Picaridin better than DEET to apply with sunscreen
Q: It’s summer and the “wear sunscreen” drumbeat is loud and clear. I am more concerned about Zika, West Nile virus and chikungunya than wrinkles and skin cancer. Do we know anything about the combination of sunscreens and DEET?
A: Dermatologists have found that applying the insect repellent DEET together with sunscreen results in greater absorption of both compounds (Journal of Dermatological Treatment, January 2016).
According to these scientists, picaridin would be a better choice for repelinquiry on skin tag reling insects if you also need moval. I use apple cider sunscreen (which you vinegar. The acidity mostly do). Although breaks down the tissue DEET is the gold standard, surrounding the tag, picaridin is about as effecA: You have thrown us a causing it to fall off. Soak tive and appears less likely couple of curveballs. The a cotton ball in apple to cause side effects. When idea of using pectin, such cider vinegar, and then used together with sunas Certo, mixed into grape secure the cotton ball to screen, it reduces absorpjuice has a reputation as an your skin tag with a tion of both compounds. arthritis remedy. We have bandage. Remove it after
You’ll find picaridin in never heard of using it to 10 to 15 minutes, and several commercially availreduce nighttime uriwash the area with soap able insect repellents. They nation. Thanks for sharing and warm water. Repeat include Sawyer Picaridin this. daily until the tag falls off. Insect Repellent, Natrapel Aspirin, of course, is 12-hour Insect Repellent, recognized as a “blood Repel Tick Defense and thinner.” It keeps the sticky Ranger Ready Picaridin blood platelets from 20%. clumping together to form a clot. To our surprise, purple grape juice also inhibits blood platelets (Journal of Nutrition, January 2000). This may explain why the combination caused your bad nosebleed.
There are some other options for dealing with nocturia. Readers of this column report that eating a handful of raisins in the evening can be helpful. Another possibility might be beets or beet juice.
Q: I read about a treatment for nighttime urination (nocturia). The suggestion was a teaspoon of pectin in 3 ounces of grape juice every day. My physician prescribed an 81-mg aspirin per day after I had a possible TIA. I tried half a teaspoon of pectin in 3 ounces of grape juice once a day. It worked perfectly. However, I have had a problem with intermittent nosebleeds, which have always stopped after a
Dermatologists have found that combining DEET with sunscreen results in greater absorption of both.
short time. I had a nosebleed after starting the pectin, and this one definitely did not stop quickly.
Q: You recently responded to a reader’s
: Thank you for sharing your instructions. It sounds safer than some methods for skin tag removal. Although some readers recommend tying off the skin tag with dental floss, one reader shared this cautionary tale:
“As to tying string around a tag, it sounds good. But when I tried it, the tag got sore, then got infected. I had to go to the doctor to get it removed surgically. It was under my armpit. Ouch!”