Read Full Article HereWhy do you get calluses on your hands?
To an extent, hand carnage follows a chain reaction. First, calluses. “Some folks may find them unsightly, but calluses are a normal and natural response to lifting weights or doing pull-ups,” explains sports medicine physician Nancy E. Rolnik, M.D. at Remedy Sports and Regenerative Medicine. Trouble is, untreated, a callus can rip or tear off, causing an open wound on your hand. Yikes. (While other problems, like blisters, are awful on their own, for the most part, it all starts with the callus).
But why do calluses happen? “The skin’s physiologic response to repetitive friction, pressure, or trauma is for the top layer of skin (the epidermis) to thicken,” explains John “Jay” Wofford, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in Dallas.
Calluses have a protective function, says Dr. Wofford. Basically, calluses are meant to prevent the skin from breaking, cracking, or tearing in the event of future “trauma.” For that reason, you don’t want to completely get rid of hand calluses.
Source: SHAPE – How to Take Care of Your Hands If You Lift Heavy Weights
