Gloves are irritating my hands.

[LaserBrain99]

I wear the Trooperbay latex rubber gloves.  After a few troop events in those gloves, they started to smell.  Based on the advice here, I soaked them in vinegar.  That cleared up the smell, and I started wearing them with silk glove liners underneath.  

 

A few months and 10-15 troops later, the day after a troop, the backs of my hands are red and itchy and a little bumpy.  Kind of like a case of poison ivy. The gloves weren't particularly smelly, not like before. The first time this happened, following the advice from my local garrison, I filled the gloves with a baking soda and water mixture and soaked them overnight. That might have helped a little, but a couple of troops later my hands were red and irritated again.  

 

Has anyone here run into this before?  What did you do?

[Locitus[Admin]]

ALWAYS wear glove liners of cotton or lycra inside the rubber gloves.

[TK 2759[501st]]

A lot of us use cotton gloves purchased from the dollar store.

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

You may have one of two things going on, Dan...  You may have either an allergy to the latex material (common) or getting some sort of heat rash.  The liners will certainly help, but for everyday trooping you may want to go with a different style of glove.  I only use the rubber ones on canon events, as it is simply too hot to wear them in the Florida heat/humidity, but I found a pair on ebay (yes... I know).. that are truly awesome.  They have a thin leather palm, (good for gripping) and a cloth top.  They fit tight, (I can pick up a coin), but breathe really well.  The best part is that the base is longer than regular gloves and fits nicely up into my forearms, eliminating the gap than can occur and expose your wrist.  Here is the link if you are interested: ----------

Edited March 9, 2022 by gmrhodes13
link removed no longer working

[LaserBrain99]

I do wear glove liners.  I've been using silk glove liners since I had the smell issue about 6 months ago.  

 

I've never exhibited symptoms of a latex allergy before, but I can't recall the last time I've really been exposed to it.  That could be it, I guess.  Would the latex cause a reaction through the silk liners?  

 

Those leather/Nomex flight gloves look pretty nice.  I think I'll give them a go.  

[manxtrooper]

I think it sounds more like a heat rash, it's up to you to decide if it happening bothers you enough to change and indeed how severe the rash is and how long it takes to go.<br><br>

It could be your gloves are too tight.

[LaserBrain99]

After a few google searches, I don't think it's heat rash.  It happened after a chilly night event a few weeks ago. Temp was in the low 40's (6-7C).  The symptoms are similar, but the symptoms don't appear until ~24 hours later.  

The gloves aren't too tight.  

[manxtrooper]

Oh that does sound different then, symptoms wouldn't be delayed with a heat rash.<br><br>

Just strange given that you're wearing inner gloves but maybe whatever reaction you're having assuming it's the latex is getting through.<br><br>

Don't know what to suggest other than changing gloves for the Nomex as you say.

[LostinNV[TK]]

It does indeed sound like you are possibly starting to develop an allergy to Latex. For the best precaution you might want to pay a visit to your family doctor and inquire about testing. I work for a fire department and we have removed any and all latex products from our inventory COMPLETELY!!!( some years ago infact). As we were exposed to latex sometimes constantly there were multitudes of fire and EMS workers along with others in every facet of medical professionals that have started to develop an allergy to latex. I have a friend that nearly had his career ended because of his allergy, luckily the department had just recently started to expand it's code enforcement and investigations division and he just recently retired as a very highly thought of fire investigator. Another that I used to work with had an allergy so bad that all she had to do was be in the same room with a balloon that was popped and she would have an anaphylactic reaction. She could not even wear clothing with elastic in it as it is mostly a latex based rubber. Needless to say she carried an Epi Pen with her at all times. NOW with all of that being said, none of it is meant to stir up any panic. Latex allergies are very prevalent. Make an appointment with your doctor and explain your symptoms to them and ask about latex allergy testing. This should not be downplayed by anyone. The glove liners are a great idea but you might want to think about stopping using them and not expose yourself to any other latex products.    just my $0.02       good luck

[LoveMonkey[501st]]

After having the same problem with the latex (hot, bad odor, etc.) I decided to follow the advice here and buy those gloves from Ebay.  I used them this past weekend on a troop and they were great.  Breathed really good and no smell.  I could even use my smartphone before I got suited down.  I would absolutely recommend these for everyday troops!

[MrMumbles[TK]]

Buy some Nomex flight gloves. They look great and you can use touch screens. And they don't make you sweat.

 

 

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

Just a thought that occurred to me while reading through the thread, is that perhaps you've developed an allergy to the silk liners. Have you talked to a doctor about it yet? Very curious to hear if this has been resolved, and how.

[Warkicker]

Dan,

 

You've gotten some excellent advice on this thread. At the very least, it sounds like you are suffering from allergic contact dermatitis. If the reaction was delayed, this is a type IV hypersensitivity which is commonly due to the chemicals in the manufacturing process of latex. Most, but not all, true allergies to latex itself are due to antibodies formed against proteins found in the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) and are type I sensitivities which are systemic. For safety sake, it may be worthwhile to get allergy tested to make sure you are not developing a type I sensitivity as this is not anything to mess with, as Ely emphasized. 

 

As it were, Tim also has a good point as silk allergy is more common than you think. You might ask your doctor to test you for this as well.

 

I see both allergies in my profession but latex by far is the more prevalent and dangerous of the two.

[LaserBrain99]

Yes, great advice here.  

Next time I see my doctor, I'll get tested for a latex allergy.  

 

I did my own test recently.  I found a box of latex exam gloves in my lab, so I put one on my left hand for about 20 minutes as I did a few tasks.  The next day, my left hand was itchy and redder than my right hand.  Not nearly as bad as after a 2+ hour troop, but noticeable.  I can't quite say I've confirmed a latex allergy, but it's looking pretty likely.  

 

I bought a pair of those Nomex & leather flight gloves.  They're quite nice. I'll keep the Trooperbay latex gloves around for my Centurion application, but I'll use the Nomex gloves for trooping.