Skin care?

[Paul B]

So it turns out this 'rock' stuff isn't quite as kind to your hands as wooden edges. After climbing both days at the weekend and again yesterday my skin is very thin and not really helping me when I try hard. I WANT to get out again this weekend but to be honest I doubt it'll hold up to much more abuse before I see blood. The way I climb, crimping everything and slapping wildly doesn't help matters.

I haven't ever used Antihydral and from what i've read (from JB) its only of real use when your skin is looking a bit thin (so now would be a good time)?

Is there any way to encourage my finger ends to toughen up without splitting badly?
Regular sanding and plenty of moisturiser?

Any tips (apart from telling me to piss on my hands or something odd) welcome.

[dave]

Regular sanding and plenty of moisturiser?

got it in one.

don't use antihydral unless you're in some situation with shot skin where you must climb through it, aka on a font trip etc.

[Paul B]

yesterday some might have been useful, it hurt from pulling on.

How often dave?

[Dylan]

Anti-hydral only seems to work if you are prone to sweaty skin (like me).  I normally use it once every week and a half, but make sure that I don't have any splits or hangnails or it just makes them worse and they never heal.  After that I moisturise with hoof maker or climb-on (or similar).  This seems to work for me.  Top tip is not to ever trash your tips too much or it takes an ages to get the skin back!

[dave]

how often dave?

sanding etc? i do it once a day every day. i would build up load of dry slaky shit otherwise. i also steer clear of metolius superchalk, cos its like kryptonite for dry skin.

[rodma]

I have exceptionally sweaty/thin skin so I use antihydral 3 times a week (on the pads only) and use a sander to take off the thicker parts around the sides of my tip.

Antihydral doesn't really work well on pink tips

Getting used to climbing with dry skin takes a while though, it is slightly less flexible so you can slip off particularly smooth holds.

The stump has been a complete revolution for me, even Dylan can vouch for what it has done for my bouldering (indoors at least)

Roddy

[Jaspersharpe]

**STUCK RECORD ALERT**

I say this every time the question is asked but it DOES really work!

Get some Dream Cream from Lush. Use it every day.

Antihydral is good for periods of intense climbing (for me that's more than a couple of days on) but only once a week max and only if you have sweaty tips like mine. I've tried other things (Fran's balm stuff is ok) but the only way (for me) to keep even, non splitting, skin that doesn't wear out too quickly is Dream Cream, every day. I really notice it if I forget to use it for a few days (usually because it's mysteriously moved into the Mrs' bathroom cabinet) as the next time I climb my skin wears out much more quickly.

[T_B]

I've had eczema and have battled with crap skin for years. I've found that the Climb On cream is the most 'repairing' when your skin is thin or slightly split.

http://cragx.com/shop/climb-creme-tube-p-1274.html

The Climb On bar is good for packing splits, but can make your skin feel glassy I've found.

[magpie]

I really like Climb On, especially for splits around the nail and for very sore tips but this stuff is really amazing and much cheaper:


You get it in most places; Boots, Superdrug, ASDA.  It will totally transformed very, very rough and beaten up hands in a matter of days if you use it regularly and it's not really greasy either.

[Jaspersharpe]

I've had eczema and have battled with crap skin for years.

Tom, Dream Cream cures eczema for most people. It worked for me (almost overnight) as I used to get it mildly and has worked for two friends who had more severe cases (one said it was like a miracle). If you've not tried it I really, really recommend that you do. Oh and £8 or so might seem a bit steep but it lasts forever (unless your wife steals it all the time).

I'd like to point out that I'm not on commission or anything. Just get a bit evangelical about spreading the word!

[Dylan]

I really notice it if I forget to use it for a few days (usually because it's mysteriously moved into the Mrs' bathroom cabinet) as the next time I climb my skin wears out much more quickly.

At first it promises a bright future and then next minute you are injecting it in a cave in the Peak district. Take heed kids

[Jaspersharpe]

Shhh Dylan. How'm I gonna get these suckers hooked?

[Bonjoy]

If you haven't been climbing on abrasive rock for a while your skin won't be primed for fast recovery. Keep up the regular climbing on rock and fairly rapidly your skin should start recovering quicker between session as the growth rate increases. Sanding is basically stimulating this process without the climbing, though it also helps to remove surface irregularities.
Try modifying how you approach a climb. To help conserve skin I try to ‘work’ problems at less than full effort, reserving the fully committed slapping for when I think success is likely. This way I’m likely to suffer less frequent skin shredding slides down the holds.

[T_B]

Tom, Dream Cream cures eczema for most people. It worked for me (almost overnight) as I used to get it mildly and has worked for two friends who had more severe cases (one said it was like a miracle). If you've not tried it I really, really recommend that you do. Oh and £8 or so might seem a bit steep but it lasts forever (unless your wife steals it all the time).

Thanks for the tip. I'm off up Fargate now 

[Johnny Brown]

Climb On has never done anything for me, I think you might as well rub your fingers in candlewax. Recently got a pot of similar 'all good stuff' mixed by some yoghurt weavers at an extortionate price, and advertised to work miracles on eczema. It was useless. I keep asking the bird to get some of that Lush cream, but no joy so far. Me, I don't go into town you see.

[magpie]

The wonders of the internet: Dream Cream direct to your door.  No need to leave the house. 

[dave]

i think climb-on is great for what it says on the tin, i.e. helping shit heal up. I once got a big graze on my arm in font slipping off a slopey topout, rubbed climb-on on it and my the morning it had disappeared. i would't use it as a regular moisturiser though, seems to make your tips worse if used a lot.

[Paul B]

I've had eczema and have battled with crap skin for years.

Tom, Dream Cream cures eczema for most people. It worked for me (almost overnight) as I used to get it mildly and has worked for two friends who had more severe cases (one said it was like a miracle). If you've not tried it I really, really recommend that you do. Oh and £8 or so might seem a bit steep but it lasts forever (unless your wife steals it all the time).

I'd like to point out that I'm not on commission or anything. Just get a bit evangelical about spreading the word!

I bought some dream cream a while ago and just like Jasper it kept disappearing! On the eczema front I can vouch for it working well, the day I was in lush some fat b*astard came in and was talking to the helpful lady saying how much it had helped, a minute later he had his shirt off proving it. Jiggle jiggle, not a nice sight.

[zemike]

I really like Climb On, especially for splits around the nail and for very sore tips but this stuff is really amazing and much cheaper:[...]

if you benefit from climb on (bar) but find it too pricey: produce it on your own! cuts costs down by >>50% and fits perfectly into your pre-christmas candle-maker routine...
just buy the wax and oils they declare on the tin (100ml of each will last a year or so). forget about the secret mixture an replace it with some drops of fragrance oils you like. proportion wax/oil is ~1/1 for the bar, 1/>1 for am more creamy composition. melt the wax, stirr in the oil mixture, fill into mould, wait. thats it. works perfectly for me now more than 2 years (used daily). reduced splits by 95% and speeds up healing. tips are fine and bear the odd sat/sun-granite session 

[T_B]

I bought some dream cream a while ago and just like Jasper it kept disappearing!

Well I've just gone and bought some and was kind of surprised at how 'girly' it looks. I almost popped into Electric Beach on the way back for a quick blast under the sunbed  

I reckon a bit of duct tape wrapped around the pot and er indoors might think it's filler.

[SA Chris]

I like this stuff for rubbign on tips post session, but not seen it here.



My last pot lasted 4 years (only need a tiny bit) got some more last month.

Any long term test results from using the Sypeland Stuff?

[dave]

i'll let you know how the spyland shit is after a week in font.

didn't notice any difference using it in the limestone season, but now its grit it seems good, but i'll get back to you.

[butters]

Anything that is given the thumbs up by someone called Bentley Brackett has to be good!!

bluebrad

[magpie]

and fits perfectly into your pre-christmas candle-maker routine...

I feel I might be missing out on something by not having a pre-CHristmas candle-maker routine 

[SA Chris]

Anything that is given the thumbs up by someone called Bentley Brackett has to be good!!

 

It certainly saved my skin. I went straight from doing a winter season (wearing gloves all day and no climbing for 5 months) to climbing every day for a week on the most abrasive rock I have encountered.