Decompression Sickness, an Emerging Recreational Hazard

Skin manifestations (the "itches"). Intermittent prickling and burning sensations in the skin are experienced fairly often by divers during the actual decompression from a dive and immediately thereafter. This occurs more frequently after deep dives and, for some reason, is experienced more commonly during and after "dry" decompression in decompression chambers and flights to high altitude than with decompression in the water. This may be a consequence of rapid skin cooling in the "dry" environment, whereas in water decompression any external temperature change is generally gradual and in the direction of warmth. Objective skin lesions tend to have a . . .