dry hands = less ITM

Hi all! I play the mandolin, but may not be able to tonight on account of 4 digits on my right hand being band-aided after cracking and bleeding while at work today. I work for a sprinkler installation company, so I’m outside all day and my hands end up getting wet off and on through out the day. working in the mud drys them out real bad too. I know my job has nothing to do with ITM, but It’s starting to interfere with my playing and since you all play music and it’s not a one-in-a-million kind of problem I’m having, I thought you guys may have some advice. I have a bottle of O’keeffe’s Working Hands lotion and it works better than any other lotion I’ve found, but it’s not enough. I know he neosporin gel + band-aid trick(that’s what i’m doing now, but I was hoping one of you might know a better way. Thanx!

“I play the mandolin, but may not be able to tonight on account of 4 digits on my right hand being band-aided after cracking and bleeding while at work today. I work for a sprinkler installation company…it’s not a one-in-a-million kind of problem I’m having”

You sure about that?

I remember this thread being useful -

https://thesession.org/discussions/20055#comment419459

Burts bees do a great hand salve. Its cheap and natural and effective. Both as protection and replacing oils lost. Muds got nothing compared to cement! 🙂

Body shop hemp hand cream…only one that worked for me when I loaded bags of concrete for a living.

That happens to me all the time. I put Bacitracin on it at night, then cover it with Bandaids. I’ll go through a tube of Bacitracin and several boxes of Bandaids each winter.

Have you tried Bag Balm? It’s pretty good…

Body shop hemp cream and the like are best for re-moisturising after damage but I dont think they offer the same degree of protection while working as the wax based salves.. I remember times where the skin would absorb the cream as fast as it could be applied! A combination approach is probably the way to go.

I’ve found Aveeno Intense Relief Hand Cream to work better than anything else I’ve tried - and it doesn’t leave your hands feeling greasy or have a girly smell. CVS Pharmacy makes a generic knock-off that’s just as good.

But I’ve never had a problem as severe as yours, so you may be out of this league already. Still, if you haven’t tried Aveeno, it may be worth a shot.

can’t you wear protective gloves at work?

Stephen, I often use Liquid Skin or a similar medicinal grade “super glue” to seal cracks in my fingers. I’ve got two on my thumb right now, and the glue keeps them from hurting too much while also speeding the healing process. You can find it at any local drug store, usually with all the band aids, etc.

Work gloves - I did a fair bit of building once, used the rubber gloves, a bit sweaty and all that, but really saved the old skin. Of course, your mates might look on you as a bit of a wimp but you gotta get your prioritesi right!

I use the same liquid skin that Will CPT is talking about. It’s fantasttic stuff!

I’ve often used superglue, or medicinal grade analog, even for slices that probably needed stitches. That what it was originally designed for.

In my past I worked as a dishwasher at a small but busy rest that was just getting started, we had not yet purchased a dishwashing machine. I washed them all by hand, for 30-40 hours a week my hand were wet. The bits of skin that weren’t cracked were hard & pink & the rest was deep bleeding cracks. People gave me all sorts of hand creams, lotions & salves but nothing worked for me. The conditions were too extreme, it just washed off everything. Finally I tried lansinoh, it was the only thing that worked. Lansinoh is almost pure lanolin & is marketed for nursing mothers, it’s pricey but a little goes a long way.

Another tip, before bed, liberally rub some bacetracin or another antibiotic on your hands then wear latex gloves while you sleep. They should be 100% in a few nights time.

good luck

I use the Burts bees hand slave that Ionannas mentioned when my hands get really dry and crack during the winter. Works like a charm. On an interesting note, I have a friend who swears by turpentine for healing cuts and cracks. Can’t say that I’ve tried it myself….

*salve, not slave 🙂

Like I said to my friend, who was working in an asbestos factory, change your job. Now.

Alright, I’ll be writing these down and tryin’ them out. I KNEW you guys would have ome good ideas 🙂

*some*