Randy Jacobs, MD was born in Long Beach, California. After graduating from Long Beach Woodrow Wilson High, he completed six years of premedicine and graduated from Loma Linda University with a B.S. in Biology and a Theology Minor. Later, he spent four years at the University of Southern California School of Medicine, graduating with an M.D., and then, six years of medical residency training at Loma Linda University Medical Center. His six years included two internships, one in Internal Medicine, and one in Pediatrics. This was followed by a year of clinical dermatologic research and three years of dermatology residency. In his final year at Loma Linda, he served as Chief Resident in Dermatology, and has been in private practice since 1992. Dr. Jacobs is currently on the clinical teaching faculty of Loma Linda University. His clinic has treated more than 500,000 dermatology patients over the years. Board Certification: Dr. Jacobs is a Diplomat of the American Board of Dermatology, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology.

For more info about Dr. Jacobs' dermatology office, or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Jacobs, please go to:  www.randyjacobsmd.com

Note: While Guitar Hands® Lotion is beneficial for most people, if you do have an ongoing skin condition, Dr. Jacobs encourages you to see a dermatologist who can determine if work-up or prescriptions are indicated.

Question: “Dr. Jacobs, how do I use Guitar Hands®?”

Answer: How do you use Guitar Hands® Cleansing Lotion?

GH does Three Things:

1. Cleanses hands so players have clean hands to play with. Skin pH is balanced, so guitar strings stay fresher with less corrosion, guitar neck stays clean / smooth.
2. Moisturizes with out oil so hands stay healthy for playing, calluses are conditioned and don't crack. Nails are conditioned.
3. Decreases friction in three ways: 1. On the strings 2. Between fingers 3. On the neck.. so players can play longer, faster, and with less soreness. 

HOW TO USE GUITAR HANDS® HAND CARE correctly? Guitar Hands® is three hand care products in one: first, GH is a skin cleanser, second, GH is a skin moisturizer, third, GH is a skin conditioner. To use GH, first, squeeze out about 1.25 -1.5 inches of GH onto the palm of your hand, and, massage Guitar Hands® into your hands, rub GH into your fingers, between your fingers, & on your finger tips, as if you are using GH to cleanse your hands. Second, IMMEDIATELY wipe your hands with a clean dry towel. Third, let your hands sit for 3 minutes, wait ...1,2,3... three minutes for lipids to absorb and Guitar Hands® to set. After this, your hands should feel perfect for playing. Note, some players wipe off their pick fingers with a moist towel. ALSO NOTE, DO NOT just put GH on and leave to air dry, as this can make GH feel sticky. YOU NEED TO WIPE OFF GH IMMEDIATELY, and after, let your hands sit for 3 minutes. You are now ready to rock and enjoy! To prevent dry and sensitive hands, use Guitar Hands® Hand Care daily for cleansing, moisturizing, and conditioning.

For more info, read this review:   http://mojaveampworks.com/2011/05/1336/

Question: “Dr. Jacobs, why do my hands feel gummy after Guitar Hands®?”

Answer: Guitar Hands® Cleansing Lotion is a Cleansing Lotion, thus, it is supposed to be wiped off with either a dry or a moist towel after applying. Then, you must let the Guitar Hands® set and dry. Feel free to blow air on your hands if they are not dry. If you do not wipe it off, your hands may feel gummy. Also, if you do not wait the three minutes for Guitar Hands® to set and for your hands to adequately dry, your hands may feel gummy.

Try this sometime, apply Guitar Hands® per the four steps above, and during the three minute wait, put your hands under a blow dryer set on low heat for just a few seconds. Your hands will feel so so so good for playing.ni

Here is another possible reason for gummy feeling hands: If you have used another type of cream or soap or other lotion on your hands before applying Guitar Hands®, these must be completely rinsed off before using Guitar Hands®. If you apply Guitar Hands® after you apply cream on your hands, your hands will feel gummy.

One point to remember, sometimes GH needs two applications before you get the desired results. Maybe your skin barrier is dry and your hands need to soak in more lipids than usual. Everyone has different biochemistry in the skin of their hands. And likewise, humidity, sweat, and temperature may play a role in how your hands feel at any given moment. So sometimes you may need more or less GH, depending on the situation of the moment.

By the way, if you have a problem with sweaty hands, try spraying some antiperspirant like Arrid™ or Secret™ on your hands the morning of your gig.

Question: “Dr. Jacobs, my hands feel too slippery after Guitar Hands®?”

Answer: Every guitar player has a slightly different “taste” when it comes to the feel of their strings and neck. It’s just like cars. Some like a Corvette, some like an old VW bus. I like both! Most players enjoy the quickness smoothness, and slip they feel after using Guitar Hands® Cleansing Lotion. But, if you desire the benefits of Clinical Lipid Therapy®, with less slip, I suggest you do the following: Apply Guitar Hands® Cleansing Lotion and massage in, and when you wipe it off, instead of wiping with a dry towel, try wiping with a moist towel. You’ll still have the benefits of Clinical Lipid Therapy®, and your hands will still be amazingly silky and clean, but you will have less slip.

Question: “Dr. Jacobs, my hands feel great with Guitar Hands®, but will my guitar pick slip from my fingers?”

Question: “Dr. Jacobs, what is Guitar Hands®?”

Answer: Guitar Hands® is both a cleanser and a lotion. Thus, a musical artist will use it to cleanse their hands before playing their guitar, bass, violin, viola, cello, or other stringed instrument.

After cleansing, the artist’s hands will feel cleaner, smoother, and silkier with much less friction between fingers. The hands will move up and down the neck with less drag and effort. The fingers will feel quicker and more comfortable when pressing, sliding, bending, hammering, and picking the guitar strings. After a long session of playing, the artist will notice less drag, less friction, and less soreness of the skin of the fingers.

Guitar strings can cut, tear, and damage the skin. This is a big problem….ouch! Some have tried coated strings, silicones, and string cleaners to overcome this problem. Guitar Hands® solves the problem in a different way, rather than treating the strings, GH works by actually strengthening the skin of the fingers by way of Clinical Lipid Therapy® based skin care.

As a dermatologist, I have diagnosed and treated thousands of people with bothersome skin conditions. And, because their hands come in contact with so many things, their hands are often involved. It is especially difficult when a guitarist suffers with bothersome hands. Thus, after many years of clinical experience, I designed Guitar Hands® to give you healthier hands. So, when you play your music, your fingers are better protected against the cutting, tearing, and shearing forces the strings can cause. If Guitar Hands® is used daily, the skin of the fingers will become healthier, stronger and better able to withstand the constant pressure, shearing, and cutting forces that the guitar strings exert on pressure point areas of fingers. Plus, GH will condition fingernails and fingertip calluses, and will help preserve protective calluses guitarists so desire. Thus, guitarists, especially those newbies first learning guitar, will find that their fingers are not so sore after playing.

Question: “Dr. Jacobs, how does Guitar Hands® work?”

Answer: When people ask, “How does Guitar Hands® work?” I explain that Guitar Hands® cleanses the skin with a very gentle surfactant, and moisturizes the fingers with clinical skin barrier lipids: “Clinical Lipid Therapy®” skin care technology. This special formula gives you that “ready to play perfect feeling” you get when you use Guitar Hands®.

Question: “Dr. Jacobs, I see Guitar Hands® Lotion is great for guitarists, but can you use GH Lotion for anything else?”

Answer: Because Guitar Hands® is a Clinical Lipid Therapy® skin care product, Guitar Hands® is also a great cleansing lotion for any sensitive skin condition such as eczema or psoriasis. In addition, Guitar Hands® is also a wonderful facial cleanser, especially for people with dry and sensitive skin or people on topical acne medications or Accutane® therapy. Guitar Hands® Lotion will not block your pores. Guitar Hands® is fragrance and preservative free, comes in a 3 ounce airport friendly tube, fits nicely in your guitar case, and one tube gives you 150+ applications (that’s 150+ gigs or playing sessions).

Question: “Dr. Jacobs, do I need to play guitar to use Guitar Hands® Lotion?”

Answer: No. Guitar Hands® was uniquely created for guitar players, but healthy hands can be enjoyed by everyone!

Question: “Dr. Jacobs, is it better to use a cream or a lotion to moisturize my hands at night?”

When moisturizing, the basic idea is to replenish, restore, renew, and preserve your skin moisture. Most creams contain petrolatum, are thick and greasy, and tend to get in the way when you play guitar. But on the other hand, a heavy petrolatum containing cream is the best way to replenish and protect your skin moisture. So, when you are not playing your guitar, for example, before you go to bed, if your hands are super dry it is best to moisturize your hands with a heavy cream, not a lotion.

Lotion

In a lotion, an oil molecule is surrounded by many water molecules. Therefore, in a lotion, the water molecules are exposed; and, because the water molecules are on the outside, they are more susceptible to evaporation in dry air.

Cream

On the other hand, a cream is just the opposite. In a cream, many oil molecules surround a single water molecule. Thus, the water molecule is not exposed. The water molecules are on the inside and are much less susceptible to evaporation and loss in dry air.

In a heavy cream, a water molecule is surrounded and protected by many oil molecules, so that water does not evaporate as easily. Therefore, a cream prevents evaporation much better than does a lotion, and is a more effective moisturizer. And so it is with your dry hands, a cream will protect your skin moisture. A lotion will not protect as well as a cream. A lotion gives a temporary sensation of moisture, but does not give the lasting occlusion needed to replenish, restore, renew, and preserve your skin barrier.

Thus, I suggest that you moisturize your hands with a heavy petrolatum based cream at night. Guitar Hands® is a wonderful way to moisturize your hands during the day, when you are playing, and when you don't want to feel greasy. Guitar Hands® moisturizes with clinical lipids, thus, it is effective for on the spot and daytime moisturization, but, Guitar Hands® is a lotion and is not made for night time moisturization.

How Does A Heavy Petrolatum Based Cream Work? Quite simply, soap strips away and disorganizes your intercellular lipids, causing skin barrier damage. In order to repair your broken skin barrier, the three lost bilayer lipids must be replaced and reorganized. Most heavy moisturizing creams contain petrolatum and mineral oil molecules that penetrate down into the stratum corneum and act as a type of “crutch” to allow your barrier to heal by natural means. The cream acts as a “temporary” skin barrier that allows your body to heal its own depleted barrier by internal replacement of lost cholesterol, ceramide, and free fatty acid lipids.

Here is a magnified view showing a tiny petrolatum molecule situated within the intercellular space. Note the disorganized lipids. This skin barrier is damaged.

Question: “Dr. Jacobs, how does the GH Crew get around at the NAMM Show?”

Answer: For the answer to this question, please see the VW Bus below:

Question: “Dr. Jacobs, will Guitar Hands® affect my guitar finish?”

Answer: Urethane is one of the more resistant finishes used on guitars. Nitrocellulose is more easily ruined. Some have asked if Guitar Hands® will harm a nitrocellulose lacquer guitar finish. The answer is, “No, if used correctly.”

Guitar Hands® cleanses, moisturizes, and conditions your hands, thus, Guitar Hands® actually cleanses your hands so that you can touch and handle your guitar with clean hands. Guitar storekeepers hate it when people come in and try the guitars with dirty hands. So, Guitar Hands® is a helpful product for guitar stores to have around so that the customers can try out the new guitars with clean hands.

As directed, before playing your guitar, Guitar Hands® Cleansing Lotion should be completely wiped off your hands with a clean towel and allowed to set for three minutes. Thus, when you play, your hands will be clean.

Guitar Hands® has been tested by a thin film applied to a nitrocellulose lacquer guitar finish (a Martin D-28) for 48 hours and did not harm it.

Note: Guitar Hands® should not be applied directly to a guitar and should not be used as a guitar polish.

Question: “Dr. Jacobs, will Guitar Hands® help carpal tunnel syndrome?”

Answer: The symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome usually begin with frequent burning, tingling, itching, or numbness in the palm of the hand, and the fingers, especially the thumb, index, and middle fingers. Manual tasks make it worse. Thus, Anything that makes daily working life easier on the hands is good for people prone to carpal tunnel syndrome. Guitar Hands® is not a cure for carpal tunnel syndrome; but, Guitar Hands® does make it easier for your hands to perform intricate manual tasks and repetitive motions. Thus, Guitar Hands® Lotion is a helpful hand care product for people who use their hands for intricate repetitive work. If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, I suggest that you see an orthopedic surgeon.

 The median nerve supplies sensory innervation to the palmar aspect of the thumb. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve is compressed at the wrist, and patients may feel  numbness of the thumb and fingers as shown in this diagram:

Question: “Dr. Jacobs, I am a Roadie. Do you have any hand care or other tips we can use to improve the playability our artist's guitars and tips to help us on the road?”

Answer: I have a friend, Ross Rylance, head Roadie for Waylon Jennings x 20 years. Yeah, Ross can tell some amazing Roadie stories. Roadies and guitar techs are there to make the show the very best it can be. So, I would like to share a few little hand care and guitar playability tricks that roadie and guitar techs can implement to make the show so much better for guitar, bass, and string players on the road.

You know, GH can give you perfect hands to play your best, but your perfect hands will play better if they play a guitar that has perfect action and a perfect fretboard. You can own the finest guitar made, but that does not mean that the guitar plays like the artist wants it to play. So first, let's make sure the guitar action is perfect. Perfect action is an art that requires someone who really understands what a guitar player wants and needs to make their instrument play its very best for the unique hands of its owner.  For perfect action, contact Chris Camp. He is a player who understands the needs of players. See  http://www.chriscamp.com/repairservicesindex.html

Second, let's make sure the fretboard is perfect. There are a lot of ideas on how achieve the perfect fretboard, but let me help simplify it. Just go to Jimmy Johnson's website http://www.gorgomyte.com/   and learn about Jimmy's Gorgomyte® Fretboard Conditioning Cloth. Interestingly, Gorgomyte® is a product that is synergistic with and functionally compliments Guitar Hands® Cleansing Lotion. So, if you have perfect action and the artist's favorite strings, if you use Gorgomyte® together with Guitar Hands® Lotion on a regular basis, you are doing everything you can to ensure the best playability for your artist and his or her guitar.

Another tip, say you have an outdoor gig at night with cold weather, and the Artist's fingers are like icicles. The roadie and guitar tech will shine if they come up with some battery powered mittens or gloves (hand warmers) a little bit before the artist goes up on stage. Hey, warm fingers play guitar so much nicer than cold! Get hand warmers at:

http://coreheat.net/Products/Heated%20Handwarmer.html

The roadies should know that Guitar Hands® does three things for your Artist:

1. Cleanses hands so players have clean hands to play with. Skin pH is balanced, so guitar strings stay fresher with less corrosion, guitar neck stays clean / smooth.
2. Moisturizes with out oil so hands stay healthy for playing, calluses are conditioned and don't crack. Nails are conditioned.
3. Decreases friction in three ways: 1. On the strings 2. Between fingers 3. On the neck.. so players can play longer, faster, and with less soreness.

Another tip, it's 120 degrees in the shade at a summer gig and the Artist's hands are sweating like a water fountain. For a hot sweaty gig where the artist sweats too much and the sweat gets in the way of playing, the roadie and guitar tech can shine if they offer a little bit of Arrid Extra Dry deodorant spray to the artist's hands a couple of hours before the gig. Hey, no more sweaty hands while playing the gig!

Finally, here's one more way the roadie and guitar tech can shine: Turn the Artist on to Guitar Hands® Lotion. You see, the band is traveling on the road, guitar playing hands get dry, dirty, and gritty. The Artist needs smooth clean hands to play his or her best. Guitar Hands® Cleansing Lotion is the answer to perfect hands for the touring gig. With Guitar Hands® Lotion, strumming & fingerstyle guitar: More playable. Lead & classical guitar: More precision. With Guitar Hands® Lotion the Artist will notice improved playability against the wear and tear of steel strings on tender fingertips. Fragile calluses will be optimally conditioned, so the Artist will feel less drag, less friction, and less soreness as their fingers glide, slide, bend, hammer, shift, scale, press, and shred up and down the frets! The roadie and guitar tech will shine if they learn about Guitar Hands®, keep Guitar Hands® in their box, and show the Artist how to properly use Guitar Hands® Cleansing Lotion before the gig.

Question: “Dr. Jacobs, I play guitar and violin as a hobby, but I work on motorcycles for a living… Can you give me advice on how I should take care of my hands?” Answer: The vast majority of musicians in this world play their music as a hobby and not as a profession. When you play music, it’s all about your hands. Your hands will only play as good as they are physically able. Unfortunately, there are many players who work in jobs that are not friendly to their hands. They are musicians who must work in hand damaging conditions. As a guitarist or violinist, you need to protect your hands so they are not ruined by your work as a motorcycle mechanic. A mechanic’s hands are exposed to oil, gas, and solvents. They are constantly banged and cut. Fingers are often injured. Nails are often damaged. In addition to this, at the end of the day, a mechanic will usually scrub the hands with harsh soap to remove the grime of the day. Work related injuries can damage the skin of your hands, your nails, and your guitar playing. Mechanics are not the only ones who experience work related injuries to their hands. There are others. For example, restaurant workers, landscapers, construction workers, factory workers, warehouse workers, and box handlers all horribly abuse their hands at work. Bartenders, waitresses, doctors, dentists, and nurses often wash their hands too much, or have their hands in water all day long and develop severe hand eczema with loss of lipids. Finally and ironically, even full time guitarists work in an occupation that is hazardous to their hands. Here is my simple advice for all musicians who work in jobs that are not friendly to hands. Think WAM   W= Wear gloves.  A= Avoid soap.  M= Moisturize.

Keep a tube of GH in your gig bag and on your desk!

If you have any question about a skin condition of your hands, please visit a dermatologist in your area. Also, feel free to email me if you have a question.

For your education, here are photos of a few of the more common skin conditions of the hands and nails that can affect your playing.

Question: “Dr. Jacobs, I play guitar for a living and my hands are falling apart. What should I do?”

Answer: If you suffer with a severe hand condition, you should see a local dermatologist and get medical help. If you are in southern California you can come to my office. I will be happy to spend time and review your condition. I can medically diagnose and evaluate your hands, I can give you personalized hand care education, and I can prescribe helpful medications. Please see my office webste for my office location.   www.randyjacobsmd.com

Question: “Dr. Jacobs, I understand that Guitar Hands® is a sponsor of the Acoustic Guitar Forum, have you posted any information there?”

http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=211518

Jackson Browne and Fuki

Dallas Schoo, Guitar Tech for the Edge, U2

Philip Docherty, Guitar Tech for Bono, U2

Jon Bon Jovi

Question: “Dr. Jacobs, are there any music artists who endorse Guitar Hands®?”

Answer: Official artist endorsements are sometimes complicated by contracts, rules, and legal or business issues. Guitar Hands® has not paid any artists for endorsements. If an artist makes a positive comment about Guitar Hands®, it is because the artist likes Guitar Hands® and wants to make a helpful comment.

We have an Artist's Rep, John Fukushima "Fuki" who keeps in touch with the artists and guitar techs. Here are a few artists or bands that have either been given Guitar Hands® or have used Guitar Hands®. If you ever see the artist, you can ask them for yourself if they like Guitar Hands®. My apologies, if I have left anyone out or mispelled any names, please forgive me and send me or Fuki a note so we can make it right.

Family and Friends

Slash and Fuki

Lee Brice and Ashley

Laurence Juber 

 Steve Burrows 

Don Alder 

Jimmy Johnson 

Luke Bryan

Thompson Square

Almer Imamovic

Stealing Angels: Tayla Lynn, Jennifer Wayne, and Caroline Cutbirth.

Josh Thompson

Joe Perry

Big Charlie Hernandez

J.D. and Buddah

Adrian Young

Gavin

Graham Nash

David Crosby

Zakk Wylde

Thom Bresh

Carl Verheyen

Jordyn Mallory

Jackson Browne and Fuki

Muriel Anderson

Devendra Banhart

Dave Grohl

Joel Hoekstra

C. C. Deville, Poison lead guitarist, and the legendary Neil Zlozower