Q. “Dr. Jacobs, can you please go over your Gentle Cleansers and explain how to use them?”

ANSWER

No problem. I'll explain my Gentle Skin Cleansers so you can better understand.

ABC Gentle Skin Cleansers? How To Use?

True Moisture® Clinical Lipid Therapy®
Rinse Optional Skin Cleanser “C”

For so long I have treated patients with horrible hand eczema, like my sad patient with hands looking like this:

Of course, I could prescribe topical steroids and give my patient a shot of cortisone, but where would she be next month? She would be right back in my office with the same problem. This very busy 25 year old mother of twins spent her days and nights changing diapers and warming bottles. She did not have time to spend hours in my clinic each month. So, in the past, I would treat my patients as best as I could, but there was one product missing: The right skin cleanser. You see, for many years the most widely recommended “gentle” skin cleanser for her type of hands contains Propylene Glycol, a common allergen, and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, a harsh surfactant. I was perplexed and could not find a truly gentle yet effective skin cleanser for my patients with severe hand eczema, and not only for hand eczema, but also for many patients who had used too much Dial™ soap, and also for my patient, little Amy Smith, with atopic dermatitis... and don't forget my many sun damaged skin patients on Efudex™, or Carac™, or Solaraze™, or anti-wrinkle meds with dry faces, and my hundreds of acne and complexion patients on Retin-A™, Differin™, Accutane™, Proactive™, and benzoyl peroxides with dry and sensitive faces. Lastly, there were my rosacea patients to remember. All of these patients needed a very special gentle skin cleanser to go with their medical care. As a dermatologist, I was up against a wall. In those days I really had no good gentle skin cleanser that I could honestly recommend. They all were really not gentle and most left their skin feeling sticky and gluey afterwards.

So, I put on my thinking cap. What did my patients need? First, they needed a gentle cleanser that truly cleansed but did not strip the lipids. Thus, it would have to be the most gentlest of surfactants. Next, it would be best if the cleanser contained clinical lipids to replace lost lipids as it cleansed. Next, it would be convenient if the patient could carry the cleanser around with them in their purse or pocket and could use it during the day. And, because there are certain times when a sink is not available, it would be even more convenient if my patient had the option of using this gentle cleanser with or without water. I knew that my patient would also appreciate a gentle skin cleanser that could be used on their face and their hands and would leave their hands feeling smooth and usable, and their face feeling silky and comfortably cleansed without dryness or stickyness. Of course, the cleanser would have to be economical and be truly hypoallergenic without fragrance, propylene glycol, or preservatives. My wish list was very long, but after seven years of trial and error, I came up with True Moisture® Clinical Lipid Therapy® Rinse Optional Skin Cleanser “C” and I am 100% happy with this gentle cleanser. I now have a cleanser that fulfilled all of my wishes for all my patients I have just described to you.

The 25 year old mom is doing much better now. I have her cleansing with True Moisture® Clinical Lipid Therapy® Rinse Optional Skin Cleanser “C” and moisturizing with Clinical Lipid Therapy® Cream A + Cream B.

Cleanser “C” is easy to use. Apply True Moisture® Clinical Lipid Therapy® Rinse Optional Skin Cleanser “C” to dry skin. Massage to cleanse. Cleanser C may either be wiped off with a clean towel or you can rinse it off with water.

Now you understand that I created my True Moisture® personal skin care products especially for my many dry and sensitive patients. I had them in mind as I designed and formulated them. In fact, as I developed the products, I actually tested them on certain very dry and sensitive patients who were nice enough and willing to help. They know who they are and I give 1,000 thanks to them!

I have now explained to you Cream A, Cream B, and Cleanser C. Note, together, they spell ABC :) This ABC combination works very well to moisturize a wide variety of patients with dry and sensitive conditions of the body. I will show you a few clinical photos of “ABC” type patients.

A Baby WIth Atopic Dermatitis

Here is a baby with atopic dermatitis. Though I do not suggest that you apply a cream to the face of an adult or teenager, it is perfectly fine to use a cream to moisturize the face of an atopic baby or child. Their facial pores do not block as easily as adult or teenage pores. Cream A in the morning + Cream B in the evening + Cleanser C, and the ABC's: Avoid, Bathe, Cover are perfect for this type of baby.


Staph can cause atopic flares. Bacteria can be controlled by adding a tiny amount of bleach to the baby's bathwater.

Here is the baby's feet. You can apply lots of Cream A to the baby's feet and cover them with warm cotton socks washed in fragrance free laundry detergent and double rinsed. An air humidifier in the baby's room can help if you live in a dry climate. Remember, both dry air and soap can damage this baby's lipids. Moisturize the baby all day long.



Here is an interesting article that explains how lipid therapy can help children with atopic dermatitis:

Ceramide Depletion: Ceramide-Dominant Barrier Repair Lipids Alleviate Childhood Atopic Dermatitis: Changes In Barrier Function Provide A Sensitive Indicator of Disease Activity. Sarah L. Chamlin, MD, et al. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 2002;47:198-208.

The Dry Skin Rash



This dry rash is the result of lost lipids, mainly cholesterol. Because it was a cold winter, he used his furnace at night. He also liked to take long hot showers with Zest™ soap.



Dry Skin in Diabetes and Kidney Failure

This patient is an incredibly nice, well educated, very brilliant person. He came into my office on Dec. 13, 2007 with great concern after trying many other moisturizers. I treated him with Cream A three times during the morning, Cream B three times during the afternoon and evening, and Cleanser C three times per day, and nothing else.



Here he is on December 13, 2007



Here he is on January 3, 2008 after 21 days of
True Moisture® Clinical Lipid Therapy®



Cream A
Cream B
Cleanser C
True Moisture® Clinical Lipid Therapy®

If you spend the day at my dermatology office you may see 30 different examples of dry and sensitive skin. Dry and sensitive skin can involve more than just simple dry skin. Actually, several conditions can show symptoms of dry and sensitive skin, and the ABC's can help each one of these. For example, people with psoriasis are usually dry. Diabetics are often dry. A person can have dry and sensitive skin for a number of underlying reasons. If the ABC's can help this needy patient, perhaps the ABC's can also help you with your dry and sensitive skin situation.

True Moisture® Gentle Face & Body Cleanser

If you examine 100 dry and sensitive skin patients, you will see a spectrum of mild to severe and everything in between. There are those dry and sensitive patients that do not need Cleanser C for every part of their body or for every situation. I have had a number of dry and sensitive patients who have asked me for a foamy type skin cleanser, so for these patients I created True Moisture® Gentle Face & Body Cleanser. There are those who like the feel of a foamy type skin cleanser. True Moisture® Gentle Face and Body Skin Cleanser is a very gentle cleanser, but it is in fact a cleanser. It contains a very gentle sulfate free surfactant system that is even gentler than TEA Laureth Sulfate. As an analogy, think of True Moisture® Gentle Face and Body Skin Cleanser as a baby soft toothbrush compared to a hard adult toothbrush. Though a soft toothbrush is gentler, if used too vigorously, it will still cause damage to your teeth and gums. Similarly, you may gently cleanse yourself, but take it easy with True Moisture® Gentle Face and Body Skin Cleanser or any other gentle skin cleanser. Use True Moisture® Gentle Face and Body Skin Cleanser very sparingly. It is concentrated, so you only need a dime size amount to cleanse your whole face, or a dime size amount to cleanse your under arms or groin. Thus, one tube will last a long time. Do not rub vigorously. Be gentle in your skin care. Realize and understand that at times when your skin is very dry, you may need to avoid all cleansers, even gentle ones, and cleanse with water or Cleanser C only.

True Moisture® offers to you two different gentle skin cleansers for people with different skin care needs. True Moisture® Gentle Face and Body Skin Cleanser is, of course, very gentle, but our most gentle cleanser is True Moisture® Clinical Lipid Therapy® Rinse Optional Skin Cleanser “C.” Cleanser C is designed for people with extremely sensitive skin. True Moisture® Clinical Lipid Therapy® Rinse Optional Skin Cleanser C is our gentlest skin cleanser. I suggest Skin Cleanser C for my patients with severe eczema of the hands, face, or body. I also suggest Cleanser C for my severe dry skin patients with diabetes, thyroid, or kidney problems, and severely dry acne patients on Accutane™, Retin-A™, Differin™, Tazorac™, or benzoyl peroxide medications. Here is how you use Cleanser C: Apply Skin Cleanser C to dry skin. Massage to cleanse. Cleanser C may either be wiped off with a clean towel or rinsed off with water. For severe dry hands I suggest cleansing with Cleanser C, wiping it off, and then consistently moisturizing with True Moisture® Clinical Lipid Therapy® Cream A and Cream B on a daily basis.

So, you see, we have two cleansers. Many patients use the Cleanser C for extremely dry hands and faces, and also for babies with atopic dermatitis. But there is also a special place for True Moisture® Gentle Face & Body Cleanser. Because it is very concentrated and economical, many adult patients use a dime size amount of True Moisture® Gentle Face and Body Skin Cleanser to cleanse their arm pits and groin. Many adult patients with rosacea use True Moisture® Gentle Face & Body Cleanser to cleanse their oily facial skin. Many teenagers with acne who also use over the counter benzoyl peroxide use True Moisture® Gentle Face & Body Cleanser to cleanse their oily face. Some dry and sensitive people swear by it. They love True Moisture® Gentle Face & Body Cleanser because it foams; plus, as a cleanser only, it often keeps rosacea and acne patients clear of blemishes. Patients with seborrheic dermatitis of the chest and face love it. Patients with underarm odor and groin odor problems also love it. True Moisture® Gentle Face & Body Cleanser helps with their odor and leaves them feeling gently cleaned and refreshed. Patients on mild acne meds often use True Moisture® Gentle Face & Body Cleanser; but, when my teenage patients are on stronger more drying acne meds, I often suggest True Moisture® Rinse Optional Skin Cleanser C.