If you are a passionate sportsman, your hands are essential tools for success in your sporting discipline. Whether you are a crossfitter, a practitioner of yoga or a bodybuilder, hand calluses can become a nuisance that affects your performance and comfort.
Make yourself comfortable because today we will explore in detail how to effectively prevent the formation of calluses on your hands!
Index
What are Hand Calluses?
Calluses are often the result of intensive use of hands and fingers during training or competition. These skin growths develop in response to the friction, pressure, and constant irritation your hands experience during exercise.
Calluses can vary in size and can appear in different areas of the hands, such as the fingers, palms or tops of the hands.
How to Prevent Them?
- Use calluses: Invest in a pair of grips (or training gloves if you prefer) high quality is one of the first preventive measures that every athlete should take. These accessories protect your hands from friction and pressure and minimize the risk of calluses. Make sure they are well-fitting and made of breathable materials to avoid more discomfort.
- Apply the right technique: Learning to apply the correct technique for your sport can go a long way in reducing pressure and friction on your hands. An expert coach will certainly be able to help you with this.
- Use additional protections: If your sport involves high pressure or friction on the hands, consider using grip tape to protect critical areas.
- Hydration constant: Keep the skin of your hands hydrated. Using moisturizers can help prevent dryness and calluses.
- Hand strengthening exercises: Incorporating hand-strengthening exercises into your workout routine can help improve your skin's resistance to stress. You can use specific tools such as stress balls or exercises pinch (made with three fingers) to strengthen hands and fingers.
- Watch out for your nails: Long nails or irregular cuts can cause scratches on the surrounding skin, encouraging the formation of calluses.
- Monitor and treat existing calluses: If you already have calluses on your hands, treat them promptly to prevent them from getting bigger or painful. Consult a professional for treatment and specific recommendations.
What to use to remove existing calluses?
If you want to treat hand calluses safely and effectively, it is advisable to use a pumice stone or callus file. Here's how to use them:
- Soaking: Before you start, dip your hands in water warm to soften the skin. You can also add a little soap or salt to the water to improve the effectiveness of the treatment.
- Drying: After softening your skin for about 10-15 minutes, gently dry your hands with a towel.
- Using pumice stone or callus file: Choose between a pumice stone or a callus file, depending on your preference. Both tools work well to remove the surface layer of dead skin and calluses.
- Pumice stone: Pumice stone is a porous volcanic rock that can be used to exfoliate dead skin. Gently pass the pumice stone over the affected area with circular movements. Avoid applying too much pressure to avoid damaging healthy skin.
- Callus file: Callus files are specially designed to remove dead skin and calluses. Pass the file delicately over the affected skin, being careful not to overuse the pressure. After each pass, check the results and stop when you have achieved the desired level of callus removal.
- Health: After treating your hands, rinse your skin well with warm water to remove any dead skin. Be sure to also clean your pumice stone or callus file after use to keep them sanitary.
- Hydration: After treatment, apply a specific moisturizing cream for your hands to keep them soft and prevent dryness.
It is important to note that it is essential to proceed with great caution when removing hand calluses at home. If you have particularly thick or painful calluses, it is advisable to consult a professional or podiatrist, who will be able to offer the most appropriate treatment for your situation.
Also, avoid excessive cutting or scraping of calluses, as this can cause skin damage and potentially more or less serious infections.