Not totally true. I worked with my hands for years and had pretty rough hands from it but I noticed my friend in an even rougher industry (HVAC) so I asked him wtf he was doing and within a couple weeks, my hands were on great shape.

The answer is using lotion AND preventative maintenance. If a callous starts to rip, smooth it out with an emery board. It's otherwise not that rough if you losh up 2-3 times a day