Sander
Junior Member
Posts: 61
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Post by Sander on May 28, 2015 5:59:40 GMT -7
I split the skin of my middle finger just below the tip as a result of campus training 3 weeks ago. I've campussing for this cycle and gave my skin a full week of rest to heal. But when I picked up training/climbing again, it split quite rapidly again. Due to it's relatively low position, it seems to suffer especially from full-pad holds, so I try to avoid those and train on smaller holds instead. Nevertheless it doesn't seem to heal very well. I'd love some advice based on the experience of others: continue and hope it heals very slowly, or sacrifice weeks of climbing time and having to restart my training season. Obviously I don't feel tempted to do the latter… Has anyone for example tried protecting a split like this with superglue?
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Post by MarkAnderson on May 28, 2015 13:28:08 GMT -7
I've only had one true "split", and in that instance I ended my season. But I will throw in my two cents anyway. I've used krazy glue with mixed results. Frankly I wasn't super impressed, but I still carry a tube around just in case. In my case, I was using a mono pocket with a heinous little spike inside, and it was tearing a hole in my pad. Eventually it dug a deep enough hole that blood was oozing out. I used the krazy glue to fill the hole. The next time I used the mono, the spike snagged the glue and ripped it right out of my pad, along with whatever skin it was attached to That said, it held up ok until I got to the offending pocket, which was a good 70 feet off the deck, with a lot of small sharp holds along the way. My suggestion would be to glue it shut (I've seen doctors due this in the ER, so I think its medically safe and sound as long as you use the right glue), and then tape thoroughly over the glue before climbing on it. It takes some time for the glue to really set, so experiment with different timing strategies. I also felt like it helped to sand the glue down after it sets (to remove and rough edges that might get caught on the rock). Hopefully after a week or two of climbing with glue and tape, you can start to climb on it without tape. This will allow you to at least keep training while you're waiting for the skin to heal, and may even allow you to work and or send some projects in the mean time.
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Sander
Junior Member
Posts: 61
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Post by Sander on May 28, 2015 13:41:23 GMT -7
Thanks a lot! I'll give the glue+tape combo a try and avoid 'bity' holds. And I'll share the experience afterwards of course! Fingers crossed
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Sander
Junior Member
Posts: 61
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Post by Sander on Jun 5, 2015 6:54:33 GMT -7
I've done two trainings and an outdoor bouldering session now with super glue and tape. It works like charm! The split didn't open anymore and it's healing nicely.
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Post by MarkAnderson on Jun 5, 2015 18:11:10 GMT -7
Nice!
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Post by Chris W on Aug 22, 2015 3:30:43 GMT -7
Do any of you have a set protocol for skin prep? I've been trying to figure something out that I can track, such as 100 swipes per pad with a sanding stone. My project this fall has the potential to wear through the tips on my left hand (or right, depending on which sequence I decide to try).
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Post by MarkAnderson on Aug 22, 2015 7:41:18 GMT -7
Nothing like that. I sand in the morning (when it's cold, so my skin is firm and dry) the day after my latest workout. I'm pretty religious about it, although I miss days here and there. As far as how much to sand, I go by feel, but I also do this during my morning walk, which is the same every day, so I have a qualitative baseline for how much total time I spend sanding. If I get back home and I still have 3 fingers to go, I know I was sanding more than usual.
The proper amount of sanding depends on the quality of your skin though. If my skin is perfect, and I'm just sanding for maintenance, it goes really quick. If I have flaps I'm trying to smooth down, that takes longer. Mid-performance phase, with multiple problem areas, it can take 2-3x as long as maintenance sanding.
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Post by Chris W on Aug 22, 2015 20:42:16 GMT -7
I may have to be a bit more concrete with my sanding. I feel like I need a babysitter just to get a chance to go to the bathroom, so walks are out.
I'm trying to recreate a skin phenomenon I experience bouldering. My local boulder field (governor stable) is full of beautiful egg shaped diabase boulders. The rock is super rough on your skin (or at least on mine) and a half day session will wear my tips down to the point that they are leaking plasma. When this is followed by several quality (skin) rest days my finger pads get super tough and stand up to much more abuse. I have trouble recreating this with a sanding stone.
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Post by rob on Aug 23, 2015 8:26:18 GMT -7
Nothing like that. I sand in the morning (when it's cold, so my skin is firm and dry) the day after my latest workout. I'm pretty religious about it, although I miss days here and there. As far as how much to sand, I go by feel, but I also do this during my morning walk, which is the same every day, so I have a qualitative baseline for how much total time I spend sanding. If I get back home and I still have 3 fingers to go, I know I was sanding more than usual. The proper amount of sanding depends on the quality of your skin though. If my skin is perfect, and I'm just sanding for maintenance, it goes really quick. If I have flaps I'm trying to smooth down, that takes longer. Mid-performance phase, with multiple problem areas, it can take 2-3x as long as maintenance sanding. This may sound stupid, but why are you guys constantly sanding your tips? Is it to keep them used to that sort of friction and keep them tough? I've never really gotten into the whole skin care thing so not read anything about it... But I'm noticing my skin wears pretty quickly now when I'm out climbing so I better start!
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Post by MarkAnderson on Aug 23, 2015 9:46:15 GMT -7
This may sound stupid, but why are you guys constantly sanding your tips? A couple reasons. Pre-season, it's done for the same reason we train. To stimulate supercompensation in order to make the skin tougher. Once you're climbing outside, it's often done to prevent problem areas (usually flappers) from getting worse. See chapter 9!
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andy
New Member
Posts: 8
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Post by andy on Aug 23, 2015 15:03:07 GMT -7
I agree with sanding, if I ignore it, I end up with a plethora of small tears that eventually turn into full splits and flappers.
Also, in my experience "Leukotape P sports tape" is the best for taping splits. It seems to last a lot longer, and I often don't need to use super glue with it. Its expensive though, like $10 a roll.
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Post by iepsje on Aug 24, 2015 1:13:32 GMT -7
Other related question. In 12 years of climbing I only one had a flapper once from a really shard grip on a indoor bouldering wall. I have never sanded before and never really have skin problems at the tips of my fingers or at the middle bone. But I usually get really sore skin at the most proximal finger bone (near the proximal joint). Would sanding help for this as well, to reduce the bulk? (I think it is from handling the rope, or I climb to much on jugs )
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Post by Chris W on May 25, 2018 11:32:37 GMT -7
Going to have to resurrect this thread since my spring project ate my skin. I tried sanding in the past, but it seemed to make my skin feel too smooth and affected my hangboard numbers, so I stopped. Going to try it again, since I didn't send my project this spring.
When sanding, are you
1) specifically trying to remove a large amount of skin each time to stimulate thicker skin growth?
2) trying to stimulate the skin by sanding while removing as little as possible while sanding?
3) Sanding differently during different training phases, besides the aforementioned performance phase?
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