I've gone through the exact same process as you and it sucks! Mine would welt, dry out, and peel. It was so itchy and uncomfortable.
There are a few different possibilities so I'll try and address them.
Did you have a bad sunburn when you were kayaking? I used to have no issues at all with the latex but then I had a really bad sunburn on my neck and this seemed to cause a reaction that lasted well after the sunburn.
How old is your dry-top? I've noticed as my gaskets get older they start to irritate my skin more. Maybe it's due to the micro sands that get engrained in it and they rub all day or maybe there is just some nasty bacteria that likes to mess with the skin. Either way I think old gaskets exacerbate the problem.
When I went on the Grand last year I had to figure out a solution unless I wanted to have blistering awful skin for the whole trip. I took some pantyhose and cut them to fit around my neck. This worked like a charm! The physical barrier prevented my neck from becoming severely irritated. In addition I would immediately rinse my neck in the river as soon as I took off the dry top. Afterwards I would apply some cortisone cream and this really helped.
You could also look at neoprene gaskets. They aren't as dry as latex but they are more comfortable and way less irritating.
There are a few different possibilities so I'll try and address them.
Did you have a bad sunburn when you were kayaking? I used to have no issues at all with the latex but then I had a really bad sunburn on my neck and this seemed to cause a reaction that lasted well after the sunburn.
How old is your dry-top? I've noticed as my gaskets get older they start to irritate my skin more. Maybe it's due to the micro sands that get engrained in it and they rub all day or maybe there is just some nasty bacteria that likes to mess with the skin. Either way I think old gaskets exacerbate the problem.
When I went on the Grand last year I had to figure out a solution unless I wanted to have blistering awful skin for the whole trip. I took some pantyhose and cut them to fit around my neck. This worked like a charm! The physical barrier prevented my neck from becoming severely irritated. In addition I would immediately rinse my neck in the river as soon as I took off the dry top. Afterwards I would apply some cortisone cream and this really helped.
You could also look at neoprene gaskets. They aren't as dry as latex but they are more comfortable and way less irritating.
