( Psoriasis is marked by scaly itchy oc...)Experts Critical of a New OTC Product to Treat Psoriasis,Health

Psoriasis is marked by scaly, itchy, occasionally painful rashes. Prescription medications including steroid creams that ease inflammation are far from perfect.

When over five million Americans suffer from that skin condition, any claims of permanent cure, can evoke frenzied response, especially when backed by some kind of evidence. And that is what is happening to Skin Zinc, even though experts are skeptical.

"We can control psoriasis, but we can't cure it," says Dr. Steven Feldman, professor of dermatology at Wake Forest University. "People want something magical that will work without side effects."

The SkinZinc system sold at major drugstores and over the Internet combines two products: SkinZinc spray and SkinCylic cream. The active ingredient in the spray is a 0.25% solution of zinc pyrithione, the same active ingredient found in Head & Shoulders dandruff shampoo SkinCylic the cream contains 2% salicylic acid, a common ingredient in both prescription and over-the-counter psoriasis treatments. The Walgreen's website sells 4 ounces each of the spray and the cream for about $40.

"Patients ask about SkinZinc very frequently," says Dr. Kenneth Gordon, assistant professor of dermatology at Northwestern University and a medical board member of the National Psoriasis Foundation. "I know I have many patients who have gone out and bought it."

Bernard Willimann, executive vice president for Preval Health, the Maine-based company behind SkinZinc, says that the system is the bestselling over-the-counter treatment for psoriasis in the U.S. and Canada. "Some people try it without success, but a lot of people are very loyal to it," he says. "Some of the letters and pictures we get are amazing."

In one radio spot, an unidentified customer calls it "the closest thing to a medical miracle." Ads in national magazines claim that the SkinZinc spray "goes on like water to help eliminate painful, stubborn
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