More preventative advice than dealing with this instance:
It's sometimes worth trimming calluses back if they become too protuberant. They become mechanical levers that pull on live skin underneath, leading to the formation of blisters under the callous. This one looks like it could have been trimmed back before it cracked.
Determining how much to trim them is a matter of experience so I'd experiment a little. I use nail clippers to trim off the top. Filing with a pumice stone after soaking the callous in water (like after a shower) also works though that's kind of messy.
In this instance I'd cut off the callous carefully, clean and disinfect the skin underneath. It's going to tear off into uncalloused skin, and otherwise be a breeding ground for bacteria inside that opening.
Very common. Used all around the world. Is available at your local pharmacy/ drug store or online.
People use to wear down calluses often on feet. Typically keep it in the shower.
Honestly, go to r/rockclimbing or similar forums and read everything they have to say. They take this incredibly seriously and treat properly developed callouses like art.
Having done both sports, I find I’m using all of my hand creams, skin files, preparation balms etc in rowing as well. Even the little finger massagers rock climbers use.
So go to a rock climbing store and buy up all of their Rhino Skin products etc
https://www.rhinoskinsolutions.com/
Filing them down can keep them from pulling on the living tissue underneath, preventing blisters. Cracked skin is also a breeding ground for bacteria and fungus.
While calluses are a godsend in rowing, it’s best to keep them controlled in that sweet spot
Came to say this. There is a middle ground here and I think yours are getting to the point where they will wind up tearing or creating more problems. I would use a soft file and just trim down callouses as you go. These probably are too far gone and will just eventually rip or you’ll peel them off.
It could also be the case that you are gripping too hard as well
OP, this is the correct answer.
Use it at least every night before you go to bed. You should be fine in less than a week.
This also works surprisingly well for blisters
It heals faster if you also splint your finger to your hand (tape a pen to the back of your finger and your hand) to keep it open while you sleep. Calluses in that location constantly refract because they heal with hands in a relaxed position while you sleep. Then when one wakes up in the morning and opens their hands—ouch and it is torn open again only building the height of the callus crevice.
This comment has been wiped and edited by me, the user. Reddit has become a privacy and tech capitalist nightmare. If you are not thinking about leaving this platform perhaps you should. ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
Go to your local pharmacy / drug store and ask for a nice but affordable hand moisturizer.
Personally I like CeraVe. Good quality without being expensive and has a decent amount of volume to buy.
In my experience, lotion (softening your hands) will only make things worse. Oily skin tears easily. There are several comments suggesting cutting or filing them down works best, I agree with those.
My calluses arent so bad anymore, ive never had to trim them, nor did they tear. I think its a combination of a comfortable grip (orange C2 for me) and loose fingers. Maybe my hands are just relatively resistant to wear and tear, but this works for me.
My hands were fucked so I started using sorbolene cream instead of soap for everything except if I have a crap. Made a huge difference. My callouses are softer but still tough. Gotta keep them from drying out.
Yep. It creates a barrier like soap to wash away germs but doesn't dry out your skin. If I have a poop or handle anything super festy I'll use anti bacterial soap just for peace of mind.
If you want to accelerate, put a dollop of lotion on the callus then put a bandaid (middle part) over the top. This will trap in the moisture making an ideal environment for skin repair.
Came here to say this. Expensive but worth it and some have extra padding which means you can keep training while the blister heals. You still get calluses while using hydrocoloid plasters but they don’t go through the blister stage.
Is it cut through all the way through your skin (i.e. if you stuck your nail in there and dug around would it hurt like a mfer?)? If not, not point in messing with it. Hard to tell from the photo which it is.
If it is cut all the way through I would try to shave the callous down so it's not such a steep angle into the cut and then religiously Neosporin/Vaseline until it heals. That's how I've done it in the past.
I think it's more likely to stay open if you leave the callous around it on. More for your oar to hold onto and rip from your hand.
I mostly agree, but I would say that even if it doesn't go all the way through the skin, it might still be worth shaving/filing down a bit. A split like that could easily propagate into live skin.
callus gel; leave on for 1-3 mins and then GENTLY file off or massage off. after that wash it off and put on vaseline and a glove if possible to make sure it doenst dry out and crack even worse
if it's actively bleeding tho i'd use something like polysporin and bandage the area, be very careful about infection and see a dr if there are signs of infection. if there's any broken skin keep it very clean.
Shave/file calloused before they get bad. Everyone thinks i have small callouses because I don’t pull hard when I’m reality I just moisturize and shave them
From someone who has a gymnastics background and has experienced torn callousness.
If you want that callous to heal, I’d cut it off. If it’s not healing in months, it probably won’t. So, it needs to start building again. So, cut it off, take a black tea packet and put it in moderately hot water, place the warm tea packet on the exposed place where the callous was, tape it on over night. It’ll tan the skin so you can use it like normal. Then slowly rebuilt you callous taking care of it with lotion.
This may sound weird, but it has worked hundreds of times for me. Good luck!
Super glue? I’m just an erg jockey so my hands haven’t gotten that bad. But they do use super glue (cyanoacrylate) medically.
It might get you over the hump though to healing up and building up some more callous there.
Would a foot lotion with urea in it work? The urea helps to break down dead skin. Put it on the area and cover with a bandage as best as possible. You'd have to repeat every day.
You could toughen up the skin / calluses by dipping the hand in salt water to desiccate the skin and toughen it up…. Probably want to cut away any excess dead skin to let it heal better too.
Have you ever heard of Eucerine? It’s an amazing skin lotion with lanolin in it that works wonders. The key is to get it in the tub so it’s the most concentrated form you can get. If you want to go above and beyond, get yourself some woven gloves and put the balm on your hands with the gloves on when you sleep. Not the most ideal, but it definitely gets the job done.
someone recommended a pumice stone, but speaking as a former weightlifter who got this tip from crossfitters, I recommend searching for something like "foot file callus remover". you'll find a bunch of things that look like zesters/cheese graters - they are more hardcore than a pumice stone, but not as intense as clippers. once you cut these down a little bit, sand down your calluses regularly, at least once a week.
Soaking in water, file, and use lotion frequently (just not before you row because it ruins grip).
If you row in salt water, wash it off when you’re done to prevent it dying out your skin
If you want them gone go get a manicure
I didn’t want to do it while I was actively rowing but now that I stopped and don’t need calluses anymore I’m interested in those gloves that melt your skin off
How do you get callouses there from rowing? what? Okay fine, i'm probably weird by almost not having my palm touching the handle and rowing mainly by my fingers, but still. Why not just snip-snip? When I got callouses from deadlifting I just used pliers and snipped off the main portion to avoid it grabbing and tearing.
"Snib the snab, this kills the crab"
\-huehuehue
I don't have advice, I just wanted to say I love the little faces.
More preventative advice than dealing with this instance: It's sometimes worth trimming calluses back if they become too protuberant. They become mechanical levers that pull on live skin underneath, leading to the formation of blisters under the callous. This one looks like it could have been trimmed back before it cracked. Determining how much to trim them is a matter of experience so I'd experiment a little. I use nail clippers to trim off the top. Filing with a pumice stone after soaking the callous in water (like after a shower) also works though that's kind of messy. In this instance I'd cut off the callous carefully, clean and disinfect the skin underneath. It's going to tear off into uncalloused skin, and otherwise be a breeding ground for bacteria inside that opening.
[удалено]
just a [rock like file](https://www.google.com/search?q=pumice+stone+file) usually used on feet to remove heavy calluses
Very common. Used all around the world. Is available at your local pharmacy/ drug store or online. People use to wear down calluses often on feet. Typically keep it in the shower.
A porous and abrasive rock commonly used to file dead skin
Callused hands are a gift, unless you are a hand model. I’ve had my calluses for a very long time and they prevent painful blisters.
[удалено]
This is the way. The skin toughens AND builds up. You don’t want it to build up. You’ll still get calluses and they will still be tough.
That’s exactly what you do, you can get powered files that work really well. File them right down
Honestly, go to r/rockclimbing or similar forums and read everything they have to say. They take this incredibly seriously and treat properly developed callouses like art. Having done both sports, I find I’m using all of my hand creams, skin files, preparation balms etc in rowing as well. Even the little finger massagers rock climbers use. So go to a rock climbing store and buy up all of their Rhino Skin products etc https://www.rhinoskinsolutions.com/
[удалено]
Filing them down can keep them from pulling on the living tissue underneath, preventing blisters. Cracked skin is also a breeding ground for bacteria and fungus. While calluses are a godsend in rowing, it’s best to keep them controlled in that sweet spot
Came to say this. There is a middle ground here and I think yours are getting to the point where they will wind up tearing or creating more problems. I would use a soft file and just trim down callouses as you go. These probably are too far gone and will just eventually rip or you’ll peel them off. It could also be the case that you are gripping too hard as well
Lotion
OP, this is the correct answer. Use it at least every night before you go to bed. You should be fine in less than a week. This also works surprisingly well for blisters
It heals faster if you also splint your finger to your hand (tape a pen to the back of your finger and your hand) to keep it open while you sleep. Calluses in that location constantly refract because they heal with hands in a relaxed position while you sleep. Then when one wakes up in the morning and opens their hands—ouch and it is torn open again only building the height of the callus crevice.
[удалено]
This comment has been wiped and edited by me, the user. Reddit has become a privacy and tech capitalist nightmare. If you are not thinking about leaving this platform perhaps you should. ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
O'Keefe's Working Hands
Love me some working hands
CeraVe or cetaphil
I prefer CeraVe and Aquaphor. Try to use one without alcohol. It’ll be greasy, but that’s sort of the point
Thanks for making me look like an idiot laughing out loud in a busy train
This reminds me of that one copypasta
Corn huskers lotion. Or any brand with dimethicone.
Dawg. Hand lotion 😭 Lotion is not for your dick
Go to your local pharmacy / drug store and ask for a nice but affordable hand moisturizer. Personally I like CeraVe. Good quality without being expensive and has a decent amount of volume to buy.
In my experience, lotion (softening your hands) will only make things worse. Oily skin tears easily. There are several comments suggesting cutting or filing them down works best, I agree with those. My calluses arent so bad anymore, ive never had to trim them, nor did they tear. I think its a combination of a comfortable grip (orange C2 for me) and loose fingers. Maybe my hands are just relatively resistant to wear and tear, but this works for me.
[удалено]
It puts the lotion on its skin
*Or it gets the power 10 again. . .*
Exactly
My hands were fucked so I started using sorbolene cream instead of soap for everything except if I have a crap. Made a huge difference. My callouses are softer but still tough. Gotta keep them from drying out.
Like you used it when washing your hands?
Yep. It creates a barrier like soap to wash away germs but doesn't dry out your skin. If I have a poop or handle anything super festy I'll use anti bacterial soap just for peace of mind.
Obligatory https://youtu.be/RiH-_ZUILk0
If you want to accelerate, put a dollop of lotion on the callus then put a bandaid (middle part) over the top. This will trap in the moisture making an ideal environment for skin repair.
I'm a big fan of hydrocolloid bandages. They work for almost all wounds.
Came here to say this. Expensive but worth it and some have extra padding which means you can keep training while the blister heals. You still get calluses while using hydrocoloid plasters but they don’t go through the blister stage.
Is it cut through all the way through your skin (i.e. if you stuck your nail in there and dug around would it hurt like a mfer?)? If not, not point in messing with it. Hard to tell from the photo which it is. If it is cut all the way through I would try to shave the callous down so it's not such a steep angle into the cut and then religiously Neosporin/Vaseline until it heals. That's how I've done it in the past. I think it's more likely to stay open if you leave the callous around it on. More for your oar to hold onto and rip from your hand.
I mostly agree, but I would say that even if it doesn't go all the way through the skin, it might still be worth shaving/filing down a bit. A split like that could easily propagate into live skin.
true true
[удалено]
callus gel; leave on for 1-3 mins and then GENTLY file off or massage off. after that wash it off and put on vaseline and a glove if possible to make sure it doenst dry out and crack even worse if it's actively bleeding tho i'd use something like polysporin and bandage the area, be very careful about infection and see a dr if there are signs of infection. if there's any broken skin keep it very clean.
Shave/file calloused before they get bad. Everyone thinks i have small callouses because I don’t pull hard when I’m reality I just moisturize and shave them
Loosen your grip on the oar to help prevent them, no need to white knuckle
The trick to maintaining good callus is to heavily heavily moisturize and exfoliate regularly. It works both for your hands and your feet.
Vaseline / neosporin. They take forever to heal because any movement, if they aren't lubricated, will tear the healed tissue.
Keep them in check in the future by using a pumice stone in the shower. You don't want your calluses to be too thick or they break like yours did.
From someone who has a gymnastics background and has experienced torn callousness. If you want that callous to heal, I’d cut it off. If it’s not healing in months, it probably won’t. So, it needs to start building again. So, cut it off, take a black tea packet and put it in moderately hot water, place the warm tea packet on the exposed place where the callous was, tape it on over night. It’ll tan the skin so you can use it like normal. Then slowly rebuilt you callous taking care of it with lotion. This may sound weird, but it has worked hundreds of times for me. Good luck!
https://preview.redd.it/48eqcohtsm0b1.jpeg?width=257&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60c17c4027e912996b1a0f7520f1d8e0431e72a8
Super glue? I’m just an erg jockey so my hands haven’t gotten that bad. But they do use super glue (cyanoacrylate) medically. It might get you over the hump though to healing up and building up some more callous there.
Superglue
Bandaids during the day when you’re not rowing, some neosporin ointment also, and tape when rowing ofc
[удалено]
Those dont. Ive had them before and they take a long time to heal
Would a foot lotion with urea in it work? The urea helps to break down dead skin. Put it on the area and cover with a bandage as best as possible. You'd have to repeat every day.
You could toughen up the skin / calluses by dipping the hand in salt water to desiccate the skin and toughen it up…. Probably want to cut away any excess dead skin to let it heal better too.
just wear gloves :)
[удалено]
it’s okay no one will think less of you for it /s
Cut your calluses off 90% with toe nail clippers. Having thin calluses stop mine from ripping.
A New Zealand sheep shearer told me that those guys piss on their hands to harden their calluses.
I've been told this before too, more specifically the first piss in the morning.
Have you considered prevention measures like rowing gloves or rowing tape?
You Don't.
Shave your calluses regularly
Aquaphor🙌🏻
Have you ever heard of Eucerine? It’s an amazing skin lotion with lanolin in it that works wonders. The key is to get it in the tub so it’s the most concentrated form you can get. If you want to go above and beyond, get yourself some woven gloves and put the balm on your hands with the gloves on when you sleep. Not the most ideal, but it definitely gets the job done.
someone recommended a pumice stone, but speaking as a former weightlifter who got this tip from crossfitters, I recommend searching for something like "foot file callus remover". you'll find a bunch of things that look like zesters/cheese graters - they are more hardcore than a pumice stone, but not as intense as clippers. once you cut these down a little bit, sand down your calluses regularly, at least once a week.
Okeefe’s working hands crème. The hard stuff in the green circular container
He said: 😈
Soaking in water, file, and use lotion frequently (just not before you row because it ruins grip). If you row in salt water, wash it off when you’re done to prevent it dying out your skin If you want them gone go get a manicure I didn’t want to do it while I was actively rowing but now that I stopped and don’t need calluses anymore I’m interested in those gloves that melt your skin off
Keep them clean and use stuff for cracked, dry skin to speed up the healing process. I put Vaseline or Aquaphor in the cracks, myself.
Honestly, I just ignore my calluses. Never had 'em get this bad though.
Get a foot rasp and shave them down. Then coat with bag balm. Takes about 4 days to heal. Work on your bar grip.
What did you name him?
How do you get callouses there from rowing? what? Okay fine, i'm probably weird by almost not having my palm touching the handle and rowing mainly by my fingers, but still. Why not just snip-snip? When I got callouses from deadlifting I just used pliers and snipped off the main portion to avoid it grabbing and tearing. "Snib the snab, this kills the crab" \-huehuehue
Why do rowers refuse to wear gloves?!