Cracked and Dry Skin
 

HELP

I play a great deal of tennis and the skin on my hand (the hand that holds the racquet) around my thumb and index finger is very dry and cracked and sometime bleeding. I try "new skin" but that doesn't fix the problem, it just allows me to go out and play some more. What can I do?

Dan
E-mail: Danniman@aol.com

I have the same problem, yet still refuse to wear lotion most of the time when I'm nto playing tennis. (If I actually wear lotion, I just end up washing my hands because the lotion makes my hands feel clammy.) I usually just tape up my fingers/digits to prevent my skin from ripping. If you would rather not use tape on your hands, I would suggest wearing lotion on a regular basis, and just let your hands heal/rest for a week.

The best thing for that you just go to a drug store or grocery store- pick up some "Bag Balm". Otherwise, there are some other products that are good for it, like Neosporin or 3M skin scare, but the bag balm works very well. For now, try taping or bandaiding the cuts so they dont get worse while playing. Lotion during the day can help too.

Same problems, just luckily I caught it before the blood. I put dry skin creme on it (my mom's neutrogena "Norwegian Formula" Dry Skin stuff) and cover with a bandaid overnight. Sure it's girly, but it works.

I also tried some new skin, but that seemed to dry my thumb out even more. It seems like more of a last resort cover-up if you have painfully cracking skin and no time to fix it up.

FYI: Shania Twain swears by Bag Balm. It's actually used to keep cow udders moisturized after the milking process, especially in winter. Shania grew up in Timmins, Ontario which is about 600 miles north of Toronto, and it gets hella cold there. Shania appears to have some damn fine skin (would love to see much more of it,actually....not gonna happen though).

Put moisturizers/lotion on when not playing.

When you play, wrap cracked areas with Athletic Tape bandage available from any pharmacy or retail store.

That's how the pros deal with nicks, cuts, or blisters. It works.

Thanks,
eagle