Propylene glycol
First report:
I have mixed up some propylene glycol solution to imitate the carrier
that was used to apply the Cleosin antibiotic that one person reported
was helpful. I used 3 parts rubbing alcohol to 1 part propylene
glycol. You can get PG by special order from pharmacists: it is
over-the-counter, GRAS (US FDA's "Generally Recognized as Safe"), and
costs about $8 for a pint, which should last forever. I swabbed it on
my eyebrows with a cotton ball in the morning, and sometimes before
bed.
It seems to have a calming influence. Even after eating too much sweets,
it appears to do something immediately (the alcohol has a slight sting)
and something more lasting (the PG seems to get in deep somehow) that
makes it easier to ignore the hair and skin nearby.
Second report:
I found two interesting medical articles about PG. The first
indicates that PG is a powerful inhibitor of the enzyme CYP2E1, which
is found in the gut and in the skin. The second is that CYP2E1 is
responsible, among other things, for converting fatty acids to a
particular form of hydroxy fatty acids. Given that prior experience
seems to suggest that fatty alcohols and other hyroxylated fatty acids
appear to cause problems to pullers, this might be an important link.
It has already been reported in the medical literature that PG is an
effective antifungal for the Malassezia yeast, although the mechanism
is unknown. To close the circle would require showing that hydroxy
fatty acids are an essential component of the M. cell, probably of the
membrane. I haven't found that yet, although the M. membrane is known
to be uncommonly enriched with lipids (various fatty acids).
But in general what this may say is that PG is a good thing to apply
to the skin because it stops the production of an itch-maker, whether
through the action of a yeast (which PG kills) or "naturally" through
the action of a common skin enzyme (which PG slows down). If no yeast
is involved, it would say that some TTM is due to an allergic-like
reaction to a natural body process, that is, TTM is "auto-immune".
But given the locality of hot spots, and a growing body of evidence
that many disorders previously thought to be "auto-immune" are
actually due to infectious causes, my betting is still on the yeast.
In summary, I think PG helps, and it helps by stopping the production
of an irritating chemical by skin yeasts.
Be careful, though: some people have found PG to be a skin irritant
itself. And although it is commonly found in foods and is used as an
internal medication in veterinary medicine, too much of it in the gut
can cause discomfort and even eventually death. So there's not a great
deal of hope for it being a magic pill, although it does seem to be a
reasonable thing to rub on affected skin.
Third report:
It appears that one of the reasons that M. makes so many lipids (fatty
acids and steroids) for its cell membrane is that this helps it evade
the triggering of an inflammatory reaction in the skin. If you remove
the extra lipids from the cell wall, then it gets attacked by the
immune system, although it is not yet known which lipid is
responsible. Some hydroxy fatty acids are in fact known to inhibit
the creation of those chemicals which signal the immune system to
start to attack (specifically, 15-HETE, 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic
acid), although I can't show yet that M. produces this chemical.
However, it is known that M. does produce some other hydroxy fatty
acids, although it is still not clear why, other than the supposition
of self-protection.
So, the circle is not yet complete exactly, but here might be the way
PG would work with TTM. Nearly everyone has M. in their skin and in
their gut, where it serves the protective function of keeping more
hurtful yeasts from growing in these places. M. produces special
chemicals to help keep it from being attacked itself. A small
percentage of people, who find one or more of these usually innocuous
chemicals irritating, are driven to remove them from the skin ("The
Itch"), or are driven by their action on the brain to the
compulsive-like behaviors that characterize TTM ("The Urge").
Propylene glycol applied to the skin inhibits the enzyme that M. uses
to make these chemicals. This not only stops the production of The
Itch chemicals, it eventually deprives M. of its protection so that
M. then gets attacked and dies. (Of course, it usually comes back.)
It is not clear that PG would have any action on M. in the gut or on
The Urge, but it is indeed absorbed through the skin, so it might.
But the principal action of PG would probably be for those who
experience The Itch. This is the bad news: you might still need to
watch what you eat, otherwise you will have The Urge to mess with
hairs that don't have The Itch anymore. Having experienced something
like this, it is a weird sensation: "Why am I doing this? What's the
point anymore? W hy don't I, uh, just stop?" It is, however, easier
to control, as one starts to feel more sympathy to these hairs that
now feel just simply ordinary.
So, there you have it. References to the medical literature available
on request. Usual disclaimers apply: my experiences only, I am not a
doctor or nutritionist or energy force balancer or psychic healer,
advice found on the internet is worth what you pay for it, etc.
------------- later, more --------
In short: I took Mike Grant's word, and added some pure aloe vera gel to the
alcohol plus propylene glycol mixture. It seems to both soothe the skin more
and keep it from drying out more. (As it said at the end on one set of
directions to a Chinese child's toy I was assembling: "You are success!".)
Here's the formula. The proportions are not very critical, since they all mix
well, and the alchohol will disinfect the skin and hair and then evaporate,
leaving the PG as an antifungal and AV as a moisturizer and nerve-calmer:
3 parts rubbing alcohol
1 part propylyene glycol
1 part pure aloe vera gel
As far as I can determine, the ingredients are cheap, safe, and easy to find.
------------- even more replies ------------
xxxxx asks about how to get PG and pure aloe vera gel, and how to use them.
The propylene glycol is over-the-counter (you don't need a prescription) and
is GRAS (FDA's designation as "generally recognized as safe"). You will
probably have to ask the pharmacist to order it for you, as there is little
demand for the pure product aside from the pharmacists themselves, who use it
to compound custom preparations. I got mine with no trouble from the
pharmacists at our local franchise of a national chain. It cost $8 for a
pint. The source was Paddock Laboratories (NDC 0574-0072-16). But some years
ago I recall that when I bought it (in the days when I foolishly used it full
strength and watched my skin peel off) that some other manufacturer also makes
it; it is probably made by dozens of firms.
The aloe vera product I found is Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera 100% Gel,
manufactured in Texas; about $5 for 12 oz. It is clear (but thick) and comes
in a clear bottle. The manufacturer lies, however. The ingredient list
states that it also has various preservatives, like antioxidants, antibiotics,
and chelating agents in it to keep it from spoiling. (In particular:
triethanolamine, tocopheryl acetate, carbomer 940, tetrasodium EDTA, DMDM
hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea.) It does not have any other active ingredients,
any other fluidizing liquids, or any coloring agents in it, however.
To use them, it turns out that rubbing alcohol, PG, and AV gel are all
miscible with each other, meaning that they can be mixed in any proportions
whatsoever and they will still form a fully dissolved solution. What I used
was 3 parts alcohol, 1 part PG, and 1 part AV. I used a old witch-hazel
container, added them, shook them up briefly, and that was it. It makes a
completely colorless liquid that is a bit viscous. Squirt onto a cotton ball
and rub the area: it stings a bit, but then nearly immediately feels good.
I suppose the ordinary disclaimers apply: it probably is flammable so don't
use it around fire, flame, or sparks; don't drink it; don't use it to fill
Super Soakers with; not to be used as a meat marinade; etc.
John
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YYYYi remarks about French horror over her use of propylene glycol.
This is the result of a guilty national conscience. Some years ago,
some French wine producers adulterated their product with *eth*ylene
glycol, which has a sweet taste. (Since it is not detected as added
sugar, it evaded the checks that the industry imposed in order to make
sure their wine is pure.) Unfortunately, ethylene glycol, which is
also used in antifreeze, is a poison: the kidneys convert it to oxalic
acid, which destroys the kidneys. Leaking sweet antifreeze regularly
kills many cats and dogs each year. It was a great scandal and
embarrassment to the French.
But what YYYY and others are using is *prop*ylene glycol, a related
but different chemical. It is not only GRAS ("Generally Recognized As
Safe"); it is regularly added to foods, such as baked goods or frozen
chicken. People will also note that most deodorants have it as a
principal ingredient--which may be one of the reasons why armpit hair
pulling is not that prevalent a habit compared with scalp or lash
pulling, even though loss of armpit hair would be more "convenient".
John