Zinc/Dimethicone Medical Study

[Guest guest]

Hello group,

I'm back in town for a couple of days and I thought I would post some messages.

I have not had a chance to follow this support group for quite a while - so I

hope everybody is fine! When I got back, I had over 2,100 private e-mails from

rosacea sufferers (I also post to several other groups that consist of facial

flushers/blushers and people with facial inflammatory dermatoses). Hundreds of

them sound desperate (I know what every one is going through because I have been

there). I want to answer each and every one, but I am afraid that this will be

impossible for the next several months. I will do my best!!!

Hot off the press - a study at Duke University Medical School has just been

performed on 'our' zinc-dimethicone combination. The title of this study is

" Microfine zinc oxide (Z-COTE) as a photostable UVA/UVB sunblock agent " and is

published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 40:85-90, 1999.

In this study, they determined the safety and protective ability of the

microfine zinc oxide-dimethicone combination (special formulation developed by

Skinceuticals and Sunsmart). Briefly, here are some of their findings and

direct quotes:

1. " Zinc oxide has been used since 1888. Each year approximately 5,000,000

pounds of zinc oxide are applied to humans in the United States alone " (they

then reference Esther as the single greatest buyer of Zinc oxide and suggest

that she is solely responsible for the exponential growth of Desitin baby bum

stock). The doctors then state " our search of available medical literature did

not yield a single adverse reaction report to zinc oxide. In fact, zinc oxide

is the only sunscreen ingredient that appears on more than one FDA monograph.

In addition to being an approved sunscreen ingredient, zinc oxide is both a

Category I skin protectant and a category I diaper rash treatment. Thus zinc

oxide enjoys a singularly remarkable history of extensive and safe use. It may

be the most used topical drug of all time. "

2. Thin coats of this special formulation are virtually transparent to the

naked eye - unlike the normal thick, white zinc oxide pastes/cremes/lotions.

They can now use relatively small concentrations of this special combination

(15% zinc oxide-dimethicone) as the sole sunblock ingredient in order to achieve

an overall SPF of 18. This results in a very elegant formulation that is

comparable to transparent chemical sunscreens.

3. Dimethicone-bonded microfine zinc oxide has the broadest attenuation

spectrum of all available transparent sunblock agents (i.e., it is an excellent

sunblock)

4. Dimethicone-bonded microfine zinc oxide absorbs sunlight and remains

completely photostable (i.e., does not undergo any chemical or structural change

that could decrease its effectiveness or cause facial irritation).

5. Summary: " Microfine zinc oxide is a safe, stable, non-reactive,

broad-spectrum sunscreen ingredient. "

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In a separate clinical article entitled " Steroid-induced cea " , published in

the American Family Physician 48(1):67-71, 1993, Dr. Jerome Litt of Case

Western Reserve University School of Medicine discusses some of his favorite

treatment regimens for reversing steroid-induced facial erythema (facial

redness), telangectasia (broken blood vessels) and papules (small, red

inflammatory bumps). One of the most important parts of his treatment regimen

is the daily use of topical zinc oxide (in crème, paste or lotion).

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I recently e-mailed Sy concerning her future formulation of a zinc

oxide-containing sunblock. I offered her some suggestions concerning

rosacea-friendly ingredients. I also suggested that she include several

different SPFs (i.e., a low, every day SPF of 4-6, a medium range SPF of 15-18

and a high range SPF of 30-35). I actually focused most of my discussion on the

low SPF of 4 to 6. I emphasized this because I would like every single rosacea

sufferer to make this crème/lotion a daily part of their routine (not just at

night). With the low SPF formulation, this should be the most elegant

formulation with just enough protection for everyday use (i.e., for short

periods of indirect and direct sunlight exposure). She could actually call this

formulation a protective skin barrier crème because it should:

1. Protect our skin and facial blood vessels from sunlight (most of the

damaging UV rays)

2. Protect our skin from potential irritants such as makeup and facial

cleansers.

3. Help normalize the epidermal (outer lining of skin) structure and function

by allowing for enhanced water-holding capabilities (skin moisture).

4. Help protect against wind, cold and heat - remember that zinc oxide is a

category I skin protectant.

I also mentioned to that there is in fact a new and potentially better way

to micronize the zinc oxide (i.e., make it totally transparent and even more

elegant than the Z-COTE brand). Collaborative Laboratories, a top-notch

laboratory that develops cutting-edge skin care products, has developed a new

method to make microfine particles of zinc oxide even smaller. This method is

called High-Shear, High-Pressure Micronization and results in zinc oxide

particles that can be up to 20-35% smaller than the industry leaders………every

little thing helps!

Geoffrey

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Dr. Geoffrey Nase, Ph.D.

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