Expert: Wedding Photographics - 1/24/2012

Question
Hi, Im not sure who to ask this question, a medical professional or a photographer! Anyway... this has been bothering me for years and I was wondering if you might know the answer. I am 34 now but I worked at a photo studio in high school and one week my boss was gone and I had to develop the photos in their dark room. Another person mixed the chemicals and I processed the photos for several hours each day for a week. When my boss got back he noticed something was wrong with the stop bath and found out that my co-worker had switched the ratio and put in way more glacial acidic acid then she was supposed to (I don't remember the exact ratio, but the higher number ratio was for the water and she used the smaller amount ratio for water and the larger amount for the acid. I did have a burning sensation when my hands (without gloves) were in the solution that week but nothing noticeable, again, I was just in high school! Fast forward many years and I've noticed my hands are sooo wrinkled and dry all of the time and I often wonder if it was because of that incident and I'd really like to know! I didn't have any noticeable "burns" so does that mean it didn't do any damage or are my symptoms now possibly a result of the acid? Any light you can shed as a person that has their own darkroom would be much appreciated! I'd love to have "closure" from this incident. thanks a ton!

Answer
Hi Juli,

Thank you for your question about the possible effect of photo chemicals (glacial acetic acid) on your hands.

Actually it has been just a little over 10 years since I operated a custom photo lab. We've gone completely digital. But since you are 34 years old now and have concerns about your hands being wrinkled and dry all the time I think it would be your safest bet to visit a dermatologist. I'm no doctor but if I thought my own hands were more wrinkled than I think they should be and dry all the time, I might consider that it might be a combination of winter and not drinking enough fluids. If I thought my hands were "seriously" wrinkled and dry, I would have to visit a dermatologist to see if there might be some special medication to deal with that.  The burning sensation could have also been caused if you had some little cut and open sore on your hand(s). But I think you are describing an overall burning sensation on both hands while in the chemical bath.

It sounds like since you suffered no physical signs of the acetic acid at the time of the incident or any other skin symptoms within the days and weeks following the exposure, you are probably correct that the chemicals have nothing to do with the issue now.  Of course, that incident in high school was many years ago and there might have been some other situation you might have forgotten where your hands may have been exposed to something else they shouldn't have since.

To play it safe, I highly recommend visiting a doctor if you believe the wrinkling and dryness probably isn't natural.  If it "probably" isn't natural, it doesn't matter what might have caused it, your hands should be checked by a medical professional.

Sorry I can't be better help than this. Thanks again for your question.

Photographer John Wilson
Chattanooga, Tennessee
http://www.weddingphotographics.net