Vanicream Enhanced Moisturizer: what it is and how to use it

What does Enhanced Moisturizer do?

Enhanced Moisturizer is intended to hydrate skin with a lightweight texture. Vanicream focuses on products for sensitive skin and describes its range as free of common irritants, including fragrance, masking fragrance, dyes, lanolin, parabens and formaldehyde releasers. For your own ingredient checks, use the full list on the product you are buying rather than another moisturizer from the same brand.12

Moisturizing treatments called emollients soothe and hydrate skin and form a protective film that traps moisture. That makes moisturizing useful for dry or tight skin. A lightweight texture is a reason to consider Enhanced Moisturizer if you prefer that feel, not a reason to assume it will provide everything very dry skin needs.3

Which Vanicream moisturizer are you looking at?

These are separate product names, not interchangeable titles for one moisturizer, because skincare naming apparently needed a filing cabinet.14

Daily Facial Moisturizer contains no botanical extracts or essential oils and is described as noncomedogenic, meaning formulated not to clog pores. The SPF 30 product is also described as noncomedogenic. Those details belong to those named products; do not use them as the ingredient list or sunscreen rating for Enhanced Moisturizer.45

How should you apply it?

The following steps are general moisturizer guidance, particularly useful when skin is dry or eczema prone.6

1. 1Test the moisturizer on a small area before adding it to your routine.
2. 2After bathing, gently pat your skin and apply moisturizer while the skin is still damp to help lock in moisture.
3. 3Smooth the moisturizer gently over the skin rather than rubbing vigorously. For emollients, apply in the direction your hair grows.
4. 4Reapply when your skin feels dry or tight, following the product's directions.

General emollient care is not restricted to morning or night: apply when moisture is needed, especially after washing. For ongoing dry skin care, emollients are often used at least three or four times daily. That is general guidance, not a specific dosing schedule for Enhanced Moisturizer.3

Is a lightweight moisturizer enough for eczema?

For atopic dermatitis, a type of eczema that makes skin itchy and sensitive, choose a fragrance free cream or ointment rather than a lotion. Moisturize after bathing and whenever skin feels dry. Short baths or showers lasting five to ten minutes in warm water help hydrate skin without the drying effect of longer bathing. Sensitive skin positioning alone should not decide which texture you use for eczema.6

Creams generally absorb quickly and suit daytime use; ointments are thicker, greasier and useful for very dry, thickened skin or nighttime use. Pick the texture you need rather than treating Enhanced as a ranking, because moisturizers do not come with league tables.3

If you use a steroid cream or another skin treatment, leave 20 to 30 minutes between that treatment and an emollient, and ask your doctor which to apply first. Separating them avoids diluting the treatment or spreading it to areas that do not need it. Eczema that needs more than moisturizing should have an individualized treatment plan.36

How do you test it on sensitive skin?

1. 1Choose a spot about the size of a quarter on the underside of your arm or in the bend of your elbow, where the product will not be rubbed or washed away.
2. 2Apply the amount and thickness you would normally use, twice daily for seven to ten days.
3. 3Leave the moisturizer on as you normally would.
4. 4If there is no redness, itching or swelling after that period, begin using it as directed.

Sensitive skin products can still cause reactions to individual ingredients. If a reaction develops during testing or regular use, gently wash the product off and stop using it. A cool compress or petroleum jelly can help relieve the skin. See a dermatologist if the reaction is severe and those measures do not relieve it. Repeated reactions with no clear cause can warrant medical patch testing to identify the trigger.7

What else should you watch for?

Speak to a pharmacist or clinician about persistent burning or stinging, inflamed hair follicles or a facial rash that aggravates acne. If an emollient comes in a tub, remove it with a clean spoon or spatula. Keep emollient residue on clothing, bedding and dressings away from flames and cigarettes; washing does not completely remove the buildup.3