diff --git a/src/librustc_metadata/cstore_impl.rs b/src/librustc_metadata/cstore_impl.rs
index d6450f00c8b..a1e3bbcbf8e 100644
--- a/src/librustc_metadata/cstore_impl.rs
+++ b/src/librustc_metadata/cstore_impl.rs
@@ -444,7 +444,8 @@ pub fn load_macro_untracked(&self, id: DefId, sess: &Session) -> LoadedMacro {
             .insert(local_span, (name.to_string(), data.get_span(id.index, sess)));
 
         LoadedMacro::MacroDef(ast::Item {
-            ident: ast::Ident::from_str(&name.as_str()),
+            // FIXME: cross-crate hygiene
+            ident: ast::Ident::with_dummy_span(name.as_symbol()),
             id: ast::DUMMY_NODE_ID,
             span: local_span,
             attrs: attrs.iter().cloned().collect(),
diff --git a/src/libsyntax/ext/build.rs b/src/libsyntax/ext/build.rs
index 06a55316f31..eea66f9147d 100644
--- a/src/libsyntax/ext/build.rs
+++ b/src/libsyntax/ext/build.rs
@@ -363,7 +363,7 @@ pub fn expr_field_access(
         self.expr(sp, ast::ExprKind::Field(expr, ident.with_span_pos(sp)))
     }
     pub fn expr_tup_field_access(&self, sp: Span, expr: P<ast::Expr>, idx: usize) -> P<ast::Expr> {
-        let ident = Ident::from_str(&idx.to_string()).with_span_pos(sp);
+        let ident = Ident::new(sym::integer(idx), sp);
         self.expr(sp, ast::ExprKind::Field(expr, ident))
     }
     pub fn expr_addr_of(&self, sp: Span, e: P<ast::Expr>) -> P<ast::Expr> {
diff --git a/src/libsyntax_ext/deriving/generic/mod.rs b/src/libsyntax_ext/deriving/generic/mod.rs
index c53fa7dc706..da16ee7a544 100644
--- a/src/libsyntax_ext/deriving/generic/mod.rs
+++ b/src/libsyntax_ext/deriving/generic/mod.rs
@@ -237,7 +237,7 @@ pub struct MethodDef<'a> {
     /// Whether there is a self argument (outer Option) i.e., whether
     /// this is a static function, and whether it is a pointer (inner
     /// Option)
-    pub explicit_self: Option<Option<PtrTy<'a>>>,
+    pub explicit_self: Option<Option<PtrTy>>,
 
     /// Arguments other than the self argument
     pub args: Vec<(Ty<'a>, &'a str)>,
diff --git a/src/libsyntax_ext/deriving/generic/ty.rs b/src/libsyntax_ext/deriving/generic/ty.rs
index cb1c7b21fee..d47ef2c5d59 100644
--- a/src/libsyntax_ext/deriving/generic/ty.rs
+++ b/src/libsyntax_ext/deriving/generic/ty.rs
@@ -13,9 +13,9 @@
 
 /// The types of pointers
 #[derive(Clone)]
-pub enum PtrTy<'a> {
+pub enum PtrTy {
     /// &'lifetime mut
-    Borrowed(Option<&'a str>, ast::Mutability),
+    Borrowed(Option<Ident>, ast::Mutability),
     /// *mut
     #[allow(dead_code)]
     Raw(ast::Mutability),
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ pub enum PtrTy<'a> {
 #[derive(Clone)]
 pub struct Path<'a> {
     path: Vec<&'a str>,
-    lifetime: Option<&'a str>,
+    lifetime: Option<Ident>,
     params: Vec<Box<Ty<'a>>>,
     kind: PathKind,
 }
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ pub fn new_local(path: &str) -> Path<'_> {
         Path::new_(vec![path], None, Vec::new(), PathKind::Local)
     }
     pub fn new_<'r>(path: Vec<&'r str>,
-                    lifetime: Option<&'r str>,
+                    lifetime: Option<Ident>,
                     params: Vec<Box<Ty<'r>>>,
                     kind: PathKind)
                     -> Path<'r> {
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ pub fn to_path(&self,
 pub enum Ty<'a> {
     Self_,
     /// &/Box/ Ty
-    Ptr(Box<Ty<'a>>, PtrTy<'a>),
+    Ptr(Box<Ty<'a>>, PtrTy),
     /// mod::mod::Type<[lifetime], [Params...]>, including a plain type
     /// parameter, and things like `i32`
     Literal(Path<'a>),
@@ -107,14 +107,14 @@ pub enum Ty<'a> {
     Tuple(Vec<Ty<'a>>),
 }
 
-pub fn borrowed_ptrty<'r>() -> PtrTy<'r> {
+pub fn borrowed_ptrty() -> PtrTy {
     Borrowed(None, ast::Mutability::Immutable)
 }
 pub fn borrowed(ty: Box<Ty<'_>>) -> Ty<'_> {
     Ptr(ty, borrowed_ptrty())
 }
 
-pub fn borrowed_explicit_self<'r>() -> Option<Option<PtrTy<'r>>> {
+pub fn borrowed_explicit_self() -> Option<Option<PtrTy>> {
     Some(Some(borrowed_ptrty()))
 }
 
@@ -126,13 +126,11 @@ pub fn nil_ty<'r>() -> Ty<'r> {
     Tuple(Vec::new())
 }
 
-fn mk_lifetime(cx: &ExtCtxt<'_>, span: Span, lt: &Option<&str>) -> Option<ast::Lifetime> {
-    lt.map(|s|
-        cx.lifetime(span, Ident::from_str(s))
-    )
+fn mk_lifetime(cx: &ExtCtxt<'_>, span: Span, lt: &Option<Ident>) -> Option<ast::Lifetime> {
+    lt.map(|ident| cx.lifetime(span, ident))
 }
 
-fn mk_lifetimes(cx: &ExtCtxt<'_>, span: Span, lt: &Option<&str>) -> Vec<ast::Lifetime> {
+fn mk_lifetimes(cx: &ExtCtxt<'_>, span: Span, lt: &Option<Ident>) -> Vec<ast::Lifetime> {
     mk_lifetime(cx, span, lt).into_iter().collect()
 }
 
@@ -265,7 +263,7 @@ pub fn to_generics(&self,
 
 pub fn get_explicit_self(cx: &ExtCtxt<'_>,
                          span: Span,
-                         self_ptr: &Option<PtrTy<'_>>)
+                         self_ptr: &Option<PtrTy>)
                          -> (P<Expr>, ast::ExplicitSelf) {
     // this constructs a fresh `self` path
     let self_path = cx.expr_self(span);
@@ -276,7 +274,7 @@ pub fn get_explicit_self(cx: &ExtCtxt<'_>,
                 respan(span,
                        match *ptr {
                            Borrowed(ref lt, mutbl) => {
-                               let lt = lt.map(|s| cx.lifetime(span, Ident::from_str(s)));
+                               let lt = lt.map(|s| cx.lifetime(span, s));
                                SelfKind::Region(lt, mutbl)
                            }
                            Raw(_) => {
diff --git a/src/libsyntax_ext/test_harness.rs b/src/libsyntax_ext/test_harness.rs
index b93c11fad38..257c967d0d0 100644
--- a/src/libsyntax_ext/test_harness.rs
+++ b/src/libsyntax_ext/test_harness.rs
@@ -288,7 +288,7 @@ fn mk_main(cx: &mut TestCtxt<'_>) -> P<ast::Item> {
     // Honor the reexport_test_harness_main attribute
     let main_id = match cx.reexport_test_harness_main {
         Some(sym) => Ident::new(sym, sp.with_ctxt(SyntaxContext::root())),
-        None => Ident::from_str_and_span("main", sp),
+        None => Ident::new(sym::main, sp),
     };
 
     let main = P(ast::Item {