Zeo Headband - Think I've Got It!

[Madalot]

This is what my forehead looks like today, this after skipping one night of the Zeo. I didn't realize until I saw the picture that it has all these white bumps on it. Yuck!!

Thats exactly what happened to me. I had three of those marks right where the sensors are on the strap. I put it down to being too tight. Maybe the strap got under my papCap (which i wear at the same time).

Did they clear up? Did you use the zeo again? Have you figured out what caused the rash?

I haven't cleaned the sensors, yet, because I haven't thought about it during a timeframe where I could do it easily. I really want to keep using it but fear I'll have the same problem.

[Uncle_Bob]

This is what my forehead looks like today, this after skipping one night of the Zeo. I didn't realize until I saw the picture that it has all these white bumps on it. Yuck!!

Thats exactly what happened to me. I had three of those marks right where the sensors are on the strap. I put it down to being too tight. Maybe the strap got under my papCap (which i wear at the same time).

Did they clear up? Did you use the zeo again? Have you figured out what caused the rash?

I haven't cleaned the sensors, yet, because I haven't thought about it during a timeframe where I could do it easily. I really want to keep using it but fear I'll have the same problem.

It did clear up but it took a couple of days. Co workers commented on the three marks. The marks were not sore to touch but just felt strange.
I cleaned wiped my head band down with a cpap wipe and started using a smaller size papCap and have not had the problem since.

~UB

[Madalot]

I let my forehead heal up and tried again last night. I'll be damned if I'm not broken out AGAIN. I cleaned the sensors with an alcohol wipe and loosened the headband yet again. Sheesh.

Does the Zeo need to be on bare skin? Can I put something under it? Apologies if this has been covered elsewhere.

On the bright side, last night's report was pretty darned good. I know you can't be 100% certain of the results, but using it as a guide is cool. My first three nights on it, ZQ numbers went like this:

Night 1: 66
Night 2: 74
Several nights skipped because of forehead rash
Night 3: 92

If this is to be believed, I'm getting a decent night's sleep (or did last night anyway). Let's see what my "sleepy" level ends up being later today.

[Jay Aitchsee]

Geez, that's really too bad. I don't know of anything you could wear between the sensor and your skin. Did you get three sensors with your Zeo? Maybe you could try another? Probably not, huh? I don't remember how many I got with mine, probably only one.
I just don't have any suggestions. Sorry.
Jay

[VikingGnome]

That looks like a skin reaction to metal. Try wearing it on your forearm for a few hours and see if you get the same reaction. It is quite possible your acidic skin is interacting with the metal.

I used to wear a watch that had a "stainless steel" bezel. By the end of each day I had a nasty rash under my watch. Asked my dermatologist about it and he said that the metal probably had "nickel" in it. He tested it with some solution and it tested negative for nickel. However, he noticed there were little pits all over the back of my watch where my acidic skin had literally eaten away the metal. So no more watches for me (I get the time from my cell phone). I also cannot wear eye glasses with any metal that touches my skin. The metal corrodes and turns ugly green, especially around the nose pads. ACIDIC SKIN.

All that said, I wear my ZEO at night at least once a week under my forehead support on my Activa LT. Never had a reaction to the sensors.

[Madalot]

That looks like a skin reaction to metal.

It could be, but I've never had a problem with metal. I wear a watch every day and when I wear the occasional jewelry, no problems there either. Whether it's REAL metal or cheap fakes, I've never had this before.

Bizarre.

[Madalot]

Geez, that's really too bad. I don't know of anything you could wear between the sensor and your skin. Did you get three sensors with your Zeo? Maybe you could try another? Probably not, huh? I don't remember how many I got with mine, probably only one.
I just don't have any suggestions. Sorry.
Jay

Mine came with just one. I have ordered more from Amazon, but they haven't arrived yet. I'm willing to try another one on the offhand chance something is "funky" with the one I have.

[Madalot]

A forum member contacted me privately with an idea....

Suggested putting a piece of Saran Wrap over the sensors. I need to read the Zeo documentation carefully to see what they say about skin contact but haven't gotten to it yet.

Any thoughts on this?

Edited to add: I have contacted Zeo to ask about needing to be directly on the skin. See what they say about it.

[Jay Aitchsee]

I doubt Saran wrap would work. The sensor has to have electrical contact with the skin. And, there are actually three individual sensors in the headband, so anything conductive that you tried to use would have to be cut into three separate pieces. Now something like gold leaf, or tin foil might work, but you would have to affix 3 pieces onto the sensor pads so that it did not slide around (which would likely cause static). Anything you used, like glue, would have to be conductive. There is such a thing that's used to stick sensors to the skin for EKG and EEC - if you happen to have access to a medico that good give you some. Or, for that matter, EKG or EEC sensors themselves might be adaptable for use.
Probably, the best choice at this point is to wait for a new sensor and see if it does it, too. I suspect, as others, it's a metal allergy.

Jay

[chunkyfrog]

Maybe 3 small, thin, flat 14K gold charms sewn onto the fabric for a trial? (removable if not effective)
The metal in the EC fabric used by Zeo may not be "pure" enough to not react with your skin.

[Jay Aitchsee]

Maybe 3 small, thin, flat 14K gold charms sewn onto the fabric for a trial? (removable if not effective)
The metal in the EC fabric used by Zeo may not be "pure" enough to not react with your skin.

I think you're on to something there, CF. Something like a little gold button? I don't know that I've ever seen such a thing. But then, I doubt I've ever looked.

[Madalot]

Maybe 3 small, thin, flat 14K gold charms sewn onto the fabric for a trial? (removable if not effective)
The metal in the EC fabric used by Zeo may not be "pure" enough to not react with your skin.

I may be an idiot, but I'm not totally following what you are suggesting. I don't have the headband/sensor in front of me, but there are 3 sensors that touch the skin. Where are you suggesting the gold be put? In the fabric, behind the sensors?

[Jay Aitchsee]

I think she means between the three sensor pads and the skin. That's what I've been thinking.
Ya' know, we've all been thinking it's the sensor pads, but taking a look at your picture again, I don't see three distinct marks there (could be the photo). I see two and they don't seem to line up as the sensor pads would. Could it be it's not the sensor pad material that's causing the problem, but another part of the headband? Two of the electrical snap contacts from the transmitter kind of press thru the head band leaving some hard places on the skin side. Maybe that's it. If it is, then a little padding on the skin side of the headband to cover those bumps might do it. Not too much, though, or it will lift the sensors away from the skin.
J

[Madalot]

I think she means between the three sensor pads and the skin. That's what I've been thinking.
Ya' know, we've all been thinking it's the sensor pads, but taking a look at your picture again, I don't see three distinct marks there (could be the photo). I see two and they don't seem to line up as the sensor pads would. Could it be it's not the sensor pad material that's causing the problem, but another part of the headband? Two of the electrical snap contacts from the transmitter kind of press thru the head band leaving some hard places on the skin side. Maybe that's it. If it is, then a little padding on the skin side of the headband to cover those bumps might do it. Not too much, though, or it will lift the sensors away from the skin.
J

You may be right about this, Jay. The problem seems to be more centered on my forehead, perhaps friction from both the Zeo sensor AND the mask forehead support? Too much pressure perhaps? I HATE to adjust my mask because it takes so long to get that just right, but maybe if I loosen the forehead straps on the headgear, giving it more room between the Zeo & the mask forehead support.

It's worth a try. And I've got three new Zeo headbands on the way to me.

[Jay Aitchsee]

Madie, I'm not sure how you are wearing your equipment. Looking at your mask (in pictures), I see three possibilities without modifying the headgear:
1. Put the mask on, put the zeo on so that the sensor rests on the forehead above the mask forehead piece with the zeo headband riding low at the back of your head. There may not be room between the mask forehead piece and your hairline for this.
2. Put the zeo on so that it will sit where the forehead piece of the mask would normally fall, remove that soft piece from the mask forehead piece, put the mask on so that forehead piece of the mask rides on the zeo rather than on your skin. I'm thinking the thickness of the mask soft piece and the thickness of the zeo are about the same so this would put the mask at about the same distance, horizontally, from your face.
3. Put the zeo on just over the eyebrows, put the mask on so that the forehead piece touches the forehead above the zeo. May not be enough room for this one either.
Without the mask to experiment on, I'm guessing number 2 might be the only one there's room for.
What have you tried?
Jay