Internet searches for dry skin remedies produce conflicting and confusing answers
07/28/2005
If all offered claims for dry, itchy skin afflictions like eczema or psoriasis were equally good, how does the layman know which remedy to choose? The variety is confusing - anything from emu oil to soaking in a tub is offered as a solution.
The sometimes alarming suggestions on the Internet like the use of an ointment containing dithranol which may soothe psoriasis by killing the cells that actually cause the problem. According to British researchers at Newcastle University, dithranol is derived from the araroba tree found in the Amazon rain forest. The drug must be administered carefully since it can cause skin burning and clothing discoloration if misused, BBC News Online reported. It's currently only used in hospitals for severe cases of the autoimmune skin disease, the network reported.
Although conventional lotions and ointments have been used for many years, they are formulated to add moisture to the skin from the outside and they come off if you wash your hands. The latest research has produced a new type of lotion that really works - a shielding lotion that actually bonds with the skin and keeps your own natural moisture in.
"The problem with most suggested remedies is that they sit on top of the skin" said Dr. Wayne Weber, Board Member and Director of Research and Development for Gloves In A Bottle, Inc. "Years of research resulted in us developing a product that actually bonds with the top layer of skin to form a 'glove' that keeps the good stuff in and the bad stuff out. The results have been very gratifying".