The Steel Guitar Forum

I have real wimpy cuticles on my picking hand. They get torn and inflamed all the time. It doesn't help that I work full time with solvents. It's no fun at all wearing picks when the cute's are bad. I do it anyway because what are you gonna do? And of course it just makes them worse. I've lived with it and I will continue to live with it. But I was wondering if anyone has any tricks to treat flare ups or to prevent them.

Jon.. I've been dealing with the same crap for years. Haven't had much luck other than NOT working [at the day job that is} bob

Make it a daily routine to push back your cuticles with your fingernails on your other hand; and that will keep them healthy. Also what happens; is we develope skill build up there at the cuticles and that extra skin can dry out and get cracked and/or tear or peel....so you need to sand or trim very carefully that build up every few days....>so your actually taking off a couple layers of dead skin....cause if that dead skin cracks or tears or peels; than you have Ouch underneath.
Ricky

Jon, I had the same problem when I first started, so I switched to a finger pick ("Stevens" brand) that does <u>not</u> grip around the fingernail area, but rather, higher up on the finger (around the first knuckle). I don't think Stevens still makes them, but an identical design is now manufactured by John Pearse. They even allowed me to play in relative comfort when I once ripped off a fingernail.

They might be worth a try!

Every once in blue moon, I get a flare up of
Psoriasis. I know what your thinkin and this isn't another commercial for Gold Bond.
But my cuticles are troublesome too. Try using hydorcortisone cream at night. Goop in on heavy and wrap your fingers in latex glove fingers with tape. They will heal pretty fast. Also, try wrapping electical tape around your finger tips before putting your picks on. I thought we start talking about our health problems when we get real old.

I haven't tried it, but maybe that Second Skin liquid bandaid stuff might help.

.<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Garth Highsmith on 09 January 2006 at 08:33 PM.]</p></FONT>

Lots of great tips here on a sore subject.

I've been sanding with an emory board and applying Walgreen's Healer lotion, then wrapping with a bandaid to help keep the medicine in place until it heals up.
This stuff has healed a split in just a few days.
The key is to not let the skin get that dry in the first place.
That's sometimes unavoidable, I know.
When I work with solvents I always try to wear nitrile gloves for protection.
<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by David Cobb on 21 January 2004 at 08:47 PM.]</p></FONT>

Clip the frayed skin close with a clean set of clippers and put a dab of antibiotic ointment and cover the area with New skin compound or an equivalent.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Harold Parris on 22 January 2004 at 04:05 AM.]</p></FONT>

Harold, you've lost me.
I thought fingernail polish remover was acetone.
My apologies if I'm in error.

Why not dab super glue on the affectd area, dries in seconds, put your picks on and play. I speak from experience.

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kd...and the beat goes on...

Marry the owner of a hair salon and get a free manicure every week. Jody.

Jon, and I know it's late in the thread, but don't dismiss this answer. I've worked in diesel, cement, Xylene, and other things in addition to wearing my picks blood blister tight.

ONE thing I've found to be the BEST.

Neosporin Triple anti-biotic ointment.

No kidding. It takes a couple days to get in and bring them back to life, but it never fails.

Also, NEVER use anything but Orange Cleaner. Boraxo is POISON when mixing it with petros on your skin. They use borax to TAN HIDES.

DO yourself a favor and try the neosporin for a week or so. My hands have taken enough diesel to deform my fingernails and when I use the stuff it keeps the cuticles from splitting.

Watch that "super glue". I use it to stick my picks on, and when it's even slightly wet it can bond, and rip skin off. I only use it on "special jobs" or sets. It can effectively mend worn through fingernails from pick rubbing areas.

Neosporin.



EJL<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Eric West on 21 January 2004 at 10:01 PM.]</p></FONT>

Eric's got it-that neosporin works wonders-takes a day or so, but just rub a little on there a couple of times and the next day it's all gone...

JB

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"All in all, looking back, I'd have to say the best advice anyone ever gave me was 'Hands Up, Don't Move!"
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When I was a Gymnast in College.....we worked out 5 hours a day 6 days a week....and nobody no job no anything in the world is more punishing to the skin on your hands than the 4 events you use with your hands in Gymnastics. >I had callases the size of nickles and the thickness of two quarters under every finger on my hands and across the center of my hands...Every day....and my hands were like brand new everyday when I woke up...wanna know how???
Each night before I went to bed....I puma stoned the callases or trimmed them with a razor blade(wouldn't suggest that if your not experienced and doing it every day; there's an art to that one..ha) >then I put Lanolin(Sheep oil ointment) on and then put cloth gloves on and went to sleep(well after the quarters game or huge party every night..ha)...Brand new hands every day..
Ricky

I had the same problem with the Dunlops, Nationals and the Kyser picks. I switched to the Pearse high riders and the problem disappeared. Great picks that are comfortable to wear. No more black and sore fingers.

Sheep oil? Bet in the morning they weren't half baaaaaaaaaaaaad. By the way the neosporin works great. I am a roofer and in the winter my hands, fingers, and feet split out. The stuff does the trick. I also take vitamen E each day.

Use Rx grade cortisone to heal them.
Use Neutragena hand creme to stop them from cracking. Put it on at night before bed and during the day when working. There are various lemon oil concoctions sold to soften cuticles.

Soaking fingers in nail polish remover is not a good idea at all. This removes the oils and fats from the skin and this stuff over a long period of time is dangerous and a potential cancer threat. Read the label. Not worth keeping picks on better for the health risk.

I'm sorry about mentioning the nail polish remover. I read this in a magazine once and have tried it several times over the years. I edited the post and put a much safer method in place. Sorry about that guys.

I have ben using a little trick I learned. Soak your hands with Eucerin or some such high level skin healing ointment and put on rubber gloves (the thin medical kind) for an hour or more. The ointment will soak in to the skin and will soften and heal the dryest hands. I have a real problem with dry and cracked hands. Also the tiple antibiotic ointment is great where the skin has cracked and split. (red and bleeding) Its always fun to play with your finger picks digging into an open sore.

Good advice here on cuticle care, Jon. You can keep your fingerpicks from digging into your fingers by using pads on your picks. No discomfort, no slipping, no more fidgeting with the picks. They're eyeglass nosepad cushions and you can get them at any Walgreen's.

I secont the eye glass pads Mr. Holland mentioined, to me it was night and day the difference it makes. My picks are almost comfortable...well,.... almost.

Jay

As weird as this might sound, the best repair for cracked skin I've found is blistex... yep, the lip ointment. It's great also for the inflammation under your nose from winter colds (all the noseblowing etc.) and has worked really well on places where I've split skin on my hands from being dried out in the cold.

Is there any way to limit solvent exposure at work? Gloves or something? Any topical solution will help, but it's probably not bad to get at the root problem as well.

What a goldmine. Thanks! You have all provided me (and, it would seem, many others since it appears I am not alone) with a wealth of ideas. I expect to implement a combination of these approaches. Picks, pads, ointments and some eye of newt if I can find it. It would be nice to cut back on the solvent exposure but I'm pretty much as conscientious as I can be and still put my efforts and concentration to the job at hand. IOW, it ain't gonna happen.
Anyway, glad to see that I "touched on a sore spot" and don't need to feel like a wuss about this. (If I said to Mr Bandleader "I can't go on tonight because my cuticles are sore"---well, that would be a different story.)

JOn,
another thing to consider is not just bending the pix around your fingers til they are "blood blister" tight (dang Eric has a way with words), but taking the time to custom fit them to your fingers with a small pair of needle nose pliers. Flare the edges away from the cuticles, pinch the leading edges in a bit,flatten some surfaces, round others, adjust the angle of the pick itself; form fit them to both your fingers and your playing grip.

I have done this for years. in addition to my thumbpick I wear three metal picks.I custom fit a set of picks then use them for years. I have two sets bent to my specs currently (spares always a good idea) and even if my cutes are split or sore, I can still play comfortably.

The above advice for repairing damage already done to the cutes, and preventing future damage, is great!