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Dry skin


verticalswamp

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This might have been better in the gear critic section, but does anyone else out there find their hands get really dry and cracked in the alpine? I have pretty nasty eczema at the best of times, but it's starting to get annoying. I spent a couple of days out and my hands look like claws. Suggestions from folks what know, or industrial skin lubricants would be appreciated.

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Went through about two -threee years of torture, my fingers would split, nail beds split, hang nails, etc. This last year, my hands finally returned to normal. None of the doctors I saw said it was eczema, so yours is likely a bit different, but here's what seemed to help me:

First thing is make sure you drink enough, have some fat in your diet, etc.

The best lotion I found is "Eucerin Dry-Skin Therapy Plus Alhpa Hydroxy Lotion" (there are other Eucerin products). I tried a bunch of others, some prescirbed, but I think this is the best because 1) it does help your skin heal fast 2) the Alpha Hydroxy strips off the extra calouses that will catch/crack and cause extra abrasions/pain and 3) It doesn't soften your skin so much that climbing will screw with your hands in the future.

Dunking your hands in cold/ice water for five minutes after climbing also speeds blood flow and reduces swelling.

Don't wash your hands unless you have to! Soap, showers, constant washing dries out your hands. When it was real bad, I showered and did dishes with rubber gloves on. Solvent and aluminum oxide also aggravate your skin, so wear gloves for chores involving them and for gear sorting (You'll get shit for this one . . . )

Make sure that your hands are not coated with loation or still soft from water, etc when you go climbing. They are more likely to get torn up, which destroys the protective coating, which extends healing time, yadda, yadda, yadda . . .

Good luck

Matt

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Oh yeah, and to second Matt's theory about keeping hand-washing to a minimum...when you do wash your hands, don't use hot water. You're not getting them any cleaner by using hot water, but what you are doing, is chapping your skin (which causes cracks and bleeding even if you can't see that happening).

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thanks all. The alpha hydroxy stuff is often a good way to wake yourself up, particularly if you have chapping like I have right now. Alternatively, I'd imagine sticking a cattle prod up your ass would produce the same effect.

I shall hunt out the Eucerin. Matt, belaying with sailing gloves has given me years of practice ignoring the inquisitive stares, plus you can lower people much much faster.

 

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