Our hands..

Beladran

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mississippi
Ok who here has ever noticed jewelers that have terrible looking hands? Dried, cracked, bleeding, terrible fingernails etc etc. Some of you guys know what I am talking about.

Do you use any sort of skin care products ?
 

DKanger

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Dried, cracked, bleeding,
If you have hands like that, it isn't because you're a jeweler. You've got other problems. The first that comes to mind is you wash them too much, which causes them to dry out and crack. The other is that you're handling harsh chemicals like acid pickles and coloring agents without wearing gloves.
Do you use any sort of skin care products ?
Bag Balm or Cornhuskers Lotion are the old standbys. They need to be applied first thing in the morning and refreshed every time you wash your hands. A good application at bedtime and then wearing thin white gloves overnite will help clear up existing problems and give them time to heal.
 

Eric Olson

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Yes I've had skin problems for years, but it's never been attributed to jewelry.
I recently went to a dermatologist who described my problem as "boring old excema".
Deeply cracked knuckles, flakey, itchy red skin.
Dryness activates your immune system somehow, and tries to cure the irritation by growing more skin.
I needed a prescription which has helped a lot.

Greasy coatings like vaseline or eucerine trap moisture in the skin and keep it from drying out.
I also use a home-made one of mineral oil & beeswax (which we originally used to coat our wooden cooking utensils & cutting board).
Rinse with no soap, don't use alcohol sanitizers.

Washing with ice really seems to help stop the itching, if that's one of your symptoms.

There is a simple test for nickle sensitivity -
tape a 5-cent piece to your arm or leg for 24-48 hrs and see if you get a reaction.

Good luck, and probably see a doctor. It won't go away on it's own and it can be miserable.
 

Gary Malone

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Feb 1, 2014
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Pensacola, FL
Yep, I can remember back in early 90's during Christmas season with 7 or 8 trade accounts I would have to wash my hands so many times everyday ( I never could polish with gloves) my fingers would develop splits right around the nails so bad I would go home at night and coat them with Cornhuskers lotion and slip on surgical gloves and sleep for a few hours on my back with hands resting on my chest and get up the next day and hit it again! Hurt like the devil when I would steam clean ring and the steam would open up one of those splits on my fingers. Don't miss those days at all!
 

Ron Spokovich

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Problems described can be due to both medical reasons and environmental factors. Having been in harsh, industrial machine shop environments, my hands looked either Frankenstein's, or a Blacksmith's. Sometime, there was no heat in the shop, hands would crack, and bleed from stress. We used to have an excellent product, and I don't know if it's still made, marketed/made by Sugar Beet Products. It was a reddish hand cream, and performed well. Now that I am out of that scene, for the most part, where gloves were mostly forbidden, my hands are now normal. You just have to find what works for you, which could be of medical or environmental reasons.
 

bronc

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Portales, NM
This is a constant battle for me. The best thing I've found is to put super glue in the bad cracks, and to use Corn Huskers during the day and Corona ointment at night. It won't cure the problem, but it makes it bearable.

Stewart
 

Belprime

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Amarillo, Texas
Corona ointment at night. It won't cure the problem, but it makes it bearable.

Stewart

Corona is some good stuff. Was told to use it by a doctor while I was in the hospital being treated for leaking wounds on my legs. Meant for horses (Nope, I'm not a horse...but have been called a close relative ) but works great on people too! Works on all sorts of skin injuries. So I keep a large tub of it around.
 

Beladran

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Yea we keep NewSkin in business!
I have been trying some Berts Bees stuff i sneaked from my wife's purse... seems like good stuff and doesn't have a real funky odor to it.
 

Haraga.com

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Who needs skin care products?
 

don hicks

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Corona is some good stuff. Was told to use it by a doctor while I was in the hospital being treated for leaking wounds on my legs. Meant for horses (Nope, I'm not a horse...but have been called a close relative ) but works great on people too! Works on all sorts of skin injuries. So I keep a large tub of it around.

Hope it was the ladies that made that comparison LOL. I used to make a mixture of Eucerin,Glycerin and Water (50%,10%,40%) it was prescribed by many doctors in our area for dry skin. Doesn't require a prescription and your pharmacist can make it for you. It is cheap if you get it by the 500Gm jar, an added bonus. Really good emollient.
Cheers
Don
 

take-down

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Central North Island New Zealand
I have battled the same problem for years
But found a trick. Having to handle weathered Reo bar often My hands & fingers would Dry out & split
Until one of the manufactures of the industrial hand cleaners showed me what to do
In the mechanic shop or engineering factory most start the day then try to wash their hands at the break
WRONG When you get to work Rub your hand with the cleaner & wipe off, don't wash off
Then use & clean thoughout the day
Your hands & fingers won't split
Cheers
 

diandwill

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If you have hands like that, it isn't because you're a jeweler. You've got other problems. The first that comes to mind is you wash them too much, which causes them to dry out and crack. The other is that you're handling harsh chemicals like acid pickles and coloring agents without wearing gloves.

If you make your own jewelry in a retail enviroment, there is no such thing as washinh your hands too much. The abrasives color your hands and the polisher REALLY does a job on them. Then they need to be clean for the next job because solder won't flow on dirty metal. Oils and balm are good, but again, it is an after work thing.

I do wash my hands close to 10 times a day. They will be stained but have to look presentable enough to pick up a piece of finished jewelry to show to a potential customer. I use tongs for any caustic solutions so avoid pickle etc. When I do put them in something nasty, I rinse within seconds...if that long.

I have been doing it for 35 years, and my hands look pretty good. A nail brush gets most of the black off. I do get hangnails and could use a good manicure almost daily, of course, I could use a good massage as well, but the budget allows for neither. Balm or lotion at night, if things get bad, does help. During the day, you just have to get to the night with as little blood loss as possible!
 
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