Professional musicians may develop unique skin problems such as “fiddler’s neck,” “guitar nipple,” “cellist’s chest,” “harpist’s fingers,” and “flautist’s chin” which are quite irritating and sometimes painful enough to send them to the doctor, according to a recently published study. These skin conditions may require some bouts of bed rests to recover. A variety of occupational hazards from music-making were uncovered in a recent survey of symphony orchestra members conducted by Steven Rimmer, MD, of the UCLA Medical Center, and Richard L. Spielvogel, MD, a dermatologist at Hahnemann University in Philadelphia. They reviewed the latest research on special skin disorders of musicians in an issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. The most common problem musicians complained of was calluses on the fingertips of string players, followed in relative frequency by “fiddler’s neck” and “cellist’s chest.” “Fiddler’s neck” causes a thickening of skin and redness just below the jaw line on the left side of the neck of violin and viola players. Scaling, pimples, and occasional cysts may occur, along with clogged pores and inflamed hair follicles. Researchers believe it is brought about by an increase of pressure and/or friction on the player’s neck, sometimes due to a poor grip on the instrument, a badly-fitting chin rest, or the wrong size or weight of the instrument. Sweating and poor hygiene only make the situation worse. “Cellist’s chest” may occur when a musician leans across the body of the instrument while playing, pressing the lower rib cage into the cello. Symptoms include chest pain, redness, and welling, or even pimples and boils. Things to be aware of!