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Question: Skin allergic to silver flute!? Help please!!?
Just this summer I upgraded to a new flute!. It is open-hole and has a solid silver head joint!. I've played it for a while, but sometimes I notice purple spots under and sometimes above my lips after playing!. It seems to wash off after gently scrubbing with a washcloth!.

What should I do!? Is it possible to buy just a head joint with a gold plated lip!? But money is kind of tight right now!. Any other suggestions!? It doesn't bother me too much but the only thing is it just leaves these purple marks!. No itchiness or anything!. And it does wash off!. Lucky me I have band at the end of the day, but there are times I play earlier and I don't want to go through the whole day with purple lips!.

Thanks to all who answer!Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
If this causes you no discomfort, it is more likely that this is a chemical reaction with your makeup, soap, or personal chemistry than a true allergic reaction ( called contact dermatitis)!. Most Cd reactions that young flutist have are from NICKEL flutes!. not silver!. But you can have your lip plate gold-washed for around $50 to $75!. It WILL wear off from cleaning!. The easier alternative is to try sticking a postage stamp or anything else safe to LICK and stick!. Do not use anything already sticky - it will eventually skid around, and will hurt your flute, too!. Even the old-fashioned brown wrapping paper tape, or white label tape - again, the kind you lick!. I have a $9,000 flute with brown tape on the lip plate right NOW, because I had to some some work in a warm atmosphere, where I was afraid of slipping!. You can also buy stick-ons made by Yamaha from places like www!.fluteworld!.com

Added -

A solid gold headjoint will set you back several thousand dollars!. And clear nail polish will make the lip plate slippery - or at least as slippery as the original metal!. Use the tape - it adds the no-skid factor!. Some people will also find that their LIPS are sensitive to the nail polish - I would NEVER risk that for any of my students!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Yes, it is possible to buy a headjoint with a gold lipplate or even get the whole headjoint in gold!. I think that for now, if you think money is tight, you should just stick with the flute you have, and stick some alcohol prep swabs in your case or something, you can use those to quickly wipe off the tarnish that gets on your face!. The discoloration comes from a reaction, it's either with the flute and your facial oils, or the flute and your makeup!. If you wear makeup, maybe see what you can do without down there, and see what happens! Good luck :)Www@QuestionHome@Com

Coat your lip rest with clear nail polish!. Its just a chemical raction and not going to cause you any harm!. The nail polish will act as a barrier and eliminate your problem without hurting the insturmentWww@QuestionHome@Com