Not all skin creams give the required effect, and can in fact make the skin drier, according to research conducted at the Uppsala University in Sweden.
Researcher Izabela Buraczewska has studied what happens in the skin at the molecular level the effects of various creams.
Differences in the acidity or alkalinity (pH) of creams did not seem to play any role, according to the findings that included seven-week treatment on a group of volunteers.
Different kinds of oil, both mineral and vegetable oil, were also tested but also did not indicate any difference. However, skin treated with oils appeared "less able to cope with external stresses."
Skin treated with more complex moisturizers seemed "more resistant" and had no signs of dryness.
Tissue samples taken by Buraczewska indicated that some creams contain substances that change the activity of certain genes involved in producing skin fats.
The findings may offer better relief to patients with dry skin, for example eczema and ichthyosis.
Buraczewska's recently published dissertation is entitled: Skin Barrier Responses To Moisturizers.
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