Callus care!

Just into 3 months here on my journey with the guitar and I finally have develop some nice calluses on my fingertips but I have a question. I’ve had one of them split and leave a very delicate fissure where the string presses into the finger. Any suggestions for finger care when this happens? TIA

Not that I know of, did hate the slit finger tips playing random open notes when changing chords.
I not rate using any hand creams as you don’t what that on your strings

daft as it sounds, I would use a plaster(band aid) for a day minimum. I had small split on my thumb couple weeks back caused by a cat, I didn’t however have a callus there though but I did work.

R.

A few years ago I cut my head, went to A&E to see what could be done because it was quite deep and was bleeding a lot, they used Superglue to stick it together and said not to wash it for a couple of days; by the time the Superglue degraded the wound was OK.
You could try the same idea with your finger, but be warned it does sting a bit during the process! Been there, done that! It’s also ok when you’ve got sore fingers.

Darrell,

Lol. Last night i was thinking of that possible solution! I think
I can have this one heal naturally. I was just wondering if that is a condition where the callus actually splits due callus buildup,dry skin
and string contact.

Thanks Rachel,
I would think the bandaid would come right off if I were playing. No worries as I’m on the mend. Just was wondering if any of you other
troopers may experience the same thing.
Pat

Yeah, I didn’t want to suggest no playing for a day, red rag bull n all that. Lol.

R

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Not sure if this helps with the issue now but may help as a prevention method for future. I used to get really gnarly callouses on my fingers, including the odd crack. They’d even catch on the strings a bit which became problematic enough I searched for a solution. I turned to using a small amount of my wife’s skin moisturiser on a daily basis and the problem went away. I still have hard pads but the skin is smooth and no more issues with cracks or catching strings. :sunglasses:
I hope your finger comes right soon. Cheers :slightly_smiling_face::+1:

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I just sand my calluses off with an emery board. Keep the skin tough and smooth. No cracking or catching on the strings.

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A glass nail file works even better. Very fine abrasive surface.

I have to second @nzmetal’s idea. It may seem counterintuitive, but moisturizer will speed up the healing process while leaving the calluses. Calluses are not pathological; they are part of the healing process. Moisturizer can also prevent injury, which is what you get when the strings cut into dry, cracking calluses. I’ve also found that dry, cracking calluses can often cause me to press unevenly on the strings, or they get “caught” like nzmetal said.

*not an expert in guitar things, but I do have a little background in skin care. :blush:

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I use a aftersun moisturiser, big bottle very cheap and very light, absorbs really quickly. Any light cream in a tube not a tub.

R.

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Every other day I go to sleep with my hands completely moisturised with a cheap (?) body cream (Dove), … my calluses on my fingers also remain nice and smooth and quite soft, … but my skin is a bit of a strange case but because I read that more people use moisturiser I report it anyway,…
Greetings and keep it smooth :sunglasses:

I’ve used Superglue to help with exactly that, and it’s works miracles - just be careful using it!!

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Oh, Mr Holland shares his beauty secrets with us! :joy: :star_struck:

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Thanks everyone for their advice. If I get a major split again I think
I’ll take Papa G’s advice and apply some super glue.

I rub in a very small bit of lip balm at first sign of cracking. Carmex works well.