at first notion i thought it was poison ivy. it wept, oozed and itched like hell.
upon deep afterthought, i recognized it was being caused by the duct tape
(o'er my blister). my achilles is red as a radish and swollen to the point where i'm now sporting chacos on a fall new england day.
enough said.
has anyone else had this experience? is my body chemistry changing or are they making this s*** with some ridiculously potent chemicals that are causing a major reaction?
got insight?
appreciatively~
leslie

Are you allergic to latex? I know it's way more expensive but there is Leukotape and other options. Get something for skin.

If you placed the tape over a blister it is possible the blister has become infected. See a doctor. it could be serious.

Dr. Cox had that problem with duct tape too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP_YHa7V7d8

My guess would be that it is the adhesive that is the issue, rather than the tape itself. (Adhesives often contain all kinds of nasty volatile compounds).

Or perhaps the adhesive is just a petri-dish for other infections.

I agree with the suggestion of using Leukotape or the like which is intended for skin contact.

i use strapping tape (rigid leuko type tape) in my day job as a therapist and have found that many people are allergic to the zinc oxide which is meant to be the active ingredient in the adhesive

as a result we routinely use another hypoallergenic tape underneath - something like hypafix or urgoderm or therafix- it is usually white, very light and thin but doesnt stick very well

my current preference however for covering hot spots on my feet is a tape called kinesio-tape or K -tape - it is stretchy, very thin and hypoallergenic (apparently and i have not come across someone who has reacted to it yet) - it stays on better than other tapes and generally doesnt roll off easily and because of its elasticity contours well to toes and sides of feet

i recently watched glenn from gossamer gears vid on "whats in my pack" and was surprised to see that he packs it

good luck and dont put any tape on your skin again - it is generally not a once off

nick

thanks all! your input has been entirely valuable.
lesson learned the (itchy) way. leslie

Hi Nick

I've used a white teflon-coated tape (only thing written on it is 'BSN Medical Product') that looks like Hypafix for hot spots & blisters.
It works well due to low friction surface but does tend to roll - which then creates a pressure-line, as well as exposes the edge of the hot spot.

Was searching where to get more Hypafix & came across this post.

You mentioned you prefer kinesio-tape or K -tape - I looked this product up & if I've found the product you were talking about (eg http://www.primemed.com.au/Kinesiology_Tape_s/56.htm?gclid=CP-dwfufwbICFfBUpgodIzEAQA) then it doesn't seem to create the important low-friction top surface.

I'm hoping you can comment on this low-friction aspect.

Marc

The adhesive in duct tape definitely can cause immune system reactions. There was the amusing (and peer-reviewed) article some years ago* that duct tape over planter's warts was as effective as the standard treatment (applying acid for a few weeks). The theory is that the irritation and reaction caused by the duct tape mobilized the immune system to that location and cleaned up the warts. It wasn't 100% effective, more like 50%, but that equaled the gold standard treatment at a much lower cost and much greater accessibility.

*my wife is an MD and so the magazine rack in the bathroom is full of New England Journal, Annuals of Internal Medicine, etc.

In my own professional work (environmental engineering), I have found that the chemicals in tape adhesive vary widely from manufacturer to manufacturer and differ as the product ages. Also, clearly, we each have individual sensitivities to toulene and other volatiles used in those adhesives.

My mom has had an allergy to adhesive for years, noticeable when she's been in the hospital. Several years ago I used a stick-on back patch for some back pain, and ended up with a weepy, itchy rash where it had been; now I'm also allergic to all sorts of adhesive tape, even the paper tape. About the only safe one I've found is the clear plastic film they put on over IV sites to keep the IV catheter in place (available in rolls from medical supply places). There are some bandaids made with that as well, luckily for me. Even the fabric bandaids now seem to give me a rash...