Skin Care

We have all different types of skin. Some have more moist skin than others and out of that we have to figure out the best way to nurse it for faster heeling and for longer lasting. In most cases it´s all about providing moisture to the skin. In other cases you might be having trouble with sweating allot and therefore needs something to reduce those perspiration's. Based on my own experiences I´ll give you my opinion regarding the most used and appreciated creams and ointments. I am not saying that this is pure facts and emanate only from what I and climbers I have met thought about the different products and in which way I think they might come in most handy.

Climb-On is a product created by climbers for climbers. It is sold as a cube in a jar which comes in a couple of different sizes, and as a ointment on tube. Climb-On quickly moisture the skin when applied and speeds in that way up the heeling. I myself have already from the beginning pretty moist skin and therefore I feel that it can get a bit to soft when I use Climb-On and that it brakes pretty easily when I climb outdoors. But if you are not having these types of problems Climb-On is a great product to use to moisture the skin after climbing as well as in a preventing purpose.

Splits, cracks and flappers are a pretty common issue, especially when climbing on granite. If something like this happens to you the Climb-On cube can be of great use. You just simply break loose a small piece of the cube and try to press it into the cut or whatever it is before you tape it over to keep the cream in place. Try to leave the tape on for a couple of hours or over night. In this way the cut and the skin around it stays moisturised and heels much quicker. Repeat the procedure every now and then until the cut has healed. Some say that the skin won´t heal unless it´s able to breathe which maybe and in that case this should not work but my experience says that nothing beats doing as described above and I know many climbers that use the same procedure.

Most climbing gyms and stores that provide climbing gear sell the Climb-On products. It is normally the jar I bump in to and the tube isn't as common and therefore not as easy to get hold of. That I take as a sign that the cube is much more appreciated than the tube and therefore maybe a better product.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream is an a bit more expensive skincare-/beauty product witch can be used for many different purposes. It has come to be very appreciated by climbers that uses it since it moisture the skin  in an excellent way and makes it elastic and hardy. This makes it my clear choice when it comes to the moisturising creams I've tried. It may seem a bit overpriced compared to other products used by climbers but if you don't over consume allot the pack-agings are long lasting.

You can buy the Eight Hour Cream in most stores that offers these types of products.

Antihydral is a cream that is used to reduce heavy sweating. It gives you dry hard skin witch in some cases can feel a bit slippery in the beginning. Though that feeling usually disappears right after you start climbing and wear the skin down a bit. This makes it a really good product to use if you are having problems with moist skin and is sweating allot. Though it should not be used by climbers who already have dry skin since it can lead to that you dry out the skin even more and cause it to crack and split. Also climbers with moist skin can dry it out so that it cracks or splits and I recommend using a complementing ointment like Climb-On or Eight Hour Cream.

You should be extremely careful when using Antihydral, especially if you have never tried it before. Its easy to apply to much and if you are unlucky it can lead to you drying out your skin so bad that it may be destroyed for weeks. It´s of great importance that you only apply it on the center of your fingertips. You should be extra careful not to apply it in the joints since it can cause the skin cracking when you bend your finger. Try to experiment with it a bit on your home turf so that you don't start using it on your climbing trip without knowing how your skin responds to it. It´s as I said very easy to destroy the skin witch you probably rather do back home than on your trip.

Sand it down
At the same time as we want skin that quickly recovers and becomes thick enough so sweat can´t trickle through, we don´t want it to get too thick or hard. This is because it can easily lead to the skin cracking or splitting. Also when there is an abundance of skin, it can crumble and roll off when you climb, and make you literally roll off the holds. To avoid this, you sand your fingertips to keep your skin smooth. Often when climbing outdoors I wear off the skin in the center of my fingertips and not so much around, which means that an abundance of skin is formed around the worn out spot. As it is important sand down calluses for those not to become too thick and could be easily torn off, you should try to sand down the abundance of skin around the fingertips. For this purpose use a foot file which you is to come by at pharmacies or at merchant´s /grocer´s shops.