Treatment of Back Pain

Many people mistakenly believe that most barrier creams and moisturisers presently on sale are basically identical. The same ingredients, mixed and blended in a similar way. The same texture.  The same consistency.

Actually, these commonly held beliefs are not only erroneous, but they can also result in unnecessary inconvenience and avoidable on-going dry skin problems.

Skin care moisturisers have different enhancement properties from brand to brand, and this is for very good reasons. It is simply not possible to formulate a moisturising product that all skin circumstances and types respond to equally well. There is no “one size fits all” solution when it comes to skin care.

Society is not a homogeneous unit, though. What is considered to be an ideal moisturising product for one person will sometimes be partially unsuitable for someone else.

In addition, each one of us has our particular set of circumstances.  Split fingertips is just one regularly occurring skin problem.

Working environments and circumstances will differ for each individual. A person employed in a factory with dust-laden, warm air will have very different skin moisturising requirements to someone else who spends most of their working day outside tending to plants.

Even the varying weather conditions that naturally cycles from spring to summer and then from fall to winter will effect the efficacy of different moisturising products. Some products will perform better in warm, dry summer conditions whilst other barrier creams work best when faced with the icy winds of wintertime.

When deciding to purchase a moisturising product you need to understand that they are broadly segregated into three main groupings Namely, creams, lotions and the newer innovation of the mousse based products. Hence, when we are looking at these three groupings, what are the underlying properties that distinguish one group from the other two?

Creams are invariable dominated by their main ingredient, which is petroleum jelly.

The discoverer of the beneficial properties of petroleum jelly, or Vaseline as it more commonly known, is the dregs of the oil industry. The origins literally spring from an unwanted waste product, rod wax, that gathers around the top of the pump rods in 19th century U.S. oil wells. This very same rod wax was the foundation of a barrier cream that was originally patented by chemist Robert Chesebrough in 1872. At the time Chesebrough claimed that his new product was a wonderful all-embracing medicine, advising that it should be taken by mouth in small quantities regularly as a prophylactic guarding against all kinds of bodily ailments. The name Vaseline was used because, in the course of his experimentation with rod wax, Robert Chesebrough use to store the various formulations in decorative vases. Thus, “vase – line” – “elaion” is the etymological Greek root for “oil”.

This petroleum jelly is responsible for making nearly all creams thick and greasy. Whilst bestowing upon your skin a substantial protective layer, creams are generally considered inconvenient when manual dexterity is important as they invariably leave your hands slippery. Heavy moisturising barrier creams will also tend to clog the pores or your skin. This makes them particularly unsuitable to smoothing on the face if you have an acne condition. Heavy barrier creams used on the hands can also be problematic if your occupation calls for the wearing of gloves for extended lengths of time.

Thick, sticky, heavy and greasy moisturising barrier creams are generally acknowledged to be most appropriate for winter use when dry skin is the most pressing concern.

Lotions, on the whole, use a lesser amount of petroleum jelly or none at all. Hence, the less gummy and tacky consistency of lotions make them easier to rub over your skin. The next important ingredient, in relation to percentage content, will in the vast majority of products be a natural oil.  Sunflower or Olive oil are the most popular choices. Indeed, the origins of Olive oil as a extract used in the realms of skin care goes back more than five thousand years. It was widely employed by the early Egyptians, Greeks and Romans for various purposes.

However, after smoothing over skin lotions to a region of your body, a stickiness often persists. The high oil ingredient also gives some people with a “less than clean” feeling. In addition, many people already have naturally oily complexion and these people are often reluctant to use a lotion that adds to the oiliness of their epidermis.

Thus, moisturising lotions are widely thought to be more appropriate for use during the warmer times of the year.  See this dramtic video regarding skin protection for further information.

The introduction of mousse formulated products in the realm of skin care and enhancing occurred relatively recently. Many believe that mousse products will eventually supersede traditional creams and lotions. It is true that mousse based products are very light and easier to apply than their cream and lotion counterparts. A mouse formulation will also spread much easier and evenly over your skin. For this reason, much less is needed per application. Mousse  moisturisers also have less tendency to clog up your skin pores and thus allow your skin to perspire normally. People with dry skin, or skin that is sore or chapped may also find that a mousse is less painful to apply as it does not need vigorous rubbing in.

However, many mousses will be aerosol based which has traditionally been linked to ozone destroying CFC chemicals – although this ceased to be the case with widespread legislation that was enacted ten years or more ago. Further, aerosols usually employ Butane as a delivery agent and this has been connected to the issue of teenage substance abuse.

Mousse based moisturising products are widely considered suitable for all year use.

Whichever moisturising product you eventually choose, never forget to apply it regularly. Your skin is yours for life, look after it and it will serve you well.

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