[andy_e]

Ouch

Why is it I lose more skin quicker than most people? Is it a vitamin E deficiency?

It's terrible when I can't climb nay mroe because I have no skin... My sessions are limited to an hour or two, and I can't do multiple days on either. 

[wannaclimb8a]

join the club.mine is because i spend an hour in the bath every day which softens your skin!!try using surgical spirit and soaking your fingers in it every day for 10 mins,should harden em up a bit.
worse thing i do is keep climbing untill the tip has gone fully through rather than stop when it starts bleeding



rich

[Bubba]

I found Hoofmaker worked well for skin repair. It was developed to stop horses hooves cracking but it's a great skin product too. Whinny.

Climb-On is meant to be very good and you can pick it up in shops like Outside (or you could a while back, anyways).

[andy_e]

join the club.mine is because i spend an hour in the bath every day which softens your skin!!

ah... the route of the problem then! bugger. I hate showers!

[fatneck]

In my (limited) experience, the more you climb, the more you can climb.  The more your body gets used to regenerating skin the better it does it. If you can't climb, file your skin to keep it regenerating at a decent rate. Having said all that I do think that some people just have worse/better skin than others.

Doesn't using surgical spirit make you more prone to splittage?

[wannaclimb8a]

Doesn't using surgical spirit make you more prone to splittage?

i think its just the case that harder skin may split and not just cos of surgical spirit.it hasnt happened to me yet but that probable because i grind my skin off before it gets hard enough to split



rich

[LongMonkey]

Try Arnica in tube form, you can get it from any chemist. Hardens up your skin a treat. Moo got tipped off (no pun intended) that nipple cream could help in finger tip repairs. Haven't asked him how he got on with it though.

[wannaclimb8a]

hes been sucking his thumbs alot thats how he got on


rich

[andy_e]

Thanks guys, may have to try some of these. 

[Lostboy]

join the club.mine is because i spend an hour in the bath every day which softens your skin!!

ah... the route of the problem then! bugger. I hate showers!

I finally stopped going through my skin when I stopped taking a shower in the morning before a day out on the grit, has made all the difference for me

[andy_e]

Except you don't get quite as much action as you'd have hoped for nowadays 

[Lostboy]

Except you don't get quite as much action as you'd have hoped for nowadays 

that explains why I never get propositioned at the crag these days 

[widdop]

no i dont think thats the problem 

[Moo]

nipple cream works a treat, helps the skin grow back well, heals splits quite effectivley and also keeps the skin subtle without being soft. I got a few odd looks in boots when i was buying, so i just told them my non existent wife is pregnant.

[tommytwotone]

fatneck's right - the more you climb, the more you can climb. My mate's a Devon boy and after all the razor sharp shit out there he never struggled with the comparatively cotton-wool qualities of grit.

At the risk of sounding like some sorta London metrosexual gaylord, I'd add moisturise - I got a big pot of E45 to treat my busted arm scar back in the day and reckon it sorts the skin right out.

Oh, never go first on an onsight - let your mates find that minging, skin tearing pebble on the problem so you can avoid it! 

[Lostboy]

Except you don't get quite as much action as you'd have hoped for nowadays 

The solution has just hit me, I'm going back to my morning showers, this time just with plastic gloves on

[BenF]

fatneck's right - the more you climb, the more you can climb. My mate's a Devon boy and after all the razor sharp shit out there he never struggled with the comparatively cotton-wool qualities of grit.

At the risk of sounding like some sorta London metrosexual gaylord, I'd add moisturise - I got a big pot of E45 to treat my busted arm scar back in the day and reckon it sorts the skin right out.

Word to both points there.  I defo agree to get out climbing as much as you can.  The more you do, the tougher your skin gets.  But indoors doesn't count as far as I can tell.  It just gives you big pads that can get ripped off easily on pebbles etc.  In fact I'd go further and say that climbing indoors makes my skin worse.  If during the winter the weather means that I don't get outdoors for over a week or even a fortnight (heaven forbid), my skin is definitely not as tough as when I do make it outdoors a lot.  Luckily I tend to climb outdoors several times a week all year so my skin is generally good.

And moisturiser is a definite positive (in my opinion).  I am clearly a metrosexual gaylord (not from London though) and have always moisturised at least twice a day, usually with some form of coca butter or lotion although Bodyshop do a good "hand rescue cream".  On the whole the skin on my tips seems to be well tougher than most of my mates tips (and palms etc).  Obviously I may be lucky and have genetically tougher skin, but I rarely split tips and can climb all day for several days on the trot without great trouble. 

So I say moisturise as often as you can.  I reckon it keeps the skin supple so that it moulds around the features of the rock as you pull down.  Climbing loads will make sure the skin is strong and limit the chance of ripping/splits.  So get your skin tough but supple/flexible. 

[fatneck]

I rarely split tips and can climb all day for several days on the trot without great trouble. 

You undoubtedly have the best skin of anyone I know and I totally agree with climbing indoors being of no use whatever. I remember the first time I climbed with you and O my skin was totally trashed after about half an hour. Once you get used to a) growing skin quickly and b) the pain, your session length can increase and you can have much better days out.

P.S. Palmers cocoa butter is the shit...

[Scouse D]

I'd say that the reason climbing indoors makes skin worse is again one of mousturisation. Intense climbing in an intensely chalky environment dries the skin out terribly. The knowledge is as soon as you get home- wash off the chalk thoroughly and mousturise.

[andy_e]

I don't get that problem much though, i never climb indoors. I wonder if not brushing off chalk on the holds can contribute? 

[BenF]

I'd say that the reason climbing indoors makes skin worse is again one of mousturisation. Intense climbing in an intensely chalky environment dries the skin out terribly. The knowledge is as soon as you get home- wash off the chalk thoroughly and mousturise.

Excellent points there Dave.  I concur.

One pedantic and weak attempt at humour though...  What is "mousturising"?  Anything to do with a) mice or b) facial hair?

[Claire]

oooh youll all be going for manicures next:)
Filing and climb on works best for me. And stopping before I bleed, not that i did that last time I was in the peak, spreading blood all over everything and covering myself in superglue and fingertape.
 Managed to climb for 10 days in finger ripping hampi without splitting a tip or wearing a hole. Used nearly a whole tin of climb on though...

[andy_e]

Washing up, that's the problem... 

I've started to moisturise regularly now.. we'll see if there's any improvement in the coming weeks...

I'd say that the reason climbing indoors makes skin worse is again one of mousturisation. Intense climbing in an intensely chalky environment dries the skin out terribly. The knowledge is as soon as you get home- wash off the chalk thoroughly and mousturise.

Excellent points there Dave.  I concur.

One pedantic and weak attempt at humour though...  What is "mousturising"?  Anything to do with a) mice or b) facial hair?

It doesn't work, I've tried rubbing mice into my fingers, they just squeal and nip...

[BenF]

It doesn't work, I've tried rubbing mice into my fingers, they just squeal and nip...

What?  Your fingers or the mice?  Have you tried using three blind mice?  They can't tell what's going on and don't seem to mind it quite so much...

[SA Chris]

Anti hydral cream. Just don't overuse it.

[Lostboy]

Anti hydral cream. Just don't overuse it.

Tried this recently and it made a massive difference, although SA Chris advice is spot on, I think overuse might cause some problems.

[SA Chris]

It's good stuff alright. Once a week at most is enough for me. Takes a couple of days to notice the  effect of it.