UKC

Had a little search not really found anything useful?

How do people look after their hands? At the moment im getting a lot of tears on the palms. Particularly the finger joints, which just continually keep tearing with movement.

Any advice? tips? Regimes?

Much appreciated

S

In reply to ojp:

Get yourself a tub of Climb On and plaster it on thick!

In reply to ojp:

If you think it's climbing related, it could be that you're sensitive to an ingredient in your chalk, and have a touch of eczema or something similar.

Either way, moisturising your hands a few hours before, and after you climb might not be a bad plan.

In reply to ojp:

It may depend upon what is causing the cracking. If your skin is peeling as well then it may be to do with your diet.

Try taking some fish oil (if you're not veggie/vegan). Better would be to eat some oily fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines etc) 2 or 3 times a week. If you cannot eat fish/take oil then try flaxseed and hemp oil. If you take oil directly from the bottle (fish or seed) then start with a teaspoon a day for a week and then x2 for a week and build up to as much as a tablespoon a day. Don't go all out to start with or your bowels may play up.

I found this thread http://forums.wrongdiagnosis.com/showthread.php?t=7533 interesting also.

In reply to ojp:

Thanks. Im getting it back on the actually joints on the palms/fingers to the point of splitting. Ill try moisturising more then.

In reply to ojp:

I use a climb-on bar. Seems to do the job.

In reply to ojp: climb on bar mate its the future to good hands

In reply to ojp:

Sounds like cold dry skin. I'd try a bit of moisturiser and warm you hands up well to get the skin supple before climbing.

How much moisturiser your hands can take can be a bit tricky, too much and my tips and the fleshy bits start to tear (light surface wear but it really uses up precious skin depth) especially when they're soft in the summer.

No idea how good the climbing branded stuff is, I just use E45 or Neutrogena hand cream.

jk

I would go for the climb on bar. broken skin either hypercal by nelsons (in boots under herbal remedies section) or more recently dermidex (can only get it from behind the counter.

In reply to jkarran:

Does E45 help you climb E4-5?

In reply to ojp: How long have you waited to use that one?

In reply to ojp: sypeland climbers balm has good writeupps too.... Washing the chalk off you hands helps. Also, not moving your hands while they're on a hold: difficult to explain & practice..

In reply to ojp: For me I use Body Shop Hemp Hand cream before climbing,then Climb on bar to help repair any damage afterwards.

In reply to ojp:

Atrixo is ace too - good for Non-Freezing Cold Injured feet that suffer in the cold and damp(mine), dry hands and winter climber's face

In reply to ojp:

In my experience avoid superchalk and it dries your hands out far too much.

Then a combination of sypeland hand cream, Lush dream cream, palmers cocoa butter and climb on (though not all at the same time!!)