My skin condition

As I had written in a previous article, I have a skin condition on my hands, especially my fingers.
I had this condition before I became a geisha, however it was less serious.
Nevertheless in June it became worse, so I went to see 5 or 6 dermatologists.

At first I didn’t want to spend a lot of money or waste my time on such a minor condition,
however it steadily continued to became worse.

When it was at its worst, I felt pain while playing the shamisen and when I had to hold hot sake bottles.
In addition, I couldn’t tie my kimono obi with bare hands, and had to use cotton gloves.
I also have to use cotton gloves when I do the housework.

Naturally, I can’t wash the dishes without wearing rubber gloves. When my geisha sisters notice me washing dishes at the Okiya, they offer to wash them instead of me. I wonder if they feel pity for me.

When we put on our kimonos we usually help each other tie the kimono obi. So, they also said to me that I don’t need to help them when tying the obi.
Whenever I hear their concern for my skin condition, I feel sorry for troubling them.

I also don’t want my customers to be aware of my skin condition, because I think they have an  image of a geisha being perfect.

Recently I bought some natural products for my skin; soap, shampoo, herbal medicine and cosmetics.
I hope I will recover completely in the near future, and I won’t feel any more pain while I’m playing the shamisen.