How can I stop trackpad from hurting/burning my fingertips?

Hmm, sounds like some people have problems with the allergy and some people with heat and friction. I can say for my case it is heat and friciton, but for you all signs point to nickel exposure. Has anyone here called apple? I feel like I should. Their product is literally hurting me. Something could be done.

I am leaning more toward allergy than heat and friction as touching the outside of my macbook air or the back of our iMac - any contact with the aluminum causes a mild pain - almost like conducting an electrical current through the tips of my fingers. It's very disappointing after spending $2k on switching from non-Mac to Mac. Love what the machine can do but not loving this fingertip pain issue. I hope Apple can come up with a fix for this for future iterations of their products.

It was very difficult for me to use the trackpad because I have sweaty hands all the time. Baby powder solved this problem for me. My keyboard, though, gets all covered by baby powder, but I don't care.

pls discontinue using the builtin trackpad and use an external trackpad, they are cooler in temperature wise.. I have already bought an external track pad for 50 bucks and I will see if it heals my problem...

so.... anyone still having these issues?

i have it slghtly...

if im on the computer long enough and keep brushing my fingers on that trackpad they get all sensitive and tingly.

sometimes cutting my nails causes me to touch it with a different part of my fingertip and this helps.... but its just a quickfix. Im gonna try a mouse.

i guess touching the trackpad all day can cause nerve damage.......i dunno

use the covers like these

http://www.ebay.com/itm/190794780057?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m142 3.l2649

could provide some relief...

its pity they are allergic to frequent users which causes injury to body...

i dont know if im allergic... just overuse the trackpad... should get a mouse....

is the trackpad the same size on all macbooks?

i have the 17" i cant find a trackpad guard for that size....

i only care for the trackpad not the rest....

I've also been suffering with exactly the same issue you mentioned for about a year now. I'd even considered ditching the MBP and moving to another platform. I finally solved my issue. I purchased a palm cover that came with a sticker that goes over the trackpad (I didn't bother with the palm cover part because its only my fingertips that have the issue). The sticker has more texture, almost feeling a little rough. The problem immediately went away for me. I used a colleagues mac air this week to project some slides from and immediately the problem came back. His air was 2months old.

I used a topcase palm rest which was about $5 from amazon. Immediate fix for me. Best 5 bucks i've ever spent.

Hope that helps some folks.

thanks

Jon

Just verified from my dermatologist --she says she's seeing this quite a bit lately. An allergy to some metals: nickel, aluminum... I was using my own Sony Vaio for years (with NO peeling), but started using my BF's extra MacBook Pro when my Vaio got old & slow... & wouldn't you know, my fingertips started getting super dry, skin started peeling... LOL I'm allergic to mac laptops! Vaios use a different metal alloy for the touch pad. *sigh*

i dont know if im allergic, i just think i use it too much. I use it as my main computer all day and im swiping away all day and its a hard surface as opposed to a touchscreen device wich sometimes has a bit give when you push on it.

I have have used mac for 5 years and the problem only just started this year.

so im gonna try and lay off my fingers and use a mouse for a while to give my fingers a rest.

they even hurt while typing this now.

I started experiencing this problem on my right hand six months after switching to Apple laptops and a MacBook Pro early 2011.

I only feel when using the trackpad, not an iphone and I dont own an iPad.

I bought an extra Apple trackpad and keyboard and put my laptop on a stand. It helps a little bit for some reason to use the external Apple trackpad, also because I'm using my index finger more on the external trackpad, which I'm not using the built-in trackpad.

But I'm considering getting a Magic Mouse also and perhaps the gloves that some people have talked about as I do think it is a problem of wear to the fingertips stemming from overuse of the trackpad, because it varies in degrees and I have never had any allergic reactions otherwise to anything else.

Sometimes I really feel it and other times I dont think about it. When it is really bad, I tend to use the very edge of my fingers, just below the nails. It's a bit awkward to hold the hand so upright, but it helps.. it might be the only place that I'm still not worn completely down on the fingertips.

So I looked into some software which might help not making me use the trackpad that often.

For navigating the screen there is a fantastic little utility called Shortcat: http://shortcatapp.com

It really has saved my bacon and made me not rely to heavily on the trackpad. It uses the accessibility features of OS X to quickly access anything on the screen just by using the keyboard. Besides aiding my fingertips it really speeds up navigating website etc. I can highly recommend it.

I tend to use it way more when using an external keyboard, but the trackpad is RIGHT THERE when I'm just on the laptop. This is my solution and it really works.

Shortcat is free while in beta but I really recommend buying it for 16 dollars as it is really helpful little tool.

Sorry to post in this somewhat old thread, but since I've been experiencing the same odd sensation for a while now, was wondering if there's a "real explanation" to this.

I purchased my first MBP in 2011, short after, I started feeling this uncomfortable sensation. Tried using a trackpad cover, surgeons gloves (yes, lol) and even used for a while a magic mouse but perhaps the damage was already done because none of these "solutions" worked, even using the magic mouse is uncomfortable at this point. I ended up using an external mouse, it's the only thing that has worked for me. I bought a rMBP not too long ago, same issue, I started experiencing the sensation right away, luckily I still have my external mouse. If it wasn't for the external mouse using MBPs would be intolerable for me.

I haven't tried with the magic trackpad but I'm not keeping my hopes up. I might try out the touchscreen gloves though, is a cheap alternative to a magic trackpad.

I thought I was alone on this yet today I saw this old thread which made feel better knowing there are others going through this (not that it's a good thing), but if someone feels embarrassed to share with others don't. If we keep voicing this out maybe others will notice and find an explanation and solution to this issue.

FWIW I had exactly the same issue, even tried the apple external trackpad with the same problem. I also didn't want to have to have an external mouse (especially since I use the MBP on planes a lot). My fix was to buy a $8 palm rest cover. I only used the part that covers the trackpad. Its made the surface a little rougher but completely solved the burning sensation. If you look on amazon for Top Case Palm Rest Cover for Macbook you should see them listed for $8.99. I do still get some sensation from using the trackpad but its minor and a cheap fix.

I am experiencing exactly this. I've been using MBPs for the last two years very frequently (software engineer). A few months ago I started to notice the discomfort (just right fingertips), and since about a few weeks ago it has become worse, my fingertips feeling like they have mild blisters. It's uncomfortable to use phone screens, and my fingertips in general feel more sensitive. I doubt it is an allergic reaction (why would it just now begin to affect me so much?).

The simplest explanation suggests that there is something about the trackpad which has (physically, chemically?) been wearing down my fingertips, and they've just got worn down to a more sensitive level so I'm starting to feel the pain. Obviously I'm not going to be pleased if this has any lasting impact on my fingertips, assuming Apple's trackpad has some quality which is causing the damage, and with Apple offering no warning, etc.

I'm ordering a protective cover in the meantime to see if it will help. Yeah, this is all too common (for MBPs at least). I want Apple to look into this.

I have this exact problem and I thought it could have something to do with electrical sensitivity. But after reading this, I don't know anymore.

I was wondering which trackpad/palm cover was bought specifically that helped? Did the glove work?