Thats a very good point.....

This new drug seems to address that.

However if we look at this disorder as a type of Psoriasis then
can some of the treatments of Psoriasis work for us?

These are some of the treatments if we take the Psoriasis approach
...Has anyone tried these?

Creams and Ointments
Calcipotriene (Dovonex) is a prescription ointment that contains a derivative of vitamin D and controls the overproduction of skin cells for mild to moderate psoriasis. Steroid creams, coal tar, anthralin and a recently available topical form of retinoic acid are other topical treatments.


Oral Medications
These oral medications are effective in treating severe psoriasis, but they may cause liver or kidney toxicity.

Methotrexate (an anticancer drug that blocks the growth of skin cells)
Cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral) which suppresses the immune system and is an antirejection drug used in organ transplants
Retinoids, a group of drugs related to vitamin A, which reduce the proliferation of skin cells for severe psoriasis (but causes birth defects if taken during pregnancy)

I honestly haven't needed it in almost a year. I never got the thickening of the skin. Mine was more relentless scaley peeling. The skin was ridiculously thin & fragile. They're normal now.

I did catch something interesting on netwellness.org. In response to a question about a chapped/split lip, one of their dermatologists suggested *frequent* application of petroleum jelly (even hourly). Obviously not a long term treatment, but interesting in the short run.