Randy,

You said that since you and Perry had not read the journal article to which I had referred in my first post on this thread, you and he had  "made the assumption your were referring to skin structures which existed deeper in the epidermis."

Really? To what structures and in what stratum of the epidermis did you think I was referring. I would appreciate your answering with the technical name of the structure and stratum, please.

To assist you please refer back to my original post in which I referred to a "protein matrix that expands to absorb water and then—-unsurprisingly—–contracts to squeeze it out." 

Now you acknowledge that this matrix is comprised within corneocytes within the stratum corneum. Consequently, you and Perry are making the claim that there exists at least one other protein matrix that performs this function in a lower stratum of the epidermis.

What is this structure called and where in the epidermis is it?

I reject your accusation that I am debating with you or Perry about anything and the implication that I am otherwise beating a dead horse. On the contrary, you and Perry alone are responsible for keeping this thread alive.

To wit:

I started this thread under "Temporal effectiveness of occlusive," on February 20th; Perry promptly responded the same day; I asked a few follow up questions the same day; and Perry responded again on February 21st. And that ended the thread; or so I thought.

Inexplicably, Perry resurrected this thread on February 28 under "Are you tampering with nature by moisturizing your skin? " But instead of posting our entire dialogue on February 20 and 21, he repeated only my original question and his original answer, including the assertion that "The protein matrix of which you speak is in the lower levels of the skin. " In response, I pointed out the protein matrix which controls skin hydration was comprised within corneocytes in stratum corneum.

Rather than just admitting that you and Perry were in error in asserting that the protein matrix was comprised in a lower layer of the epidermis, you claimed that you and he thought I was referring to another structure, which I regarded as implausible.

MK bottom line:  I have admitted that all that I know about organic chemistry is how to spell "organic" and "chemistry." I also admitted in my February 20 rejoinder to Perry that he was the scientist and that I am zip. A responsible debate occurs between subject matter experts with the same degree of expertise. I would not dare to debate you and Perry. Still and all, I asked a few questions in good faith about the efficacy of moisturizers to two cosmetic chemists who had presumably formulated skin moisturizers and who would thereby out of necessity know something about skin hydration physiology, which clearly Perry and you know. But perhaps I presumed too much.

I am not pandering here but I do believe that you and Perry are providing an invaluable service; both of you hammer home incessantly the message that cosmetics of comparable efficacy can be purchased at 1/10th, 1/50th, if not less the cost of cosmetics with ingredients like botanicals and vitamins that essentially do little or nothing. My questions about the efficacy and possible harmful effects of occlusives were asked in line with that mission. Alas, I wonder if your message is falling on deaf ears. I should say more accurately that I SPECULATE that the vast majority of your readers have turned off the volume to that message because I have not found in their posts any evidence that your message----incessant and loud and clear----has resulted in any appreciable reduction in the amount your readers spend on cosmetics. (As soon as I found your wonderful site, I concluded that your target audience ought to be husbands and not their wives.) Like any good scientist or in my case a fan of science, all of my conclusions are tentative and provisional and subject to even radical change upon presentment of evidence---perhaps a poll?----that proves that by reading the label on cosmetics, your readers have changed their buying habits.