Q. A 22 year-old male asks, “Does True Moisture® make a good low allergy shaving lotion?”

ANSWER

Men can shave their face with either True Moisture® Clinical Lipid Therapy® Gentle Help For Hair or True Moisture® Clinical Lipid Therapy® Rinse Optional Cleanser C. Women can shave their legs with either True Moisture® Clinical Lipid Therapy® Gentle Help For Hair or True Moisture® Clinical Lipid Therapy® Rinse Optional Cleanser C. Each time you shave please use a new razor blade to prevent razor burns, unnecessary cuts, and bacterial skin infections.

Q. “My child had severe atopic dermatitis and was cleared by following the ABC's and using cortisone. Do I have to continue with the True Moisture® program, or should I wait until my child has another problem?”

ANSWER

It is important to understand that patients with atopic dermatitis always have a fragile skin barrier and require ongoing daily moisturization to their entire body, even when they appear clear. Probably the biggest mistake that parents make is, after the child improves, the parents decrease their child’s moisturization, or, they go from applying cream to the entire body to “spot therapy” only. If you asked me what is the most important rule about atopic therapy, I would say, “Follow the ABC’s at all times.” To prevent an outbreak, the atopic child needs daily ABC’s even when he or she is not flaring. When a parent neglects daily ABC skin care, the atopic child takes a big step backwards and may reflare.

Triad: Atopic Dermatitis, Asthma, and Hay Fever
For simplicity, think of asthma as affecting three sites: in the lungs, you get wheezing, in the sinuses, you get hay fever, and in the skin, you get eczema, also known as ?atopic dermatitis.? Though many skin conditions are linked to dry and sensitive skin, dry and sensitive skin in a child is often associated with the triad of atopic dermatitis, hay fever, and asthma.

Findings in Atopic Dermatitis
Atopic dermatitis affects 13% of children and 2% of adults. An extra fragile, easily damaged skin barrier, high immunoglobulin E levels, and an exquisitely sensitive allergic immune system result in extreme itch and a vicious itch-scratch cycle. Patients react to foods, mites, dust, dirt, staph aureus, emotional stress, changes in temperature, dry air, smoky air, airborne allergens, cigarettes, and many topical allergic items such as wool, animals, soaps, detergents, pollens, molds, and perfumes. Atopic patients are more susceptible to viral, yeast, and bacterial infections. Frequent nighttime itch robs children of sleep, so that both children and parents suffer from chronic sleep deprivation and tiredness.

Atopics Need True ABC Moisturization
The basic shortcoming for most itchy atopic children is a lack of true skin moisturization. From the very beginning, many health care providers do not give instruction in correct consistent skin moisturization technique. Neither do they explain anything about skin barrier lipids. Atopic children are better off if their parents wash them with pure tap water and applied messy petrolatum to the entire body twice a day. Instead, many use fragrant baby lotion, allergenic baby shampoo, diaper wipes, and perfumed baby soap.

Parents often use fragrant baby lotions, allergic baby shampoos, diaper wipes, and fragrant baby soaps thinking they are helping their child. What the child really needs is avoidance of allergens, especially popular potentially allergic baby products. First, soak your atopic child in a hydrating bath containing one-quarter cup of regular Clorox type bleach (6% sodium hypochlorite strength) and one half cup of mineral oil in a full hotel size bath tub of water. Cleanse with a truly gentle cleanser, and avoid soap. After the bath, spritz your child with distilled water and liberally cover your child with heavy cream. Supply your child with pajamas, clothing, and bedding washed with fragrance-free dye-free detergent and no bleach. Apply heavy cream to your child several times during the day. If you live in an area with a very dry climate, your child may do better if you run an air humidifier in his or her room.

Review the List of Ingredients
Even pure water can make certain people itch or burn. Thus, you should read the list of ingredients on bottles. If you look at the labels of most popular baby bath, skin products, and diaper wipes, you will see many allergic or irritating ingredients such as quaternium- 15, aloe, sodium lauryl sulfate, propylene glycol, topical vitamin E, tea tree oil, fragrance, and dyes. Look closely and you will see major brands claiming ?for sensitive skin? containing these and other potentially irritating ingredients. Please understand that there is a difference between "harsh" ingredients and "gentle" ingredients. So, learn to read the list of ingredients listed on the label. Concerned parents beware, your atopic child should use skin care products that are truly gentle. True Moisture®, LLC calls its products "gentle" because they are made with the gentlest ingredients a sensitive skin person could use for a given skin care purpose.