by Sayer Ji
(GreenMedInfo) A promising new study published in the International Journal of Dermatology[i] has confirmed the natural healing properties of virgin coconut oil in treating atopic dermatitis, a chronic skin condition characterized by scaly and itchy rashes.
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Researchers at the Department of Dermatology, Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center, Manila, Philippines compared the effects of topical virgin coconut oil (VCO) to mineral oil, a crude oil derivative, in a randomized, double-blinded clinical trial.
Patients with atopic dermatitis have inflamed skin with defects in the epidermal barrier function, primarily related to inflammation and dehydration, which leads them to use ostensibly soothing moisturizers. Most mass market skin care products, however, contain mineral oil and related petrochemical ingredients which not only may contribute to skin irritation, but more serious skin conditions such as skin cancer, as well as bodily accumulation of significant quantities within internal organs. This is why natural, food quality ingredients like coconut oil, which have been used in traditional cultures for thousands of years, hold great promise as a viable alternative, and are increasingly becoming the subject of modern scientific investigation.
In the study titled, “The effect of topical virgin coconut oil on SCORAD index, transepidermal water loss, and skin capacitance in mild to moderate pediatric atopic dermatitis: a randomized, double-blind, clinical trial,” a total of 117 patients were evaluated at baseline, and at 2, 4, and 8 weeks. Results showed that atopic dermatitis symptoms decreased from baseline by 68.23% in the VCO group and by 38.13% in the mineral oil group (P < 0.001). The VCO group clearly experienced superior results versus the mineral oil group: