Rosacea Skin Care Rip-Offs

Skin care - beware of the rip-offs
Written by Colin Brennan, medical journalist

In search of effective cures for a variety of ailments, people are being conned into paying large amounts of money for bogus products.

The multi-million dollar skin care industry was badly shaken when a devastating report by MPs, published in December 1999, claimed that people are being conned into paying large amounts of money for bogus products.

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Skin called for a full Government inquiry into fraudulent treatments.Unscrupulous companies and high street clinics, who are cashing in on people with conditions including acne, cold sores, hair loss, eczema and psoriasis, were exposed in the report, along with so-called miracle skin potions available through mail order and on the Internet.

Among the products highlighted by the committee of MPs, peers and experts is Skincap, a product that is now the subject of legal cases in America and banned in many countries. Manufactured by a company called Cheminova, it is available over the Internet as a spray, shampoo or lotion and costs £30 for a week's supply.

The product, which at first produces remarkable results, contains dangerously strong undeclared corticosteroids. The dose used would normally be prescribed only under the supervision of a consultant dermatologist for a period of two weeks at most. Instead, people with eczema and psoriasis are given the impression that it is safe to use for long periods of time, and many have had to be hospitalized as a result.

The Parliamentary Group was unable to name another potentially dangerous product for legal reasons. Known as Zx in their report, it also contains a potent steroid and is available through mail order.

When the manufacturers realized the US government was investigating the £30-a-pot cream, they simply removed the steroid from the product, causing users unwittingly to go 'cold-turkey' and suffer severe side effects. According to the group, it is now no more than an over-priced moisturizer.