Topical application of a 10% tea tree oil cream works about as well as tolnaftate 1% cream (Genaspor, Tinactin, Ting, and others) for relieving symptoms of athlete's foot, including scaling, inflammation, itching, and burning. However, the 10% tea tree oil cream doesn't seem to cure the infection.
Only 80 children in the world currently have the condition, including 18 in the United States, according to the Progeria Research Foundation. Children are born seemingly healthy, but start aging dramatically by the age of 2. On average, they die at 13.
What do we know about heredity and progeria? Progeria is an extremely rare genetic disease of childhood characterized by dramatic, premature aging. The condition, which derives its name from geras, the Greek word for old age, is estimated to affect one in 4 million newborns worldwide.