A long time favourite for dry skin in Australia is the use of paw paw or papaya.  Products made using the fermented papaya have been demonstrated to posses’ high levels of vitamins A and C, and to have exceptional healing properties for a number of skin conditions such as warts, burns, corns, eczema, chaffing, nappy rash, bites, blemishes, dry skin and psoriasis.

If you suffer from problems such as mild eczema or psoriasis, the use of papaya can be an effective remedy for these problems.  Papaya is rich in a natural enzyme called papain, which helps soothe irritated or dry skin.  This was a popular remedy long before science was in a position to explain why fermented papaya treatments work so effectively.

After a burn, you may find you suffer from dry skin, or sensitive skin because of the injury.  Using papaya has been demonstrated to soothe burns.  The high concentration of vitamins A and C mean that the papaya ingredient actively helps to rejuvenate skin that has been damaged by a burn.  In this way, the papaya is an effective option for preventing further scarring.

Another useful quality of papaya is that it makes an effective barrier cream for dry skin and other problematic skin conditions. Papaya not only helps to protect skin that has been exposed to burns, but is great for those who suffer from conditions like eczema and psoriasis.  As well as this, papaya is a great treatment for both nappy rash and heat rash.  If your baby is suffering from nappy rash, then papaya ointment is the ideal natural and gentle treatment to help soothe this skin condition.

For the treatment of skin conditions such as warts, corns or flaky, dry skin, the enzyme papain in papaya is a very effective balm.  The papain enzyme has disintegrating and skin smoothing qualities, which are ideal for these problems.  Using papaya aids in reducing the seriousness of this condition and helps to stop it from worsening.

Another popular use for papaya is for dry skin on the lips and hands.  Papaya in lip balms and ointments is one of the richest treatments for dry skin on the lips and on the cuticles.  The skin on your hands often gets the most exposure to pollutants and chemicals.  Whether it is something that we come into contact with during the course of the day or simply doing the dishes, our hands tend to be exposed to the worst of it.  Using papaya is a great way to restore moisture to dry cuticles as well as to help restore condition to the skin in the hands in general.

A final use for papaya, aside from restoring dry skin or healing sensitive skin, is as a soothing balm on insect bites and other stings.   The papain enzyme that is found in the papaya is also extremely useful as a home remedy to aid in the case of bee stings, wasp stings and jellyfish stings.  The papain enzyme works by breaking down the toxins released in the sting, not just soothing but actually helping to eliminate the cause of the stinging discomfort.

Papaya is truly an exceptional ingredient, providing a diverse range of treatments for dry skin, problem skin, stings and burns among other things.  With such a diversity of uses, it is no wonder that the rest of the world is fast catching on to the usefulness of this exceptional natural skin treatment.