|
We've all heard the saying "necessity is the mother of invention".
Well, in the case of Miraderm®, this adage certainly holds true. In the
spring of 1999, I called
Dr. Lorraine
Meisner to seek her advice about an effective treatment for psoriasis.
I explained that my 11-year-old daughter, Cassie, had developed psoriasis
on her elbows around the age of 7. We had tried a variety of
corticosteroid ointments, but nothing seemed to help. Now, at age 11, her
left ear and elbows were completely covered with psoriasis lesions, and
smaller lesions were beginning to appear on her upper arms, legs and back.
I was concerned about my daughter's self-esteem as classmates had already
begun teasing her about her psoriasis. I was also concerned that because
of the rate at which the psoriasis was spreading, my daughter would not be
able to wear the style of dress to her grade 8 graduation that she had her
heart set on. I was very familiar with this skin disorder as my father had
been suffering from it for over 50 years. This was not the fate I wished
for my daughter.
Dr. Meisner, as always,
came to the rescue. She told me she had a few ideas about how to break the
cycle of this disfiguring auto-immune disease. She explained her theory on
the mechanism of psoriasis and promised to make up a small batch of cream
for Cassie to try. When I received the cream, my daughter began applying
it to the lesions once or twice a day. After a week, I examined her elbows
and was delighted to see that 90% of the lesions had completely
disappeared. I was so thrilled with the results that I asked Dr. Meisner
if I could get more cream to give to my father. I explained that he had
undergone pretty much every treatment available over the years, including
methotrexate, x-ray, corticosteroid ointments and creams, coal tar and UV
exposure. He was currently using a steroid ointment called Betnovate and
had been for a number of years. I gave him the cream, explaining how
successful it had been in treating his granddaughter's psoriasis. However,
because of the long term damage to his skin from the use of steroids and
other stronger and more harmful treatments, my father's progress was not
as rapid as Cassie's, although his lesions did show improvement after just
a couple of weeks. I reported the results to Dr. Meisner explaining that
although the cream was working, his progress was somewhat slower than with
Cassie. After further research, Dr. Meisner decided to try adding some
ingredients that would help restore the skin's health and integrity. When
I received the new formulation, I immediately took it to my father and
waited to hear the results. In less than a week my father called with the
news we were hoping to hear. The new formulation was working even better
and his lesions showed a marked improvement. At the same time, I had given
the new formulation to Cassie, and within a week the remainder of her
lesions had completely disappeared. A few weeks later, my mother called to
tell me that my father's skin looked better than she had ever seen it.
As with all good
stories, this one has a happy ending. Cassie's psoriasis was clear and she
was able to wear a strapless gown to her grade 8 graduation. Because of
the successful treatment of Cassie and my father, I urged Dr. Meisner to
apply for patent protection and requested additional cream for others to
try. The cream continued to prove itself as an effective treatment for
psoriasis. We experienced success after success and decided to explore the
possibility of manufacturing and marketing this wonderful product. Hence,
the birth of Miraderm® Inc. |
