Joel Schlessinger, MD (owner of LovelySkin.com) and his son, Daniel, were just awarded the patent for FixMySkin 1% hydrocortisone balm—a suite of products specifically designed to heal, not just moisturize, dry lips and skin. This patent comes seven years after middle-school student Daniel Schlessinger put lip balm on his chapped fingers and wondered if there was a product specific for that condition that wasn't gloppy and that really worked. His father, Omaha dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon Dr. Schlessinger, and Daniel were determined to find out. The FixMySkin product has undergone thousands of hours of research and product development with manufacturers and product testing,

"Daniel was my inspiration," said Dr. Schlessinger, who also serves as Chief Editor of Cosmetic Surgery for Practical Dermatology^®magazine.. "Initially, I put the onus on him to see if there was a body balm with 1% hydrocortisone in a tube and what the patent status was. We didn't want a petrolatum base as that made for a very poor taste and melting properties, so we worked to develop FixMySkin to fill that niche."

The challenge during product development was to find a formulation that actually stuck on the fingers or body and delivered hydrocortisone deep into the skin through application with a balm tube. Other "wish list" features were a product that tastes good and has what industry experts call "lip slide." The product also needed to be stable in warm and cold weather (or in a pocket, close to the body).

FixMySkin is a 1% hydrocortisone balm widely tested and FDA approved for psoriasis, dry skin, eczema, dry/accutane lips, seborrheic dermatitis, bug bites, and many other irritating skin conditions. The cost is $8 to $12 for the purse- and pocket-sized tubes.

FixMySkin has been available at LovelySkin.com since 2011 and can be purchased in more than 100 other dermatology offices and drugstores. The Schlessingers are looking for an international distributor.

"The best part of the process was seeing my son, Daniel, progress to learn so much from start to finish. He worked as the go-between with the FDA approval process, oversaw the packaging and claims, and worked with the patent attorney on the trials, ingredients, and application process," said Dr. Schlessinger. "No one knew he was a high school student at the time." Daniel will start medical school at Northwestern University in 2015.