At least that's the theory, and reality seems to support the theory. Add the fact that neoprene skins dry at least as fast as fleece suits, are no more than a pound or two buoyant, and cost, on average, about half as much as fleece suits, and the debate would seem to be over. In the last year, I've used neoprene skins dozens of times. I've concentrated my abuse on one suit, to really give the material a tough working over. So far, the suit shows no signs of wear.
All seams are intact.
It appears to me that neoprene skins will be as durable as thicker neoprene suits and should give the average diver many years of use. This wasn't a surprise. The strength of a wetsuit is not in the neoprene itself, but in the nylon fabric bonded to it. The neoprene skins use the same nylon fabric that thicker wetsuits use. Since last year's test, the number of neoprene skins on the market has more than doubled, with new suits from Aeroskin, Henderson, Body Glove, Deep See, Dive Skin and Performance Diver, the big catalog house.