My husband has problem skin, but it's not all his fault. It is a family trait! Truly, his mother passed the bad skin gene down to him, which she received from her mother. All of his mothers sisters suffer from dermatitis, eczema, and other skin problems as well. Now our daughter has skin problems in the form of eczema too! What to do?

Well, my husband is supposed to visit his dermatologist once a year (it's like pulling teeth to get him there!). My daughter and I have been to this Dr. as well, and he's in his 50's and has been around for many years, and is one of the most highly recommended dermatologists in Anchorage.

He always recommends Cetaphil products for my husband to use. We have Cetaphil lotion and Cetaphil Cleansing Bars stored away in our bathroom - even small sample sizes that the Dr. gave to us (which we save for trips, since they are travel sized). He initially told my husband to start using the Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar on a daily basis, and not to use any other forms of soap.

The only place we could find this soap was at the pharmacy, and it was an outrageous $6 for a 4.5 ounce bar! I was in sticker shock! Well, we bought two bars, and then I started looking on Ebay for a cheaper source. I won an auction for 4 bars, but didn't notice until I got them in the mail that 2 of the bars were the Gentle Cleansing formula, and the other two were Cetaphil Antibacterial Cleansing Bars. I called the Dr.'s office and asked if this was okay to use, and they gave us the okay. "As long as it's Cetaphil" they said.

Description

This cleansing bar comes in a blue colored box, with the words "antibacterial gentle cleansing bar" highlighted in yellow. It is marketed as a moisturizing deodorant non-comedogenic bar for dry, sensitive skin.

Most soaps come out of the box ready to use, but the Cetaphil Antibacterial is packaged yet in another clear plastic bag. The bar is white, like a bar of Ivory soap. it has the word "Cetaphil" engraved in the top, and measures 2" by 3.5" in size. The top is rounded slightly, as are the four corners, and it is dented in on the bottom which makes it easy to hold onto and comfortable in the hand.

Cetaphil Antibacterial Gentle Cleansing Bars are made by the Galderma Laboratories, in Fort Worth, Texas.

Thoughts

There are no perfumy scents associated with this cleansing bar, it simply smells like soap. It's a bit of a refreshing change if you are used to a lot of perfumy scented shower gels!

We have both noticed that this bar tends to disappear faster than other soaps, so we leave it up high in a soap dispenser that is attached to the shower head. Because of this, I wondered if the bar contained glycerine. I know from experience that glycerine soaps tend to melt away in the shower, but when I read the ingredients I didn't see any glycerine listed.

I don't use this bar every time I shower, but I do use it occasionally in the winter when I have especially dry skin. I wasn't expecting a lot of lather with this bar, but it was actually not too bad. It also feels silky smooth against my skin, and rinses off cleanly. We have a water softener, and sometimes it's hard to get all of the shampoo and soap from the body, but this Cetaphil really does rinse away cleanly.

A small white insert of information came inside the box, which gives a bit of overview on the Cetaphil line of products. It states that the Cetaphil Cleansing bars contain triclosan, which is listed on the ingredient list as the only active ingredient. The info states that this is not a soap, but rather an extremely mild cleanser that actually restores moisture to the skin. The bar won't dry the skin, clog the pores, or cause any skin irritation.

Furthermore, I learned that Cetaphil cleansing bars were specifically formulated for dermatologists. It goes on to say that the bar cleans without harming the skins pH balance, which acts as a natural protective barrier.

Has this cleansing bar worked to clear up my husbands eczema? Well, it hasn't actually cleared it up, but it has greatly improved it. When he gets out of the shower, he still has large red blotchy spots on his body, but before he started using Cetaphil they were much worse, much larger, and they itched him terribly. He feels that the Cetaphil is helping keep the condition under control, even if it hasn't totally eliminated the blotches.

I notice that it does help relieve my dry skin that occurs in the winter months, and even use it on the dry areas on my face. It is extremely gentle, yet effective.

Personally, I don't really care for antibacterial products, because I do believe what I've read about them causing super germs. It is proven that the over use of antibiotics has caused super germs that are requiring yet stronger antibiotics to kill, and I believe it works the same way with antibacterial soaps and cleansers. Because of this, I will try to find Cetaphil on my Ebay auctions that are made without the antibacterial ingredients.

Ingredients

Active: Triclosan

Also contains: sodium cocoyl isethionate, stearic acid, sodium tallowate, water, sodium stearate, sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, sodium cocoate, PEG-20, sodium chloride, masking fragrance, sodium isethionate, petrolatum, sodium isotearoyl lactylate, sucrose cocoate, titanium dioxide, pentasodium pentetate, tetrasodium etidronate, may also contain sodium palm kernelate.








Recommended: Yes