I have a bottle of "witch-hazel", a topical medicine available in any drug store. The label says that it is an "astringent".
The Wikipedia ariticle on astringents says that they "dry, harden, and protect the skin". This makes me wonder whether there are circumstances under which witch-hazel might be beneficial to our fingertips. Does anyone know enough dermatology to give us an opinion? To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
