Music: Good for the Ears, Bad for the Skin
April 19, 2004
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Musical instruments may be pleasing to the ear, but new research shows they are also rough on the skin.
People who play instruments are at an increased risk of developing a variety of skin conditions such as allergic reactions and eczema. The good news is many of these problems can be averted by correcting your technique or by making slight alterations to the instrument.
In his study, Thilo Gambichler, a dermatologist in Romford, England, found the most common skin disorders reported by musicians are allergic reactions to specific components of an instrument and irritations caused by prolonged, intense contact with instruments.
Some common allergic reactions include allergies to rosin -- which is used to wax the bows of stringed instruments -- and to the cane reeds used in clarinets and saxophones. The researchers also found that flautists, and brass and string players with an allergy to nickel suffer from dermatitis of the lips, chin or hands. Sometimes this can lead to chronic eczema.
Simple solutions, like changing the brand of rosin or changing to plastic or gold mouthpieces, plastic polystyrene reeds, or bronze strings may help prevent these conditions.
Dr. Gambichler also discovered a prevalence of “fiddler’s neck.” He says sufferers of this condition have thicker than normal and discolored skin at the place on their neck that is in constant contact with a violin or viola. Similarly, guitarists may suffer from “guitar nipple.” He says this can be avoided by changing the position of the guitar.
Thus far, most epidemiological studies have focused on the skin problems of orchestral musicians. Dr. Gambichler says he plans to conduct a survey on skin problems suffered by other instrumentalists, including jazz, rock and pop musicians.\
SOURCE: BMC Dermatology, 2004;4:3
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