Fellow axemen...how do you keep your fingertips from splitting?

[Shreddy Mercury]

To you guys that actually have to work to afford nice gear and aren't trustfund babies with original 50s and 60s Strats and old original Plexis everywhere, how do you keep your fingertips on your fretting hand from splitting?

Usually, my middle fingertip on the right side of it splits just about where the nail ends at the edge of my finger. I've used a million lotions, Working Hands, even more severe dry skin type creams and nothing seems to do much.

 

[rsm]

even at my most hours-per-day playing levels when I was younger, I never had this issue. my callouses had callouses. I never had fingertips that split.

 

[SgtThump]

even at my most hours-per-day playing levels when I was younger, I never had this issue. my callouses had callouses. I never had fingertips that split.

Maybe we are trust fund babies and nobody told us?

 

[rsm]

Maybe we are trust fund babies and nobody told us?

and all that vintage gear around that wasn't even vintage yet


if I knew then how valuable some of that gear would be decades later, I would have done things differently. I remember stores with stacks of old Fender, Marshall and Vox amps no one wanted during the rack era...and in the 80s buying a late 60s Ric 4001 bass in Jetglo with checkerboard binding and OEM case for $500

 

[CrystalSky]

To you guys that actually have to work to afford nice gear and aren't trustfund babies with original 50s and 60s Strats and old original Plexis everywhere, how do you keep your fingertips on your fretting hand from splitting?

Usually, my middle fingertip on the right side of it splits just about where the nail ends at the edge of my finger. I've used a million lotions, Working Hands, even more severe dry skin type creams and nothing seems to do much.

Like how? Normally callouses are solid, I can’t picture what you mentioned in my head

 

[rstites]

I've never had this issue, but with age I have had finger tips split, generally midwinter, but luckily on my non-fretting hand.

You could go all SRV and superglue your fingertips back together!

 

[Devin]

It's never happened to me kimg


Sorry you're dealing with this

 

[Shreddy Mercury]

Here's a picture if it helps....and yes I bite my nails sometimes lol

 

[rstites]

Hand lotion can help get fingers to heal up from splitting. When I lived up north, I had some kind of lotion sold as Norwegian Fisherman's lotion, lol. It worked when I had to work outside frequently in the extreme cold and dry. It takes time, of course.

 

[BABMusic]

Ouch, that just looks painful. I've never had this problem either, but my nails grow super fast and I am cutting them every 2 weeks.

 

[Shreddy Mercury]

Ouch, that just looks painful. I've never had this problem either, but my nails grow super fast and I am cutting them every 2 weeks.

It's not really painful right now, but there have been times where it hurts a lot putting pressure on my fingertips, whether playing or doing whatever. It's only the middle finger that ever does it and it's always the same spot.

I'm glad I never had kids, I'd hate to pass these inferior finger tip splitting genetics onto the next generation to proliferate into world wide fingertip splits.

 

[NeubyWanKaneuby]

You guys actually play guitar?

Seriously though, pick up some aquaphor and some nitrile gloves. Apply the aquaphor and put the glove on while you sleep at night.

Thank me later.

 

[Rackman]

I don't have that problem (perhaps due to my trust fund and offshore investments) but I would get some medical 2-Octyl Cyanoacrelate (Dermabond Advanced or similar), clean that shit real good with iodine, rinse, dry, and glue it up and file it flat with a nail file. The medical CA costs like $25 a tube and lasts a while and is really durable. Arguably there's some toxic stuff in "regular" superglue so it's probably worth it to get the medical stuff.

 

[VonBonfire]

Here's a picture if it helps....and yes I bite my nails sometimes lol View attachment 446161

I always use liquid skin for stuff like that.

 

[Rottweiler]

Do you take NSAIDs? I used to get this a lot when I had to take 1kmg of naproxen a day. A lot of anti inflamatory meds effect the skin. I also switched to a traditional fat based hand soap and did the lotion and rubber gloves at night a few times. It definately helps. Checkout Speick hand soap. My problem has almost completely resolved now that I use thier hand soap. I also have to wash them a lot. It has been a huge improvement.
https://a.co/d/01F8RR7a