A new technique for evaluating bath oil in the treatment of dry skin.

Patients with moderate-to severe dry skin of the lower legs bathed daily for 17 days using either an emulsified lanolin and mineral oil bath additive (Treatment Group) or their usual bath soap (Control Group). The affected sites were evaluated and photographed before and at selected times following treatment, using a standardized technique. The severity of the dry skin as it appeared in projected color transparencies was evaluated on a 10-point grading scale by a second investigator under blinded conditions. The differential response between treatment and control groups increased with time and was found statistically significant (p less than 0.05), demonstrating the sensitivity of the method as well as the apparent therapeutic effects of the bath additive.