UKC

Just wondering how people look after their skin. 

I notice that in warm weather my skin seems soft and I can go through the tips quite easily, and in cold weather my skin seems hard and "glassy" and can rip if I am not careful. I use hand cream (currently baby lotion!?) but just wonder how others keep their skin in top shape. I am an older climber but I don't know if this has any relevance. Thanks.

Tony

I use a combination of Climb On for skin repair and maintenance and Rhino Skin dry because I get super sweaty hands!

Try not to climb in the sun if it’s really warm, unless your not bothered and won’t be climbing for the rest of the week. If you do, try not to throw for bad holds and crimps! 
 

After a day of climbing in the sun, and my skin is looking like it’s lost some layers, I make sure I don’t have any flappy bits and will sand it down so it’s nice and smooth. If you’ve got a few days before you next climb, you could put a little bit of anti hydral on that night. This will stop it being so sweaty.

When it’s cold I also get super dry glassy skin! Before climbing I may put on some rhino spit to make my hands feel a bit stickier and less glassy (I have found peeling an orange does the same thing!!!). Use good moisturiser before bed, and file your skin down if there is a build up of tough dead skin. 

The anti hydral is probably why you are getting super dry glassy skin.

Tend to get dry hands when the air and temperature get really dry and cold, usually January. I use anti hydral minimally when my skin is ok, but yeah be careful with it and don’t go overboard !

I did try Climb On but found it too greasy and took ages to soak in... recently I've been using Climb Skin which I've found much better to be absorbed and seems to work better but could just be me...

It's a mystery to me. With climbing less, my skin's become very soft and I keep going through it with every hard bouldering session on grit! But, Sudocrem or similar zinc cream seems to help the healing if you do rip yourself a new one.

You could try sanding your tips in between climbing to stimulate growth of tougher skin.

I also use a combination of beer and tabs.

Thanks Rachel. I hadn't heard of rhino spit but will try that. I haven't tried filing the calluses on my fingers as I wondered if it just promoted even more skin growth. 

On climbing trips abroad ..remember those?...I use climb-on or similar in the evening and have few issues despite having dry (and aging!) skin. My climbing partner tends not to and usually has gone through his tips by about day 3!

Trying peeling an orange before a route ! That works like rhino spit, which does have lemon juice so there is reason in my crazy suggestion! 

Hi Tony, I think skin varies massively between individuals but you're basically after the holy grail of thick soft skin.

Thin skin obviously punctures and weeps/wets out with sweat quickly, thick hard skin tears in flaps and detaches from the softer layer underneath, as is is often poorly bonded to it. Hard skin also doesn't mold to the rock or bite into edges as well and can dry fire more often.

Regular sanding (I use emery paper wrapped round a marker pen) stimulates growth and keeps a glassy shell from building, and regular pre-bed moisturising speeds this up in my experience. I use Norweigan formula by Neutrogena, other brands are available :-D

Other products such as Climb On do a better job of healing holes, cracks and flappers.

Sweaty hands is a separate issue, which antihydral and other products can address.

Orange juice strips the oil out the skin (stab an orange with your fingers!) and makes for briefly grippier hands, alcohol based liquid chalks do it too.

I also find being really well hydrated makes my skin last much longer, worth experimenting with. There has been some long and detailed threads about it on ukb in the past, anyone who boulders on abrasive rock gets pretty obsessed with skin!

Hi Tony

Ive got some Rhino Spit if you want it as its no use to me - The Human Cucumber! 

Thanks for the detailed reply John. The post follows me ripping a calus off on the super rough rock of Swarthbeck Gill the other cold day! 

Cheers Pete. That would be great. 

At least cucumbers are cool!

Elizabeth Arden 24 hour cream works well for a lot of climbers, myself included

Whoops that should have been Elizabeth Arden Eight hour cream

Just some vaseline.

Tried different climbing-specific creams, random hand creams, but vaseline works better and is way cheaper.