Title:  Method for treating acne

United States Patent:  6,350,475

Appl. No.:  844297

A method for the topical treatment of skin affected with acne, rosacea, or a combination thereof. Sodium chloride in a substantially pure form is topically applied to the affected skin by gently gliding the sodium chloride over the affected skin in a manner insufficient to cause abrasion and debridement of the affected skin. A solid block of about 98% to about 100% by weight sodium chloride free of a carrier and/or free of other topical acne-treatment medicaments and/or free of other topical rosacea-treatment medicaments should be used. The applied sodium chloride is left on the skin. Preferably, the affected skin is pre-moistened with water from shaving, bathing, splashing water on the skin, and the like prior to gliding the sodium chloride thereon.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention provides a method for the topical treatment of skin affected with acne, rosacea, or a combination thereof. The method comprises selecting a substantially pure form of sodium chloride and topically applying it to the affected skin by gently gliding it over the affected skin, preferably for about 50 seconds or less, in a manner insufficient to cause abrasion and debridement of the affected skin. It is also preferred that the substantially pure form of sodium chloride consists essentially of about 98% to about 100% by weight of sodium chloride as a solid block. Furthermore, the sodium chloride should be free of a carrier, free of other acne-treatment medicaments, and/or free of other rosacea-treatment medicaments.

To assist in a portion of the sodium chloride from the block leaving the block and forming a film or coating on the affected skin, prior to gliding the block of sodium chloride over the affected skin the affected skin is preferably pre-moistened with water, such as from shaving, bathing, splashing water on the affected skin, and the like. Then, the coating of sodium chloride applied to the affected skin is allowed to dry on the affected skin.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to treat acne-affected skin topically with sodium chloride without any concomitant debridement that is typical of topical acne treatments and that can easily result in red, irritated skin.

It is a further object of the present invention that sodium chloride used in the skin treatment is not orally ingested, and thereby the present invention obviates the risk of nausea, dizziness, or hypertension that can result from oral ingestion of too much sodium chloride.

It is a feature of the present invention that the sodium chloride treatment is also useful in the topical treatment of rosacea, in addition to the topical treatment of acne, which is untrue of standard acne topical medications, which when applied to rosacea-affected skin generally irritate the skin and induce rosacea flare-ups.

Thus, it is an advantage of the present invention that persons who have both acne and rosacea, as well as persons who have only rosacea or who have only acne, may use the inventive method.

Claim 1 of 7 Claims

What is claimed is:

1. In a method for the topical treatment of skin affected with acne wherein the method involves topical application of sodium chloride, the improvement consisting essentially of the steps of:

(a) selecting a substantially pure form of sodium chloride consisting essentially of a solid block containing about 98% to about 100% by weight sodium chloride, wherein the solid block of sodium chloride is free of (i) other mineral salts except for trace amounts thereof, (ii) a carrier, and (iii) other medicaments for topical treatment of acne;

(b) applying the solid block of sodium chloride by gently gliding it over the affected skin in a manner insufficient to cause abrasion and debridement of the affected skin; and

(c) allowing the applied sodium chloride to remain on the affected skin.

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