Klarinet Archive - Posting 000116.txt from 2002/07

From: Neil Leupold <leupold_1@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Lip problems
Date: Thu, 4 Jul 2002 10:10:37 -0400

--- Neil Leupold <leupold_1@-----.com> wrote:

> --- Allan Thompson <athompson@-----.za> wrote:
>
> > I have just had a quite demanding week, and have had to play rehearsals and
> > concerts on clarinet, basset horn and classical clarinet. As usual when I
> > have to change embouchures quite a bit, and especially in cold, dry weather,
> > my lips have become very chapped and painful. I have tried the various
> > lip-ices on the market, but the problem persists. Does anyone know of a
> > 'miracle cure' for this problem, as I have a couple more busy weeks to
> > follow, and playing is remarkably unpleasant at the moment. (I know one
> > should 'suffer for one's art', but this is a bit much).
>
> I get painful chapped lips just over the course of everyday life, and have
> found that the only way to avoid the problem is to apply lip balm on a rou-
> tine basis -- in my case, every morning just as I'm about to head out the
> door for work. A few strokes of Chapstick or some other regular lip moist-
> urizer, and then gently rub it into the tissue to ensure absorption. In
> those cases where I've lapsed out of the routine and experience the pain-
> ful cracked (sometimes bleeding) dryness, my only remedy has been to resume
> the routine ASAP and let mother nature do the rest (i.e., wait for the body
> to repair the damage).

With regard to other posts on the subject, I'll point out that I do not use
medicated Chapstick -- just the regular stuff -- and I only apply two or three
light strokes of it at a time on each lip, gently rubbing it in to make sure
it gets below the surface. I prefer the kind that is not soft or mushy like
butter, enabling very small amounts to be applied at a time. Too much moist-
urizer, where the tissue is saturated, tends to obstruct the body's natural
healing process. Chapstick and other non-medicated lip balms are merely sup-
posed to kick-start the healing process...help it along...not replace it.
When the tissue is saturated, the lips swell up rather than heal, prolonging
the recovery process. Needless to say, I learned this the hard way one past
winter. It does indeed make it difficult and painful to play.

Neil

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