Dermatone products numb upcoming cold

WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. (WWLP) - Dermatone Laboratories Inc. is based out of Windsor Locks, Connecticut. It is known by outdoor enthusiasts for its hearty lip balms, sunscreens, insect repellents, and a Skin Protector that may save you this season.

Carin Yates, the director of marketing, showed 22News several Dermatone products on Wednesday.

She referred to an array of winter products when she said, "They're a little thicker, they're not like a lotion… it's more of an ointment. And that's why they help with the windburn a frostbite. They put an occlusive barrier onto your skin."

A clinical study conducted by the Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine concluded that Dermatone’s Skin Protector was the best ointment to protect against frostbite and slow freezing of the skin.

These benefits are much appreciated by anyone who spends significant time outside. In fact, both the U.S. Marines and Navy Seals use Dermatone pomades to protect against chapping and cracking skin, cold, windburn, and sunburn.

Tried and tested by the most experienced in wicked winter weather, the Skin Protector is standard issue for Navy Seals. The Dermatone line is also endorsed by some who have spent some serious time in the snow: the U.S. Ski and Snowboarding Teams.

But big endorsements, do not spell big prices. Dermatone products can be found at many outdoor retail stores or on their website . A large tin of Skin Protector is less than ten dollars and Carin told 22News that it’s enough to last her family the entire winter.

She said there is rarely a weekend that goes by when they don’t hit the slopes. Her work tags along, but not in a traditional sense, "We go out there and my kids and my husband, we all put the Dermatone on our noses and cheeks, and everything that's exposed... And we're out there longer than everyone else that has to go in after one run!"

So from the ski slopes to sledding hills, remember the hats, mittens, boots, and gloves. If you're going to spend significant time outside, an ointment that helps retain skin's moisture and slows freezing may be a worthwhile investment.

Although products like Dermatone’s Skin Protector help protect against frostbite, they can not prevent it. It only takes 30 minutes for unprotected exposed skin to develop frostbite when the wind chill is 20 degrees below zero.