Saliva causing irritation while playing

[bbuxx2026]

A few weeks ago i had my first problems with my lips buring while playing. I first thought it was due to the silver mouthpiece i was using, come last weekend i was playing another concert with a gold plated mouthpiece and the same problem arose. I did some quick googling and it seemed to be that someitmes my saliva gets acidic and causes irritation from the rubbing on my lips. could this be the problem, if so what can i do to make it so this can stop happening?

[Mary Ann]

Your saliva is supposed to be alkaline, so I would guess you have for some reason an extremely acidic diet? You can get pH strips at the drug store and find out if it really is the pH that's bothering you, and maybe find out it's something else to take a look at. And nope, I have never heard of this and I've heard of a lot of stuff! Could be you are also allergic to gold? Does nail polish make a difference (on the rim, not your lips?) I was allergic to the first nail polish I tried, too, and had to go find a hypoallergenic one. That was back in the horn days when my lips were in contact with the rim. In the tuba days the rim does not touch my lips.

[bloke]

My dentist told me that most brass players have traces of copper on their teeth. He didn't see any evidence of copper on my teeth, but - after he told me that - I started paying attention to how I hold all my different tubas, and I apparently blow into all of them "downhill".
Mostly, your replies are going to be wild guesses from ignoramus is such as myself, but I wonder if copper from the instrument is irritating your lips, rather silver plating or gold plating from your mouthpiece, and I'm pretty sure that there are people who are allergic to silver and probably even to gold.
Please note that I did not try to sell you a stainless steel mouthpiece in this reply.

[Grumpikins]

Is the rash directly on your lips or the area around your lips?

Dont think this will help but, I've had facial hair since I was a teen. When I was in college I got a part time job in a restaurant and was required to shave my face. It was awful. I had a constant rash around my lips from playing. Not directly on my lips. I quit that job, grew my beard back and never had any more rash issues.

My college tuba professor had a beard but he shaved the area around his lips because he felt that the hair interfered with his embochure. He was astounded that it didnt bother me at all.

I dont know. Everybody is different.

[bbuxx2026]

Mainly around my lips but it spreads wherever my mouthpiece touches

[PlayTheTuba]

Hmmm well I've developed a cashew allergy over time. My lips will, over a period of few days, the dead skin would peel and BURN. Until my lips would heal back to normal. Playing and even with an electric shaver exacerbates it.

But if I don't eat cashews then I'm fine and play until my hearts content (within reason and now with age with some chapstick afterwards).

The only other thing I can think of for you is getting a Stainless Steel or plastic mouthpiece. Kelly is pretty affordable for both. Of course a bloke-piece and Giddings can work but they cost more. Warburton make (has made?) 2 different kind of plastic mouthpieces, but the Kelly plastic mouthpieces are still more affordable.

[MiBrassFS]

It is possible to have the yeast that lives on all of our skin all the time cause problems for us. It likes the traces of sugars (even very minor traces…) in our saliva and gets all hopped up from having lots of slightly sugary slobber on our faces. Don’t over do it, but wash your face and brush your teeth well (and rise out your mouth well after brushing…) before playing and see if that might help.