoroughly?

The rash is already fading, and I'll keep the Watch on the right wrist and loose for a couple of days before switching it back to the left and seeing if it reoccurs.

I have since found one band on Amazon that will ship to Europe-- but not until June, and with import and shipping duties, it'll be stupidly expensive for what it is. Unless this rash comes back, I'll probably wait a while and see if anything comes out that's shipping from inside the EU.

I've also been looking at the Click adapter-- it's the most super idea, but their site seems to only take credit cards instead of PayPal. I'm not overly enthused about handing over my CC details to a brand-new company, so I'm putting that idea on the back burner for now.

To be honest, this is the only thing that has made me reconsider whether or not it would have been better to buy the SS version. I love my Sport and in all other respects feel it was the right purchase for me, but this is very frustrating. I assumed there would be an equal variety of bands for both versions, and it seems I was wrong.

 

[fibrizo]

As an allergist, I'm a little skeptical that this is an allergic reaction to the rubber itself. Simply because the rubber does touch your skin in far more places than that. I'm not saying it's impossible, just unlikely given that fact. You should be breaking out in almost all the places the band touches.

If water/sweat gets trapped under the band, you could develop various fungal skin issues which could result in that appearance. One would need to do a skin scraping to tell for certain though.

 

[anez]

As an allergist, I'm a little skeptical that this is an allergic reaction to the rubber itself. Simply because the rubber does touch your skin in far more places than that. I'm not saying it's impossible, just unlikely given that fact. You should be breaking out in almost all the places the band touches.

If water/sweat gets trapped under the band, you could develop various fungal skin issues which could result in that appearance. One would need to do a skin scraping to tell for certain though.

That's very helpful, thank you. Perhaps I let water get in there when I was washing my hands? I'll try taking the Watch off more regularly and making sure my arm is dry in future!