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Rash caused by Fenix 5sPlus

I have had my watch for well over a year now, but have recently developed a rash on my wrist that will not go away. I have clean my watch with alcohol, soap and everything I can think of. Any ideas on how to stop this rash? I have tried moving my watch up higher on my arm. The rash is right where the edge of the bottom of the watch rides on my wrist. I would appreciate any help on how to get this to go away without having to not wear my watch. :-)

  • It's not much of a help but I'm experiencing a very similar issue with my fenix 3 at the moment.  I've had it for a couple of years with no issues whatsoever but had an similar rash on my left wrist which is still not fully healed and having swopped to my right wrist I've just developed one there too!  I'm going to report to Support.

  • I have the exact same kind of rash from 5X!

  • It’s contact dermatitis, I have it as well after wearing for 9 months without issue.

    I bought cortisone cream and wore on other wrist until it heals.

    Its due to sweating under strap.

    I also get it under rings so don’t wear them full time, not so easy with trackers though.

  • I tried to switch hands but then I had it on both hands. :-(

    Then I cover contacts of my Forerunner 245 with transpore tape. After 2 weeks rash was gone.

    Also use a barrier cream as prevention and let your skin breath for couple minutes each day.

  • I have the same, and I have had my vivoactive 3 for maybe 2 years (shortly after it came out) and up until this past spring have had no issue.  Rash doesn't itch nor is it painful, just seemed odd that it appeared after having worn the same watch for so long without issue.

  • I have the same problem with my Fenix 6 pro solar. The silicone band is fine for a few months and then starts to cause a rash and irritation on my wrist. The same happens with my wife and kids all of whom have Garmin smart watches with silicone straps. We have tried washing them regularly, cleaning with alcohol and other less destructive substances. My assumption is that there is a coating on the band that gets worn away overtime that then causes this. I have seen responses that this is rare, not in my family where 5 out of 5 of us have the same issue. If I swap to the titanium strap it goes away immediately but you can't exercise with a titanium strap. Swapping to leather to solve the problem, but this doesn't solve the issue for my wife as she primarily uses hers for swimming.

  • By the way if this is contact dermatitis caused by sweating under the band. That is a serious problem for a set of watches designed to be used while exercising!

  • If I buy a new strap it goes away for a few months and then comes back. The bands are too expensive to do this every 4 months! Garmin please fix this issue.

  • We are sorry to hear about the issue you are reporting. The skin irritation may be a result of build-up on the watch band and/or casing. You should discontinue wearing your watch until your skin has healed. Please review the following FAQ that provides important information regarding the wear and care of your Garmin watch: https://www.garmin.com/watch-fit-and-care/ 

    If you feel that this issue warrants further discussion please reach out to Garmin Product Support via Garmin Support Center