How Brass Playing Does Its Part to Save The World

My goal in creating ChopSaver Lip Care was to alleviate some of the pain and suffering that can happen to brass and woodwind instrument players. I had no idea it would become recommended by doctors and nurses across the country. How did that happen?

As with so many things, it was a happy accident. Several years ago, a ChopSaver user showed the product to their dermatologist. That dermatologist then reached out to us and requested some more samples. There are many drugs and medical treatments that can cause dry lips as a side effect. One of them is a group of drugs called isotretinoin. The more common name is the brand name ACCUTANE*. These drugs are used by dermatologists to treat severe acne. We then realized we had a whole new market that needed our product. Because of the side effects, patients are often urged to use a lip balm when they are on this drug regimen and more and more dermatologists are recommending ChopSaver for their patients for just that reason.

ChopSaver does not cure any diseases. But it does relieve the dry lips that can happen with drug and medical treatments. The unique combination of natural moisturizers found in ChopSaver brings comfort to dry lip sufferers around the world, and we are so happy to know more and more non-musicians are discovering this musically inspired product.

Non-musicians often ask me what exactly ChopSaver does and what makes it so special for musicians. Well, if you’ve never played a brass instrument, it may be a little hard to understand. But here is what happens. When you play a brass instrument, you put your lips together (sort of like saying the letter “m”) and blow air across them to create a vibration (sound) and all the while, you are pressing a round piece of metal against your lips. Hopefully, you’re not pressing too hard and the air is flowing smoothly and the lips vibrate freely and you create a beautiful sound. But sometimes, as with any muscle, the lips will swell and become fatigued.

That is when it gets more difficult to play and it’s a little different for each instrument. A trombone, baritone, euphonium or a tuba mouthpiece are larger than a horn or a trumpet mouthpiece and the pressure applied while playing affects the lips in different ways. But the phenomena of lip swelling is universal to all brass players although some people suffer from it more than others. Young players who may be using bad technique and forcing too much and using too much mouthpiece pressure on their lips will suffer more than a professional who is more aware of what he’s doing. Nonetheless, it can happen to anybody regardless of their level of expertise. Not only does ChopSaver moisturize the lips, it actually reduces the swelling associated with playing a brass instrument. This is why ChopSaver users say that they recover more quickly and many actually report they can play and practice a little longer when they use ChopSaver.

ChopSaver is now available at your local CVS store, or at www.chopsaver.com.

*Hoffmann-LaRoche Inc., the owner of the ACCUTANE® trademark, has in no way authored, endorsed, or sponsored this advertisement.