Solo Loop Burn

[nanogirl21]

I was wearing my watch with the silicone solo loop yesterday. I felt an unpleasent sensation, so I removed my watch and this nasty burn was on my wrist. Little blisters bubbles also started to form. Has anyone experienced this before? It's been about 24 hours and the blister bubbles are gone, but the burn is very painful and the mark is a lot darker. I charge my watch overnight so I'm not wearing it 24/7, the band is not tight at all, and I make sure it is dry after I wash my hands. I'm not sure what to do. The burn is only on the underside of my wrist not on the top where the face of the watch is.

 

[7thson]

So I’m not a doctor, but I am an EMT. This looks and sounds like a mild chemical burn. While the band is the obvious culprit, there might be a compounding factor. Things to consider are:
-is wearing an Apple Watch new to you? If not, what other bands have you used? And did they produce a similar result? Is this the first time you’ve used this band?
-do you use lotions? Hand sanitizers? Are they scented?
-do you have any allergies/sensitivities to perfumes or fragrances that could be in soaps or lotions?
-what were you doing prior to noticing the discomfort. Chemical burns can take hours to manifest in a rash if the exposure was mild.
I don’t know for sure how the silicone elastomer bands are manufactured but there is a possibility that there is some residual oil or some other release agent from the molding process left on the surface. A good wash might be all it needs. Or you may just be sensitive to the materials it’s made of. Or the dye used for that particular color.
I say all this, not to overwhelm you, but to get you thinking. I just know from experience that sometimes a chemical burn requires some sleuthing to uncover the triggering factor. Mild ones often are tricky to trace back to the contaminant. Severe ones are frequently obvious because the material that caused it is still evident.
Anyway, hope some or all of that helps.

 

[RPhoto]

Very helpful stuff above!

Also for reference, this looks identical to the rash/burn my nephew gets when he wears the traditional Apple sport bands. He had to swap to a third party band, made of different material, and the problem went away.

There are more posts on here from other members who have experienced similar.

 

[nanogirl21]

So I’m not a doctor, but I am an EMT. This looks and sounds like a mild chemical burn. While the band is the obvious culprit, there might be a compounding factor. Things to consider are:
-is wearing an Apple Watch new to you? If not, what other bands have you used? And did they produce a similar result? Is this the first time you’ve used this band?
-do you use lotions? Hand sanitizers? Are they scented?
-do you have any allergies/sensitivities to perfumes or fragrances that could be in soaps or lotions?
-what were you doing prior to noticing the discomfort. Chemical burns can take hours to manifest in a rash if the exposure was mild.
I don’t know for sure how the silicone elastomer bands are manufactured but there is a possibility that there is some residual oil or some other release agent from the molding process left on the surface. A good wash might be all it needs. Or you may just be sensitive to the materials it’s made of. Or the dye used for that particular color.
I say all this, not to overwhelm you, but to get you thinking. I just know from experience that sometimes a chemical burn requires some sleuthing to uncover the triggering factor. Mild ones often are tricky to trace back to the contaminant. Severe ones are frequently obvious because the material that caused it is still evident.
Anyway, hope some or all of that helps.

Thanks for the info. I am new to the Apple Watch world. I got it on Sep 18th and have been wearing it ever since. Nothing in my daily routine has changed. I use lotions and sanitizers that are scented, but this isn't anything new. I never had any type of reaction to these items or jewelry. I also never had any skin issues like eczema. The day that I got this burn I did some baking with flour, powdered sugar, and cornstarch. Those are items that I don't come in contact with daily, but maybe twice a week. I'm a fairly clean no messy baker so it's not like I was covered in baking supplies like a toddler. The burn goes up the sides of my wrist. The only part that isn't burned is where the watch casing is. It's been a few days and the burning sensation is gone, but now it itches like crazy. The color has also faded some. As an EMT is there anything you recommend that I put on it? Will it scar? I did contact Apple and made a report with their health and safety department. They asked about 50 questions similar to yours and requested more photos. I am waiting for a follow-up response from them. Since I got the Solo Loop on launch day I am wondering if there was something wrong with the first production of the bands. I do have a classic sports loop, but since it is also silicone I am scared to try it.

 

[7thson]

There’s not much an EMT can do for long term care. Our primary task is to diagnose someones symptoms and triage the injury/affliction so they can be transported to an ER/medical setting. I’ve found aloe vera gel to be very soothing for sunburns, otherwise a lotion will help keep it moist. The itching is likely due to the skin drying. It’s likely you’ll need to switch to a different band material, as @Richard Peters mentioned above. I like the sport loops with the Velcro closure fwiw, but there are plenty of other options.

 

[RPhoto]

Since I got the Solo Loop on launch day I am wondering if there was something wrong with the first production of the bands. I do have a classic sports loop, but since it is also silicone I am scared to try it.

It is almost certainly an allergic reaction to the silicon rubber used in the Solo Loop, rather than an issue with the first batch.

The regular Sport Bands are made from fluoroelastomer, which is a different material. So there is hope you won’t react the same to that 👍

 

[PatrickNSF]

I was wearing my watch with the silicone solo loop yesterday. I felt an unpleasent sensation, so I removed my watch and this nasty burn was on my wrist. Little blisters bubbles also started to form. Has anyone experienced this before? It's been about 24 hours and the blister bubbles are gone, but the burn is very painful and the mark is a lot darker. I charge my watch overnight so I'm not wearing it 24/7, the band is not tight at all, and I make sure it is dry after I wash my hands. I'm not sure what to do. The burn is only on the underside of my wrist not on the top where the face of the watch is.

I recently had the same thing happen with the new leather link bands, after having worn the AW since 2015 with various different bands without issue. It's taken a few days of not wearing anything on the wrist to heal.

 

[Htsi]

Fabric bands.
This one is too tight and doesn’t let air flow.
go for the braided solo or sport loop

 

[nanogirl21]

Fabric bands.
This one is too tight and doesn’t let air flow.
go for the braided solo or sport loop

My fear of the fabric bands is getting them wet when washing hands/dishes and basic everyday activities. Wearing a wet band isn't only annoying, but also dangerous. Taking the watch off every time is also unrealistic.

 

[Htsi]

My fear of the fabric bands is getting them wet when washing hands/dishes and basic everyday activities. Wearing a wet band isn't only annoying, but also dangerous. Taking the watch off every time is also unrealistic.

pick your poison

 

[Smigit]

Wearing a wet band isn't only annoying, but also dangerous.

Genuine question. How is it dangerous? I did a quick Google and couldn’t find anything on the matter and have never heard this. I wear a braided loop in the shower and find it dries real quick afterwards. Also wear the nylon bands.

 

[nanogirl21]

Genuine question. How is it dangerous? I did a quick Google and couldn’t find anything on the matter and have never heard this. I wear a braided loop in the shower and find it dries real quick afterwards. Also wear the nylon bands.

My wording was incorrect and I apologize. I have never worn a fabric band, but I imagine it would be like wearing a wet long sleeve shirt for an extended period of time. It would be uncomfortable, irritating, and could potentially cause a rash on the skin from being damp. I am sure that is not the case and Apple/Nike designed bands to dry quickly and not do this. Again, I don't know as this is my first watch so the solo loop was my first band. I did talk to Apple and they want me to send my solo loop back so they can "test it" and they are sending me the Nike Sports Loop as a replacement. I will find out soon what it's like to have this kind of band.

 

[Smigit]

I find the bands dry quickly and I don’t notice them being damp at all. Doesn’t have that same feeling that you’re carrying extra heft that you get with a wet shirt.

I only wouldn’t wear a band in the shower if it was a leather band, personally.

If you’re sensitive then maybe it’d cause irritation, but I never notice any difference between a nylon band and one of the rubber like ones in terms of post shower (dis)comfort. If anything the nylon ones feel better as they cling to the skin less.