How To Clean Fitbit After Getting Rash Bottom Of Wrist
How I cured my Fitbit rash
It's June 1st, and if you lot tin can hear the words "New Yr'south Resolution" without cringing, congratulations.
My resolution, along with the rest of America, is to get fit. I'm a data driven person, so the Fitbit is a dandy choice to help motivate me by tracking all my numbers. I also have a Fitbit scale which takes care of logging my weight.
Simply I also had the Fitbit "rash"…
The Fitbit rash, if you've not had it, is a nasty, red, itchy rash that happens on the skin where your Fitbit rests. If yous await on the forums, you'll come across the Fitbit official advice is i of a few answers:
- Wash your Fitbit and your wrist.
- Switch wrist.
- Finish wearing information technology. (of course, we already got your money.)
For a wearables company to admit that you lot might have to stop wearing their product is really bad. Ridiculously bad.
But I've got the rash, and I love my Fitbit, and I'd be damned if I'm going to waste product $150. And then I'm going to instead leak the secret that could make Fitbit a few actress meg dollars.
I figured out a cure. Using nothing but the scientific method and a piece of tape. Let's walk through it a stride at a time.
Observation
I'd been wearing a Accuse HR for well-nigh a few months before noticing the rash. At kickoff, I didn't recall much of it, and switched hands and it went away. I figured it must have been like a issues bite.
Merely afterwards I started exercising more oftentimes and vigorously for my New year'south Resolution, information technology bit similar a bug from hell.
The rash itself starts every bit a dry out itchy spot, usually on the pinnacle part of the wrist, on the side nearer to the pinky finger. Every bit you scratch, it will showtime to run more than crimson and kickoff to burn. Afterward a few days or weeks, if you are withal wearing your device, it volition turn to an unbearable painful burning, even when you lot take information technology off. Past this point, switching wrists means yous might have both arms in bad shape.
At this point, I stopped wearing it and started researching. Information technology seems like nobody has an answer for this one. The forums were very disappointing. There was science to be done.
Hypothesis
Many people assumed that because of the location of the rash, that it had to do with the laser pulsing system that measures middle charge per unit. It is the part that sticks out a little and will make a dent in your skin, so it has a lot of time against your skin.
But as someone who has had contact dermatitis in the by, due to a mutual nickel allergy, I thought it was more probable to be the uncovered charging port.
Experiment
Even though the metals in the charging port weren't straight connecting with my skin (wearing information technology loosely, as suggested by support), the sweat could exist providing a conduit for contact. Then, it came to me, the famous line from Sneakers:
Can we beat this with tape?
Unproblematic 3M scotch tape should provide a uncomplicated, waterproof seal around the charging port, preventing any contact of any kind. Here's how I laid out the record:
The fundamental is to make sure that you lot accept completely sealed the charging port. By just taping over the port, I was able to quickly remove the tape to charge it, and only just supercede it subsequently charging. One matter to be careful of is to use the tape to wrap around the sides, as pictured. The serrated edges of the record and the adhesive can also irritate your skin, so keep the edges of the tape far away as possible from your wrist.
Results
Worked similar a charm. It took a few months (!) for the rash to disappear from my wrists, but equally presently as I put the tape on, the rash stopped worsening. My proposition is to stop using it for the first calendar month, then keep on with a taped Fitbit to assistance speed healing of the rash.
Over this fourth dimension, I didn't try any other remedies, such equally balm or skin products. Only as the rash healed, a little lotion was good to assist save the dry pare. I also think the tape might leech out a flake of the natural pare oils, leaving your skin a bit dry out.
Conclusions
If Fitbit can charge $20 for a replacement charging cablevision, so we should be able to apply our devices without a rash. For a wearables company, being able to wear your tech is central. Here's a few suggestions for how to improve your product:
- Blueprint a cordless charging system: This is about the best, and would allow for the port to be rid of entirely, but this would also probably increase the cost of the device.
- Redesign such that the port is sealed when not worn: Imagine a pattern similar a wristband where the port is sealed because it is within the clasp. Only this might make selling expensive replacement wristbands hard.
- Use higher quality metals for the charging contacts. This is catchy, considering unfortunately Surgical Stainless Steel used in the clasp isn't conductive.
- Provide a simple silicon plug that is tight enough to be waterproof. While in that location are some covers available, they aren't tight to fit, and don't match the quality construction of the Fitbit. Bonus points if it will banner "GET FIT" or something cool on my skin when I accept information technology off.
PS — Science!
The scientific method is a powerful model for solving issues. And sometimes, it'southward a lot easier than y'all think.
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If you liked this article, and are dusting off your Fitbit now, practice that finger over the green middle offset, then hit that follow push button. I'll be writing at least once a calendar week on various topics, all of them awesome.
Share the love and knowledge, and tell me about your wearables stories!
Source: https://medium.com/@thebakedgood/how-i-cured-my-fitbit-rash-bb8037c995ab
Posted by: austinthresper1974.blogspot.com
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