I had the 645 for little over a month now. Very Happy with it. I never wore a watch or anything else 24/7. It took some getting used to, especially for swimming and sleeping. I now find that I've developed a rash on my wrist. This never happened with my other Garmins. Is this strap a different material? Do I have to buy a after market strap? Any recommendations. ciq.forums.garmin.com/.../1337551.jpg
Lots of posts about this throughout the forum so have a read of those. The issue is unlikely to be related to the strap material, more to the fact you are not providing an opportunity for the skin to breathe. With the strap tight all the time you are providing a perfect environment for bacteria to grow and proliferate.
Accept that you might need to loosen the strap occasionally to allow air to flow under that strap and over the skin. Try loosening it in the shower to clean under the strap. then make sure it's dry before you tighten it.
I had bought my daughter a FR 15. When she started wearing it full time, she got the skin rash. Then I bought a 645, and gave my daughter my 235. Her skin rash got even worse. (and she had been trying to wear it looser) I just ordered a new strap made from nylon vs. silicone. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077ZQRMV3/ Hopefully that will help. With the strap from the 645 being a more universal size, you may have an easier time than I for finding a strap made of an alternate type of material.
All I do, is if I feel any irritation then just loosen for a while, or leave off over night (and charge the battery). You can also switch wrists for a day which should help.
With different watches, there have been a few times I'd had a minor "heat rash", and like CW said, loosen it a bit, switch wrists, etc. Also, maybe wash the band, or wipe the band and watch back with rubbing alcohol to clean off any gunk that may be present.
I'm not sure I'd go with rubbing alcohol. The manual specifically says not to do so on the watch itself and I also found that rubbing alcohol can make silicone/rubber a little tacky or gummy. I just use warm water and alcohol-free antibacterial soap, rinse well and then dry it completely when cleaning my watch. I've never gotten a rash, but loosening or removing the watch to air out the rash seems like a good idea.
@Naval97 I have found that when I switched to the VA3 from the FitBit Charge2 that it was more comfortable. I would tend to leave it tighter after exercise and started getting a similar rash. I made sure to loosen it 1-2 notches when I wasn't doing an activity so that there would be a little air circulation (also making sure that one's wrist was dry after showering or exercise helps) and I have not had a problem since!
Hope this helps. In the meantime some 1% hydrocortisone cream over the counter may be helpful to help clear the redness sooner.
