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Originally Posted by Gypsy
I have a question. A popular item people have sent overseas is that Skin So Soft product by Avon which is seemingly effective in preventing mosquito bites. Does anyone have real experience with this or would it be better to find DEET products to send over this summer?
Thanks in advance.
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I'd heard about this several years ago as well. This was evaluated in a study from the NEJM in 2002. There is SOME protection from the Skin-So-Soft, but not for long. The mean duration of protection was about 22 min, with range from 10-60 min in this "arm in a cage" study. A field study found them about equal (except with a certain mosquito species), and not enough study has been done to sort out this discrepancy. Citronella oils also have been examined in other studies, with even worse results. The fact is that for what's commercially available, DEET is the best you can get. Concentrations greater than 26% didn't yield any better results and led to greater skin irritation. Products such as Deep Woods Off! and variations of Cutter, as well as myriad other brands, have the 26% concentration. This is what I would send.
'zilla