Questions: Lutherie Related Skin Rash

by Udi Vachterman

Originally published in American Lutherie #80, 2004 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015

Udi Vachterman from Rehovot, Israel writes:

Way back in American Lutherie #58 there was a question from Henry Kingery of Pittsfield, IL. He wrote about a severe itchy skin rash presumably brought on by woods or chemicals in glues. He was taking a synthetic steroid to keep it in check.

I know it has been a long time, but I would still like to tell him and others of my experience with a similar problem. A few years ago, just a few days after being exposed to a lot of chemicals and wood dust (an Argentinian wood called “algarrobbo,” which I believe to be “carob tree”), I noticed that small extremely itchy liquid-filled bumps started appearing on the backs of my hands, especially around the joints. With time the bumps developed into shallow wounds and spread toward my wrists. Similar symptoms appeared on my elbows and the upper part of my feet. I went to see four doctors who each had a different diagnosis of my problem. However, they all advised the same treatment, cortisone creams. Yet, they all told me that the cortisone is unlikely to cure the disease, just help manage its symptoms. However this did not make much sense to me. If I am sick, then I want to know what it is and not have four opinions of what it might be. So I went to seek advice of the local pharmacist. To my surprise, she told me that her son has, or had, to be correct, the same problem. It’s a type of psoriasis, a skin disease that is often the body’s response to a trauma caused to the skin (skin injury, skin infections, reaction to certain chemicals). Her treatment was as follows:

1. Extensive use of natural hypo-allergic moisturizing cream.
2. Fish oil (omega 3 essential fatty acids); 3 capsules daily, 1000 MG each, taken with food.
3. Tea tree essential oil used topically for itchiness.

After a few months all my symptoms disappeared. My hands were almost like new and I have since built a guitar, inlaid it, and finished it without any of the above mentioned symptoms. And I can once again play my guitars without bleeding while bending strings! If anyone tries this and it helps them, I’d love to hear from them: vachterm@hotmail.com.