Originally Posted by: ellenacarter09

Guys, I've got a problem. I've been playing for a month or so and I got these calluses on my fingertips and I was told not to try picking it off, but of course I did. Now it hurts as hell and I don't know what to do. Is there any cream or something?

Now? The balm is time.

You could accelerate the process by dabbing the tips with a cotton ball moistened with apple cider vinegar. That'll also desentitise them to the soreness a little. If you're hardcore and want to continue playing through the hurt, applying some CA to your tips works.

The point of the callus skin forming in the epidermis is to protect the fingertips. That's why you don't remove it. When in the early days the upper layers seperate, die and get frayed at the edges, trim the detatched edges with scissors so they don't catch under the strings. But leave the attached residual in situ. You can also use a skin cream to reduce the dryness retaining pliablity. I use foot cream intended for dried cracked heels. It definitely works better than cosmetic hand cream. In time your whole tip on each fretting finger will toughen after which the skin will tend to seperate infrequently IME. I hammer mine hard pretty much on a daily basis, and very seldom is there any seperation any more.