Photo below: The new Lanacane Chap Factor™ launches November 1, 2002,
Photos courtesy of Lanacane

"The wind and cold air of winter, combined with low relative humidity and the climate of indoor heating systems, can take skin from mildly dry to painfully chapped in just a few days," says Stephen Pennisi, Ph.D., skin toxicologist and director of the Lanacane Itch Information Center^SM, co-creator of this new prevention tool, along with the University of Delaware's Center for Climatic Research.

The Lanacane Chap Factor provides daily data for 400 U.S. cities, allowing consumers to obtain a numerical rating of the potential for suffering from dry, chapped skin.

The new system utilizes relative humidity and temperature along with the new wind chill calculations of the National Weather Service to determine the daily rating.

"Cities are given a numerical rating of one through 10 [10 being the worst], based on the probability of experiencing dry, chapped skin," says Laurence Kalkstein, Ph.D., director of the Center for Climatic Research at the University of Delaware, who helped create this online skin assessment tool.

"Based on their city's numerical rating, people can take precautions to prevent winter skin problems, such as turning on a humidifier or using a medicated body lotion."

The Lanacane Chap Factor's rating can also be personalized by inputting individual data, including skin type, moisturizing habits and age. "Combining the regional weather information with this personalized data, a customized Chap Factor rating is calculated to make it more specific for that person's skin," explains Dr. Pennisi

"Your neighbor's skin is likely to be very different from yours, so each person will react differently to the same environment."

The Lanacane Chap Factor™ is offered by the company that makes the Lanacane line of popular, non-prescription anti-itch products. Combe Incorporated introduced new Lanacane(r) Medicated Body Lotion in time for this winter.

Medicated with Dimethicone (1%) and enhanced with vitamins C, E, A and D, Lanacane Medicated Body Lotion is effective in soothing all types of dry, itchy skin and helps prevent and temporarily protect skin from chafing, chapping and cracking.

"While Lanacane anti-itch cremes have always enjoyed an excellent reputation for itch relief, they are not convenient for use on large body surfaces," says Dr. Pennisi.

"New Lanacane Medicated Body Lotion is specifically formulated to sooth and protect skin on large body surfaces, such as legs, arms, hands and feet. These are the areas of the body that tend to be the most susceptible to winter's dry skin."

Lanacane Medicated Body Lotion is available in a six-ounce bottle and can be found in the first aid aisle of drug stores, mass merchandisers and supermarkets nationwide.

For more information about the Lanacane Chap Factor, visit www.lanacane.com.