…from the November 1999 issue of the Ami-Simms-Newsletter CHAPPED HANDS This time of year my whole body seems to dry out and start flaking. The cold, dry weather just sucks all the moisture out of my skin. The most irritating feature of the yearly drying out is the condition of my fingertips. They get rough and prickly and make it unpleasant to touch anything but heavy denim and burlap. Quilting weight fabric gets caught on them, and I can snag double knit with a single fingertip. Nylons are impossible. My remedy in the past has been to always wear gloves outdoors, never do dishes, and slather lotion on my hands several time a day. I've used hand cream, face cream, wrinkle cream, and whipped cream. I've pretended my digits were cow's udders and dipped them in Bag Balm. I've tried almost every lotion on the market, and, while some are better than others, I can't pet fabric satisfactorily until warm weather returns. Plus its time consuming and dangerous. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten stuck in the bathroom, because my hands were so slippery they couldn't turn the door knob to get out! Thanks to a faithful reader of this newsletter (I accidentally deleted her name, otherwise you would be reading it now) I was introduced to yet another product. I don't mind telling you of my skepticism. Reluctantly, I investigated. Well folks, this stuff works. At least for me. You might want to try it. The product is called Surgeon's Skin Secret and it's the strangest stuff I've ever used, but I can now stroke silk, slide my fingers over satin, and turn my knee-highs right side out with ease. First you get your hands wet, then scoop a little of the Surgeon's Skin Secret out of the container and work it into the skin. It has the consistency of soft beeswax. At this point you roll your eyes and wonder what in heaven's name you are getting yourself into because it just sits there on your skin, not mixing at all with the leftover water droplets. After a few moments something happens. I don't know if it's body heat, evaporation, or the precise alignment of the stars and planets, but all of a sudden, the Surgeon's Skin Secret changes consistency and disappears into your skin! At this point there is a definite sensation of having something on your skin, something protective. I had this incredible urge to shovel snow, or go ice fishing. Things were a little "coated" like fingers would feel after applying hand cream, but not greasy. (I had no trouble getting out of the bathroom!) I don't think I would want to play with fabric right away, but I did go immediately to my computer for an e-mail fix. A little too soon perhaps. The keys on my keyboard became quite nicely waxed and so very shiny. (An added benefit?) By the time I stopped laughing, and admiring my face in the well-worn surface of the "A" key, my hands were back to normal. Except that I noticed a marked difference in the texture of my hands. SMOOTH! I used Surgeon's Skin Secret three times the first two days and then twice a day since then---once in the morning and at night before bed. I am amazed. After just 3 applications my fingertips were no longer chapped. My hands were even soft! Yippee! Back to the ordering page.