Winter can certainly take its toll on skin, and this has been one of the coldest and most drying I can recall. But thanks to a patient named Rifka—a champion skier who spends every free minute on the slopes—I discovered a very effective way to repair the ravages wreaked by Old Man Winter.

Rifka came to me because her hand and fingers were very red, dry, and cracked. At 25 her hands looked years older than her age. I needed a targeted substance that could help heal Rifka’s skin.

My research soon led me to polyenylphosphatidyl choline (PPC). The PPC molecule belongs to a class of compounds called phospholipids, which are responsible for keeping skin moist and flexible. Found naturally in lecithin—a waxy substance extracted from eggs or soybeans—PPC soon proved itself a potent emollient and skin-healer. I realized that PPC could help to restore Rifka’s dry, red, cracked skin.

But you don’t have to be a winter athlete for your skin to suffer serious from environmental stress. We all experience daily exposure to drying indoor and outdoor air, damaging sunrays, and harsh cleaning chemicals—factors that combine to thin, dry, and inflame exposed skin. Let’s take a quick look at how PPC works its wonders on skin.

The prefix "polyenyl" in polyenylphosphatidyl choline (PPC) means it has multiple double bonds. The unique structure surrounding the double bonds in PPC gives it potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. And, its double bonds make PPC "unsaturated"—a type of molecular structure that provides superior softening and soothing to the skin.

PPC’s benefits persist throughout the day—and many washings. In fact, by applying PPC cream over vitamin C ester or alpha lipoic acid lotions containing DMAE you will help to increase their efficacy and further reduce the ravages of time, weather, dry indoor air, soaps, and detergents.

To make my PPC lotions even more emollient I add super-potent vitamin E compounds called tocotrienols. To learn more about the benefits of topical tocotrienols, click on "The Super Vitamin E for Skin" at the upper left of this page.

I gave Rifka my new PPC-rich cream, and she massaged it into her hands faithfully, morning and evening. The fissures and cracks healed quickly and did not come back. Her pain was gone, her cracked, red, prematurely aged hands regained their attractive, youthful appearance, and her skin now possessed the special, dewy glow that PPC imparts.

Unlike Rifka, many of my patients’ only exposure to winter weather occurs on the round trip walks from their car to their office or home. Yet, they too suffer from dry, red, cracked skin on hands, feet, elbows, and knees. It is rewarding for me to be able to recommend a natural ingredient like PPC and see lasting results. This is especially true because topical cortisone, the standard dermatological treatment, is a temporary solution that actually tends to thin the skin.

One final note: if you are planning a winter escape to the islands, you can restore your feet to summer-smooth, attractive, sandal-ready shape. Just massage a PPC-rich cream into your feet before bedtime, and then slip on a pair of white cotton socks. When you awake, your feet will look and feel transformed.