By Cerise Adams and James McGuire DPM, PT, CPed, FAPWHc

Our skin is the largest organ in our body requiring a significant amount of vascular support to stay healthy and protective. As we get older, our circulation slows down just when our skin needs more support and more nutrition to continue to function. Besides regular cleansing and proper moisturizing, our skin needs nutrients to maintain its ideal function. The Medline Remedy skin care line has attempted to provide that with a topical, bioavailable formula that is antinflammatory and easily absorbed by skin cells.

Remedy® Skin Care Line Therapeutic Ingredients

The Remedy® line consists of a variety of products for skin cleansing, moisturizing, barrier protection and antifungal treatment. The main ingredient used in these products is hydroxytyrosol – a potent natural antioxidant found in the fruit, leaves and pulp of olives. When hydroxytyrosol is combined with certain amino acids derived from collagen, they form the main ingredient of the Remedy® products, Olivamine®. Olivamine along with select vitamins and methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) help to provide nutrition to skin stressed by age and daily trauma and reduce the natural inflammatory response to this stress.

They have also developed the Phytoplex skin care line, which is a newer line using plant-based ingredients like soy, blue-green algae and green tea to help nourish and soothe the skin.¹ The Remedy skin care line has twenty-two skin care products in total. They are widely used in hospitals, nursing homes, wound care clinics, and surgical centers to protect and nourish the skin and in particular to treat the periwound skin to prevent further damage or enlargement of the wound during the healing process.

Indicated Uses for Remedy® Skin Care Products

In our clinic, we have experience with Remedy Skin Repair Cream, Nutrashield Skin Protectant, and Antifungal Cream. Remedy Skin Repair Cream is a great emollient for all patients, but it is particularly helpful for those with an increased risk of skin breakdown. It has twice the amount of Olivamine and helps to restore the moisture balance of the skin. It is ideal for weak, thin and bruised skin and can be used in any region of the body from the face to the toes. It is not, however, intended for use on open and compromised areas. Remedy Nutrashield Skin Protectant is a useful long lasting moisturizer that helps to reduce diaper rash or cracked skin. It is also helpful against extreme water loss and protects the periwound skin, especially in patients with venous insufficiency. We use Remedy Nutrashield under compression dressings and stockings. Remedy Antifungal Cream can be used to treats all fungal infections including athlete’s foot, jock itch and ringworm¹. It is also valuable under dressings on the feet and legs to prevent fungal infection. The antifungal formula is also available in a powder form when a drier environment is desirable.

A Retrospective Study on Pressure Ulcer Prevention

Between 2003 and 2008, a retrospective study was performed by health economist Ronald Shannon and Kevin Fisher, director of Nursing at Meridian Nursing and Rehabilitation in Brick, New Jersey. They observed nursing home residents with acquired pressure ulcers and compared the benefits of Remedy skin care products and Restore Disposable Briefs in preventing these ulcers. With the introduction to Remedy skin care products at the nursing home in 2005, the incidence of pressure ulcers decreased from 17% to 0% in a matter of four months. In February 2006, Restore Briefs were added and the incidence of pressure ulcers remained at 0% for the duration of the study period. In addition, an estimated savings -of $861.00 per resident at-risk for pressure ulcers during their stay at the nursing home was calculated, whcih allowed the facility to hire additional nurses and acquire additional educational resources for the facility.²

To learn more about this company and product visit http://www.woundsource.com/company/medline-industries-inc

References

1. Medline University. Remedy Advanced Skin Care. Medline University. https://www.medlineuniversity.com/DesktopShell.aspx?tabId=419. Accessed January 12, 2015.

2. Shannon R, Fisher K. “Expected Value of Medline Remedy Skincare Products and Restore Briefs in an At-Risk Resident Population for Pressure Ulcer and Incontinence-Associated Dermatitis Prevention.” Published Online. http://www.medline.com/media/mkt/pdf/Restore-Briefs-%20Remedy-Skin-Care…. Accessed January 14, 2015.

About the Authors:

Cerise Adams is a third year podiatric medical student at Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine (TUSPM) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Fordham University in New York City in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in Natural Sciences. Dr. James McGuire is the director of the Leonard S. Abrams Center for Advanced Wound Healing and an associate professor of the Department of Podiatric Medicine and Orthopedics at the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine in Philadelphia.