Have you ever experienced skin problems during pregnancy? One young woman dealt with a health problem that had not bothered her for some time-her eczema.
That woman, a new mother had developed dry itchy skin on her hands.
She found that she needed something more than the traditional product for dry skin care.
The woman with the itchy hands arranged to see a dermatologist.
In his office she learned about the link between pregnancy and experiencing itchiness.
At the completion of a pregnancy, when a woman's hands might well be exposed to bleach, a new mother can develop dry itchy skin.
That is especially true, when a woman has had a history of problems with eczema.
The dermatologist wrote a prescription for his female patient.
By using that prescribed product, the woman with the itchy hands managed to obtain the needed dry skin care.
She did not encounter any more skin problems until after her second pregnancy, when she returned to work.
During that second pregnancy, she had developed carpal tunnel syndrome.
Eventually, that working mother needed to find a new job.
She got a job at a biotechnology company.
While working in that company, she needed to wear protective gloves on her hands.
The new company employee found that when she wore latex gloves, then her hands began to itch.
Other employees had the same complaint.
Eventually, the company provided the employees with vinyl gloves, as well as latex gloves.
For a while the availability of the vinyl gloves seemed to do away with the itching and scratching caused by the latex gloves.
Then after the passing of more than a year, the woman's hands began to itch again.
Before seeing a dermatologist, that woman tried to find a suitable product for dry skin care.
She examined the ingredients on product labels in the pharmacy.
She hoped that the knowledge that she had acquired while culturing human cells could be used to find a cure for the dry itchy skin on her hands.
She knew that she gave collagen to her epithelial cells.
She also knew that the skin is composed of epithelial cells.
For that reason, she looked for a product that could stimulate her skin cells to make collagen.
Back then, in 1995, the products on the pharmacy shelf did not stimulate production of collagen.
Some of them did contain collagen.
At first the application of collagen seemed to cure the dry and itchy nature of the woman's hands.
The skin care product did fill-in the cracks in the woman's skin.
Unfortunately, it did not serve as a satisfactory treatment.
Eventually, she did see a dermatologist.
He could give her a prescription for a product that could restore the needed biochemical make-up in her skin cells.
It could get her skin cells to make collagen.
Today, similar products can be obtained without a prescription.
Those are the sort of products that those with these problems need to buy.
The use of such skin care products can hasten the recovery of dry itchy skin.
Why does skin that is dry benefit from the ability to make collagen? Collagen is a fiber-like protein.
It causes the skin to feel strong and firm.
In conclusion, employees who have been treated for dry skin problems should work to avoid future problems.
Employees who must wear hand protection should ask about having access to special gloves.
New technology has permitted the manufacture of gloves that will not encourage the development of itchy and dry hands.