Fingertips all jacked up after too much practicing - any advice?

ChrisMartin

Sorry in advance if I have read it wrong but it seems to me all Wim is asking is why he has the spiky bits of dead skin that leave him with rough fingertips that in turn give a strange sensation whenever they catch on some fabric. He is obviously used to hours of playing so has probably built up the calluses over the years. He also says he is not in pain so the rest of the long-winded philosophising, tips on setup, or worse, chemical abuse, are all irrelevant and nothing to do with his original problem.
That's ok, we have seen many times that folks on here can get carried away with their own private agenda that bears no relation to the initial problem, but may I now add MY diversion too?
Wim, have you considered this may just be a symptom of general dry skin, and if so, try rubbing in a little moisturiser or maybe check your diet or supplements for the basics, fish oil etc. I might be wrong but it would be a lot easier to try than some of the preceding waffle.

geese_com

I agree with @Chris Martin

It could very well be from general dryness. The US Midwest at this time of year is very dry. I get chapped skin on my knuckles, fingertips, and between my fingers during the colder winter months here in Wisconsin.

I use a lot of hand lotion during the winter. I have a tube at my work desk that I apply a couple times during the day especially after washing my hands. I also put lotion on my hands before going to bed. When things get really bad, I resort to using Chapstick on the chapped parts of my hands and it works pretty well with healing.

terrassier

Entertaining as always

Buco

You know that's not a bad advice to pick up your instrument every day as if it was the first time ever. To me there's nothing philosophical about it. Kenny Werner says exactly that in the Effortless Mastery and he's seen as one of the best music educators around.
The video from the workshop with Julian was very revelatory for me so I'm glad Dave put the link.
I have no idea what the root cause to Wim's issue is and wouldn't assume anything, but moisturizer would surely help too. That's why I mentioned the Nomad string fuel because it's natural oils and it does a good job at removing the grime from the strings plus at the same time provides some additional moisture for the fingertips. Although there's a disclaimer, sometimes it backfires for me and makes the strings more sticky. I haven't figured out why and read about minority of people reporting the same.

Anyway I don't see why a good advice would be unwelcome. One of the reasons I like this forum is sometimes I'll see the most mundane title, at first I don't click on it, for the next few days nothing much else is going on, I click on it and from the uninteresting starting topic it morphs into something interesting and very helpful. The only topics I really avoid to read these days, although most of the time I can't resist eventually, is "which guitar is the best..."pardon my digression.
Do we need really need to treat it as the corporate minutes meeting?

NylonDave

Wash your hands with tepid tapwater and gently dry them with a soft towel to remove salts by dilution in water and to prevent evaporation drying the skin.

Cover palm and hands with a small amount of petroleum jelly (around one tenth of a cubic centimetre should be good for both hands, distributed with a hand washing motion.

After around a minute remove excess vaseline with unbleached tissue paper to prevent dirtying the strings and also because at this pint the dead layer of surface skin which is protecting the living skin underneath will have absorbed as much oil as possible .

If dermatitus is suspected then consider recent novel chemicals which have come in contact with the skin. I once had four months of dermatitus caused by an allergic reaction to Bazooka the veruca/wart medication which is available here in the UK. Skin fell off in sheets, no pain but pretty itchy and embarrassing, full recovery within the year with no repetition for 22 years.

When using chemicals always go for purity. Tap water, petroleum jellly/vaseline, avoid preparations which may be 'improved' by irritants and scent and colour (hand cream/moisturising cream/lip salve etc).

Too fast drying of the outer dead layer of skin is caused by moisture on the surface evaporating and leaching out oils, if working in a humid environment consider repeating the above regularly. Otherwise living skin may die more quickly as it dries when no longer protected by outer layer leading to a confusing situation where proprioception is made difficult because the skin is no longer flexible and moves as solid sheets instead of being flexible.

Read all available professional literature on instrumental technique, not just for your own instrument or style but generally.

Stay abreast of all relevant medicine, chemistry, epidemiology etc which pertain to your instrument. Learn to discern between advertising/manipulation and real science. Do study mechanics and biology.

Do not listen to Joe Rogan podcasts.

When all else fails accept free advice given at cost by an older man. Be kind to yourself and learn to recognise kindness in others.

Learn that variety is as important as repetition in practice.

Read that last line again.

One more time.

Chris, you have no idea what my agenda is. It should be obvious but apparently it isn't. I will say this though. The standard of epidemiology applied to oncology is superior by several orders of magnitude to that of private elective orthopedic surgery. This is a simple result of the non negotiable measures of the former (death) and the flimsy standard of record keeping and loosely defined outcomes of the latter.

Buco, thanks man, see you in a few months, I need a break already.



D.

rgrice

Old age and dry skin? My fingertips aren't in as bad a shape as yours, but with age comes dryness and fall and winter don't help.

ChrisMartin

NylonDave wrote: »

Wash your hands with tepid tapwater and gently dry them with a soft towel to remove salts by dilution in water and to prevent evaporation drying the skin.

Cover palm and hands with a small amount of petroleum jelly (around one tenth of a cubic centimetre should be good for both hands, distributed with a hand washing motion.

After around a minute remove excess vaseline with unbleached tissue paper to prevent dirtying the strings and also because at this pint the dead layer of surface skin which is protecting the living skin underneath will have absorbed as much oil as possible .

If dermatitus is suspected then consider recent novel chemicals which have come in contact with the skin. I once had four months of dermatitus caused by an allergic reaction to Bazooka the veruca/wart medication which is available here in the UK. Skin fell off in sheets, no pain but pretty itchy and embarrassing, full recovery within the year with no repetition for 22 years.

When using chemicals always go for purity. Tap water, petroleum jellly/vaseline, avoid preparations which may be 'improved' by irritants and scent and colour (hand cream/moisturising cream/lip salve etc).

Too fast drying of the outer dead layer of skin is caused by moisture on the surface evaporating and leaching out oils, if working in a humid environment consider repeating the above regularly. Otherwise living skin may die more quickly as it dries when no longer protected by outer layer leading to a confusing situation where proprioception is made difficult because the skin is no longer flexible and moves as solid sheets instead of being flexible.

Read all available professional literature on instrumental technique, not just for your own instrument or style but generally.

Stay abreast of all relevant medicine, chemistry, epidemiology etc which pertain to your instrument. Learn to discern between advertising/manipulation and real science. Do study mechanics and biology.

Do not listen to Joe Rogan podcasts.

When all else fails accept free advice given at cost by an older man. Be kind to yourself and learn to recognise kindness in others.

Learn that variety is as important as repetition in practice.

Read that last line again.

One more time.

Chris, you have no idea what my agenda is. It should be obvious but apparently it isn't. I will say this though. The standard of epidemiology applied to oncology is superior by several orders of magnitude to that of private elective orthopedic surgery. This is a simple result of the non negotiable measures of the former (death) and the flimsy standard of record keeping and loosely defined outcomes of the latter.

Buco, thanks man, see you in a few months, I need a break already.



D.

? ? ? ? ?
As I said, try moisturiser.

Bones

Simple. Switch hands, live on a strict diet of carnuba wax and bacon grease, soak in hemp oil for 3 hours per day, replace the silk G-strings with cotton 'tighty whiteys', and double down with the lotion and wear latex gloves at night. :-) JK

ND-"Do not listen to Joe Rogan podcasts." Too funny...:-)

juanderer

Rest.

wim

juanderer wrote: »

Rest.

What you mean? Like, rest stroke?