How to Avoid and Get Rid of Calluses

1. How to Avoid and Get Rid of Calluses On Your Hands from Weightlifting

3. Recently, just hours before meeting up with a new Tinder match, I beasted a particularly grippyCrossFit workout that basically entailed twirling around a pull-up bar like a wanna-be-gymnast. (Think: an AMRAP of bar muscle-ups, toes-to-bar, and burpee pull-ups).

4. The aftermath? My hands were totally torn up, and my calluses were hard as rocks. Cute #lewk a first date? Eh, probably not. Far from just a CrossFit problem, any exercise regime that requires gripping weights or hanging by your hands — Olympic and powerlifting, kettlebell moves, rock climbing, and even rowing — can result in a little hand wreckage (and first date embarrassment!).

5. Is there anything you can actually do about it, though, or are you forced to choose between "nice" hands and fitness for life? Here's how to get rid of calluses on hands, and why you might not want to in the first place.

6. Why do you get calluses on your hands? Before diving into how to get rid of calluses on hands, it's important to understand what's going on with your skin. 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 Nancy E. Rolnik, M.D., sports medicine physician at Remedy Sports and Regenerative Medicine. Trouble is, untreated, a callus can rip or tear off, causing an open wound on your hand and lead to other problems, such as blisters.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. So, are calluses a good or bad thing? If you came here to figure out how to get rid of calluses on your hands, it's time for a reality check. You may be tempted to slough off all that rough stuff — but don't. Callus care follows the Goldilocks principle: You don't want that skin to be too thick, or too thin, but justright.

10. If a callus gets too thick, it can "catch" on a pull-up bar or weight during a high-friction movement (such as a kipping pull-up, kettlebell swing, or clean) and cause the whole thing to rip off, leaving a gash or raw spot in the middle of your hand. Um, pass. Further, thick calluses can become painful, thanks to an increase in pain receptors in the thickened skin, according to Dr. Wofford.

11. On the flip side, "if the callus is too thin, it can become fragile and tear, which defeats the body's purpose of forming the callus in the first place," explains Daniel Aires, M.D., head of dermatology with The University of Kansas Health System.

12. How to Get Rid of Hard Calluses On Hands • First, soak your hands in warm water for five to 15 minutes. • Then, use a pumice stone to safely file it down, leaving a thin layer of callous behind, and sculpt it into something smooth, so no rogue edges can catch and tear.

13. Optional step: Moisturize your hands. Experts are divided as to whether or not lotion is helpful because "it softens the skin and thin out the callous," explains Dr. Aires. Some pros worry it softens the skin too much. "My recommendation would be to use it judiciously and conservatively," says Dr. Wofford. "Plus, too much moisture too close to your workout will cause a slippery grip and interfere with grip ability."