|
 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 grandaughter'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. |
