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Double Bass Blisters on Index and Middle Fingers

B

bassicallyjakob

Aug 24, 2013
22
0
#1
I had them starting a few days ago (maybe last Tuesday...?) and I waited 1 day. Then I popped them by making a small whole towards the bottom like many people have said and drained them.

I've put band-aids on them with bacitracin during the day and let them air out at night. I'm 100% sure they are no infected.

I have an audition coming up this Tuesday and another one this Wednesday followed by a 2 hour gig at night. :bassist:

Do I have to go as far as getting medical scissors to get rid of the skin on the top or will it heal on its own? :crying:
What about practicing before my auditions and gig?
:help::help::help:
 
#2
Do not (!!!) remove any of the skin. The skin will heal beneath the blister. Once there's a good callus beneath the old skin, I trim away the dead skin. Once, and I mean only once, I trimmed the skin off of a blister. What was left was raw skin. Very painful playing ensued for a week.
 
#4
bassicallyjakob said:
I had them starting a few days ago (maybe last Tuesday...?) and I waited 1 day. Then I popped them by making a small whole towards the bottom like many people have said and drained them.

I've put band-aids on them with bacitracin during the day and let them air out at night. I'm 100% sure they are no infected.

I have an audition coming up this Tuesday and another one this Wednesday followed by a 2 hour gig at night. :bassist:

Do I have to go as far as getting medical scissors to get rid of the skin on the top or will it heal on its own? :crying:
What about practicing before my auditions and gig?
:help::help::help:
Click to expand...

Leave them alone! Eventually you'll develop calluses, then you won't even be able to see that. If you need to, try wrapping your fingers in paper-tape (micropore) when you play. Feels quite natural and protects open blisters.
 
#5
Play with a pick.

Oh sorry, wrong forum...

Not sure if this helps but I make sure my hands are clean and dry before I play. Sweaty hands means a lot of slipping and sliding. The callouses will come, then they will soften up and you will have fingertips of steel.

Dave
 
#6
Thank you everyone!
I actually just stopped by my college's medical office and they said the same stuff plus getting "blister band-aids" from a drug store.

One more thing...
I obviously won't be practicing as hard or as long on my fingers on my right hand, but when the skin comes off, will the calluses make my fingers stronger than when I first got the blisters, allowing me to play well for my auditions and gig on Tuesday and Wednesday? I'm worried about whether or not they'll heal in time so I'm back up and running (or walking haha) :bassist:
 
#7
I never got blisters playing URB and I don't play with my fingertips that are already calloused. When I first started playing URB I talked with some older URB players that hipped me to using the sides of my fingers instead of the tips used when playing EB.

Wally
 
#10
Just play through it. Don't trim the skin or pop any more blisters. Yeah it's irritating to play with blisters but the only remedy is to keep practicing/playing. Pretty soon your fingertips will toughen up and you won't get any more blisters.
 
#15
I may try out super glue then.

Should I be playing over these yellowish patches of skin where the popped blister used to be? I've been told the skin is supposed to fall off but it's not even close to doing so and I've had them for a week.

Note: The skin is definitely getting harder.
 
#17
chicagodoubler said:
http://www.newskinproducts.com

It's a miracle worker. Apply several layers after draining the blister and you can play all night with no pain.
Click to expand...

I've tried new skin. 5 layers actually. It didn't do anything for me, I tore it up within 1 minute of playing.

My question was if I should play without anything on my 2 right fingers because the skin is not falling off like people say and it's been over a week. :bawl:
 
#18
READ THIS PART:
So at this point, there's this yellowish patch of skin that has hardened but seems to be coming off a little. I think these are the callouses I've been waiting for because it looks like the raw pink skin is under.

I fear that the skin will totally come off because I can see the raw pink skin under it. Any way to stop this? I can only prolong it right now...
 

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