Skin MD Natural - The Ultimate Dry Skin Solution (Plus Reader Discount)

I recently had an opportunity to try Skin MD Natural - a different kind of moisturizer - and it's a keeper! As winter starts to dry out my skin, I'm happy to have such an effective product to use to keep my hands and feet from cracking open. Not only that, I love the fact that it has no scent and feels absolutely weightless.

Skin MD Natural is a shielding lotion - just like a protective barrier or an invisible pair of gloves - that keeps irritants out and locks in your natural moisture. With the dual effects of shielding plus super-humectants and other good-for-your-skin ingredients, Skin MD Natural is more effective as a dry skin treatment than many conventional moisturizing lotions or creams, which sometimes signal to the skin that it has produced "enough" moisture.

Skin MD Natural can be used anywhere on your body, including your face. It's promptly absorbed, without the slightest hint of a greasy or oily residue or feel. Right after application to your hands, you can use your iPhone without leaving dewy fingerprints behind. Pretty cool!

How and why does it work?

Common household products, soaps, antibacterial agents (that hand sanitizer you are using), and environmental chemicals and conditions strip the natural oils and moisture from the skin, and as that happens, the epidermis, the outer layer of the skin, starts to lose its natural effectiveness as a barrier. Skin MD Natural bonds with the outer layer of the skin, restoring its natural protective functions. It helps damaged skin by reducing moisture loss and preventing moisture-robbing irritants from entering deeper layers.

Despite its shielding effect, Skin MD Natural does not prevent the skin from breathing. It actually helps keep pores from clogging with irritants that are often too complex to be eliminated naturally. That's one of the reasons it can be used on your face. Another is that it's non-comedogenic - it won't promote acne.

The ingredients make Skin MD Natural unique. If you are a regular Best Things in Beauty reader, you know I care about and study ingredients. I'm pretty impressed with this lineup.

The shielding properties come from Cyclopentasiloxane, known for its ability to lubricate and water-proof, used in combination with a proprietary blend of several different dimethicones that offer a very high degree of protection to the skin.

There are many other natural ingredients that contribute to the product's effectiveness. What follows is a summary. You can find more complete information about the ingredients at this link.

• Aloe Vera improves the skin's ability to hydrate itself, aids in the removal of dead skin cells, and has an effective penetrating ability to transport healthy substances through the skin.
• Methyl Gluceth has moisture-retentive qualities and imparts a smooth and silky feel to the skin.
• Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that helps your body protect cell membranes and other fat-soluble cells.
• Arnica Montana is traditionally used externally to heal wounds and prevent bruising and swelling after traumatic skin injuries, including cosmetic surgery. It also has a pain-relieving effect, reduces inflammation, and clears fungal and bacterial infections.
• Comfrey is a powerful antibacterial and antifungal agent. It helps reduce swelling and inflammation, relieves pain, shrinks blood vessels, stimulates blood clotting and cell growth, and expedites the healing process.
• Yarrow has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties and is useful in curing cuts and wounds, burns, and ulcers as well as swollen and irritated skin.
• Chamomile softens and soothes the skin.
• 1,2 Hexanediol and Caprylyl Glycol, a proprietary formulation, is one of the most effective humectants available. Humectants are like sponges, drawing moisture from the air into the skin. This formulation has been shown to be six times more effective than glycerin, the gold standard against which humectants are measured.
  

Physicians who specialize in skin care and treatments for very dry skin, eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis love Skin MD Natural and use it themselves. You can read their recommendations here. You can also read a patient's perspective at this link (warning, though, discomforting photos). Farewell to dry, red, itchy, blotchy, flaky, irritated skin!

Need more enticement? This green-friendly product is not tested on animals, uses no animal products, is hypoallergenic, and is free of fragrance, colorants, and parabens.

You can purchase Skin MD Natural directly from the company that makes it. A four-ounce bottle costs $18 and lasts one to two months with daily use. A little goes a very long way. There are other sizes, value offers, and the Skin MD Natural with SPF 15 - all available at the Skin MD Natural Web site. During the month of December, the company is offering Best Things in Beauty readers a 20% discount! Just enter code HS in the field that asks for a coupon/gift certificate code. I will be taking advantage of this generous offer - for myself and my mother (her legs look like a flake field).

You can also go to the Web site and use the store locator to see if there is a pharmacy near you that stocks Skin MD Natural. Even though it's just becoming known in the market, there a few stores near me that carry it. But they aren't going to give me a discount!

I am ever so grateful the company sent me this innovative product to test! I really love it and will be using it regularly this winter. When that eczema patch breaks out on my chest, I'll be ready! Come to think of it, I may prevent that eczema patch this winter by using Skin MD Natural every day. That's a delightful thought!

Photo courtesy of Skin MD Natural