I must be trying to set a record for new threads started in Off Topic or something.

In a couple weeks I'm going to be recording guitar parts for a friend's album. In preparation, I was trying to write some parts to go with some demo tracks he'd supplied me. For one part, I was repeating the same bars of a rather "bendy" guitar solo over and over again trying to get a good take recorded.

I've been playing so much folk-style acoustic lately, I forgot how rough on your fingertips bending the high strings on an electric can be. Before I realized it, I'd created some small blisters, one each on two fingertips of my left hand.

If I'd been playing that style a lot lately, I would have had callouses in those spots on my fingers and it wouldn't have happened. But I'd been doing a completely different style of playing for a long time and the callouses were on slightly different spots on my fingers.

So now I've got a problem. Two weeks from now I need to have this music written and rehearsed. But I've got these blisters that I want to heal before I play again. So my goal is to find the fastest method of healing them so I can start playing again.

I'm pretty sure that I should not lance them. They haven't broken on their own. So what should I do in the meantime? Any suggestions?

I used to deal with blisters a lot coaching gymnastics and if there is skin on the blister you should keep it there for as long as possible. This gives the skin underneath a chance to toughen up before taking the brunt of day to day life. When our hands were really tough, we'd file down the callouses with sandpaper or emery boards.
If you rip the skin off, you're likely to get sore faster. Once the skin is off, use moisturiser to help the skin recover.

I once saw a kid rip his hand so bad it was bleeding, a lot of skin was taken off. Before I could tell them otherwise, the brains trust at the gym I was at put iodine on it to prevent any infection. The kid nearly jumpeed out of his skin it was so painful.

I've done exactly what you've done in the past, and the wisdom amongst guitarists I worked with is that you can only let it take its course. Muzza's advice is just about right.
The things I could never get on with in this (or any other situation) are finger and thumb picks. be patient a couple of weeks should see it out.

Thanks for the advice guys. My only problem is that I don't *have* a couple of weeks. I've got to start rehearsing before that two weeks is up.

Let pain be your freind.
moisturiser will help your fingers recover after practice. I doubt band-aids will help, but you could try strips of strapping tape to stop the direct pressure on your fingers.

I also seem to remember a product (I think it was called moleskin) that was an adhesive bandage that you could put over sores or other damaged skin. The surface of the stuff was almost a suede / leather in texture. It helped heal, but you still had some level of feeling through it. You might want to check with your local pharmacy.

I've used moleskin countless times for hiking and backpacking in Boy Scouts. It works really well, but mostly as a preventative measure. It might work, though. I've never used it on anything but my feet.

There's a cool product called New-Skin. It's basically like putting superglue on a blister. It is an extra layer of protection, it's antiseptic, it makes the skin slicker, so the blisters tend not to get worse, etc. Basically, It's GREAT preventative, and a good cure. Your local drugstore will likely have it on the shelf. One word of advise, don't try putting it on an open wound. It won't make it infected or anything, it just burns like a mother as it has alcohol in it.

Hmmm... Then the Mole Skin was not what I was thinking about. Although it might help. There was one that I learned about in a previous summer job... I will see if I can find out more (or jog my memory a bit).

Yeah, I've got some moleskin in the medicine cabinet. Use it on my feet when I get blisters there. Wouldn't be useful on the fingertips, as I need to feel everything under them when I play. Playing guitar with moleskin on my fingers would be like trying to drive with boxing gloves and oversized clown shoes... do-able, but don't expect anything good to come of it.

Same goes for anything else that puts layers of anything between my skin and the strings. Anyone who plays guitar will know what I'm talking about, I'd think.

Although I have to say that looking for that second skin product might be worth a try. I could at least try it and see.

use superglue. i dont play guitar, but ive never had problems with it holding my skin closed.

ive never had problems with it holding my skin closed.

The skin isn't broken yet, and I'd like to keep it that way as long as possible...

use superglue. i dont play guitar, but ive never had problems with it holding my skin closed

wasnt superglue invented for this very purpose ?

My wife recently accidentally tore open a couple of finger blisters. She used some Burt's Bees Res-Q Ointment on them and they healed up much quicker than I'd expect. They were identifiable, but reasonably tough and painfree in a couple of days. I don't know that it would work on unopened blisters or that they'd then be strong enough to hold up to string bending, but it's probably worth a shot.

like trying to drive with boxing gloves and oversized clown shoes...

I have stored this image in my mind for the next time I encounter killer clowns out on the public roads. Thanks!

Update: Its seems my fingers remembered what it was like in the old days when I gigged regularly. Leaving the blisters alone for a couple of days, they hardened into nice callouses and now I'm able to play again as long as I'm careful not to over-do it and back off when I feel pain. All is well.

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions, everyone!

By the way, I'm glad I resisted the temptation to break the blister. That seems to have made all the difference.