A former state employee has filed a lawsuit against the director of a state board alleging discrimination, retaliation and wrongful termination after her shirtless boss asked her to rub lotion on her.
However, an attorney for the New Mexico Board of Examiners for Architects said Monday the allegations in the lawsuit had been investigated and found to be unsubstantiated.
Lorraine Otero, who had been a civil servant since 2008, filed the suit in state District Court against her former supervisor, Melarie Gonzales, last week. The complaint alleges that Gonzales, who is the director of the New Mexico Board of Examiners for Architects, repeatedly harassed Otero before wrongfully firing her.
The lawsuit also names the State Personnel Office and the architect examiner board as defendants.
Gonzales allegedly called Otero into her office in early March 2018 and asked her to rub lotion onto her back and neck, according to the lawsuit, which seeks monetary compensation and financial damages for loss of employment and emotional distress endured after that event and other incidents of harassment.
The legal filing said Otero complied with the request despite feeling extremely uncomfortable. She faced repeated bullying which led to extreme anxiety, insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorder after her supervisor asked Otero to rub lotion on her skin again, a few days later, the filing said.
"But this time ... Gonzales removed her blouse," the complaint said. "Faced with a partially disrobed supervisor demanding that [Gonzales] rub lotion into her naked skin, [Otero] was more uncomfortable than ever."
Otero decided to dab just "a small amount of lotion" on Gonzales' neck, who demanded that she "Rub harder!" according to the lawsuit.
In a phone call with The New Mexican, Gonzales said she was not aware of the lawsuit and offered no comment about its allegations.
After a follow-up email to Gonzales, a spokeswoman for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham sent a prepared statement from John Stiff, an attorney for the Board of Examiners for Architects.
"The allegations made in this lawsuit have been previously investigated and dismissed as unsubstantiated by the State Personnel Office and the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission," Stiff said. "The claimant chose to appeal to the 1st Judicial District Court, as is her right."
The suit claims Otero faced repeated harassment after that event, including hostility, arbitrary deadlines, demands that she personally request permission from Gonzales to take breaks and receive tools she needed to complete daily tasks, and an incident in which her supervisor demanded for the first time that she do manual labor after returning to work following a severe burn on her hand.
The lawsuit also alleges that "about twenty times per day ... Gonzales would walk back and forth by [Otero's] cubicle" to stare at her, among other examples of alleged harassment.
Otero was diagnosed by her doctor with amnesia, PTSD and insomnia during her employment at the board. Her application for workers' compensation was denied and she was fired after taking leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Her requests to be transferred to another position in state government under a different supervisor were also denied, and a State Personnel Office investigation into Otero's harassment claim was "inconclusive," the lawsuit says.
The suit alleges that another former employee who worked under Gonzales used to "call colleagues crying about harassment" and eventually resigned because of a hostile work environment at the board.
A U.S. Navy chief petty officer will face a military judge next month over allegations she swiped a bottle of Versace body lotion from a Navy Exchange store in northern Florida, the Navy Times reports.
However, an attorney for Chief Boatswain’s Mate Kathy M. Tonnah insists her client is innocent.
An attorney for chief petty officer Kathy M. Tonnah insists her client didn’t steal anything. (Photo: U.S. Navy)
Lt. Cmdr. Tracy High says Tonnah was perusing $84 gift sets at the Navy-run retailer in Jacksonville on June 2 when she spotted one containing perfume, shower gel and body lotion. She didn’t want to keep the gel, so she removed the item from the set she had and replaced it with a lotion from another set.
Tonnah paid for the modified set with two lotions, according to High, only to be “confronted outside and treated like a thief.” To make matters worse, the store reportedly forced the chief petty officer to pay an additional $200 in “administrative costs.”
“That’s the real larceny there,” her attorney said.
According to High, Tonnah’s command wanted to send her to a captain’s mast procedure for a determination in front of a superior officer for allegedly shoplifting, but the sailor stood her ground “and refused to accept nonjudicial punishment for a crime she didn’t commit, demanding the case go before a jury of her peers.” The case has since been referred to a special court-martial trial before a judge.
The Navy’s handling of the case underscores a previously reported trend of Black service members facing harsher and more frequent punishments for minor infractions. A 2017 report by advocacy group Protect Our Defenders found that Black service members were more than twice as likely to face a court-martial or other forms of military discipline than white service members.
In the case of the Navy specifically, Black sailors were also 37 percent more likely to have disciplinary action taken against them in an average year.
“Military leadership has been aware of significant racial disparity in its justice process for years, and has made no apparent effort to find the cause of the disparity or to remedy it,” authors of the new report wrote.
Tonnah’s case is expected to go to trial in January 2020.
“We welcome her day in court for the opportunity to exonerate her,” said High.
For those who are struggling with eczema, enduring periods of itchy, dry, and inflamed skin across the body — and even the face and scalp — is a regular occurrence. But the worst part about dealing with eczema for most is the fact that these itchy rashes come and go as they please; you'll rarely know when a new flareup is on its way, which can make treating common side effects all the more complicated. And if you're one of the 32 million Americans affected by eczema that is searching for relief, you probably already know that dermatologists don't have a permanent cure for the condition, as experts are still baffled by what exactly causes these temporary breakouts.
"Eczema is a condition where the skin barrier isn't working as well as it should be; when the skin's outermost layer develops microscopic cracks, the skin loses hydration and it becomes inflamed," says dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, MD, the director of cosmetic and clinical research at the department of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. "Since skin barrier function is determined by your genes, some people are more susceptible to dryness and eczema overall."
You'll need to be ready to battle a "significant itch" at a moment's notice, Zeichner says, but soaps and lotions can strip the skin of essential oils and throw off our skin's acidity due to their alkaline markup. Professionals can prescribe topical steroids if the issue becomes unbearable on a daily basis, but if you (or your child!) need immediate relief and can't make it to a professional, there are many over-the-counter products that can soothe your skin. Here, a panel of skin experts share the products they recommend to treat eczema flare-ups and why it's their best pick.
Before we get started, there are a few things you can do to prevent a flare-up from happening.
While dermatologists don't know the singular cause of eczema, but they're clued into a few known activators and irritants that could put you at risk. The environment and air around you can obviously impact your skin: Cold, dry weather in the winter (as well as harsh winds) can "disrupt" your skin's outermost layer, Zeichner says.
But the answer isn't to turn up the thermostat or spend extra time in a hot shower, either. "For very mild cases of eczema, lifestyle modifications can sometimes be enough — short lukewarm showers with unscented soap and moisturizing twice a day, particularly after the shower, when the skin is damp," says Cindy Wassef, MD, an assistant professor at the Rutgers University Center for Dermatology.
Believe it or not, your outfit may also have something to do with your skin's irritation. Dendy Engelman, MD, a dermatologist at Manhattan Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery, says that certain fabrics may cause sporadic rashes, especially in the winter season. "Wear loose fitting clothes made of cotton, if possible, which will help your skin avoid irritation," she says. "Don't overdress as heat and excessive sweat can often trigger an eczema flare."
You might be able to tell a serious case of eczema apart from occasional itchy skin by where the rash pops up. Shari Sperling, DO, a New Jersey-based dermatologist who practices at St. Barnabas Medical Center, says that there are two common areas on the body that are most often affected. "Eczema shows up more in patches, more commonly behind the knees and inside of elbows as well as on cheeks for babies," she shares. "These patches are severely uncomfortable, dry, red, inflamed, and itchy." In any case, all three experts agree that if you attempt to treat your eczema for more than two weeks with no improvement, it's time to head to a dermatologist for clinical treatment.
And don't forget these tips when you're picking out the best lotion for eczema:
You'll want to avoid creams that include irritants, such as perfumes and glycolic acids. Instead, find natural-based topical solutions that are supercharged with essential skin agents, such as ceramides. Wassef explains that our body naturally produces these fatty lipid molecules that help moisturize the skin. Some products pack extra ceramides into their formula to help your skin make up for any natural deficiencies — plus, there are a few more formula essentials to keep an eye out for.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Arazlo (tazarotene; Ortho Dermatologics) Lotion 0.045% for the treatment of acne vulgaris in patients aged 9 years and older.
The approval was based on data from two phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled trials that evaluated Arazlo in 1614 patients with moderate to severe acne. The primary end points of the trials included absolute change in mean inflammatory and noninflammatory lesion counts at Week 12, as well as the percentage of patients who had ≥2 grade improvement from baseline to Week 12 in the Evaluator Global Severity Score and had “clear” or “almost clear” skin.
Results from the studies showed that treatment with Arazlo 0.045% lotion led to statistically significant improvements in both of these end points (P <.001). Application site pain, dryness, exfoliation, erythema and pruritus were observed to be the most commonly reported adverse events.
Additionally, a phase 2, head-to-head trial compared the efficacy and safety of Arazlo with Tazorac (tazarotene) cream 0.1% for the treatment of acne vulgaris. Results showed similar treatment success rates and reductions in both inflammatory and non-inflammatory lesions over 12 weeks; fewer adverse events were reported with Arazlo compared with Tazorac (2.9% vs 5.6%, respectively).
Related Articles
Commenting on the approval, Emil Tanghetti, MD, lead Arazlo study investigator and founder, Center for Dermatology and Laser Surgery, Sacramento, California, said, “Tazarotene has typically been reserved only for patients with severe acne, but offering it in a well-tolerated lotion formulation that includes hydrating agents can help more patients with most types of acne take advantage of its efficacy.”
The Company expects to launch Arazlo in the first half of 2020. The product will be available in 45-gram tubes.
It's essential to not only keep your face moisturized, and these creams, lotions, and butters from Sephora have you covered in that department. They all offer incredible hydration with nourishing products like shea butter, nut oils, honey, and aloe for your entire body.
After all, even if your skin's not directly exposed to the air, the bitter chill can break through the clothes and dry out your skin. Picking up any of these lotions can help keep skin supple — and sweet-smelling — so consider it a win-win against Winter.
Check out these bestselling body moisturizers from Sephora ahead, and don't leave your dry skin out even when it's (tucked) in this season.
A chief petty officer is headed to court-martial next month for allegedly stealing a bottle of Versace body lotion from the Navy Exchange at Naval Air Station Jackonsville.
But Chief Boatswain’s Mate Kathy M. Tonnah’s Navy attorney — Lt. Cmdr. Tracy High — insists her client didn’t steal anything.
Tonnah was perusing $84 dollar gift sets that contained perfume, lotion and shower gel on June 2, High said. She didn’t want the shower gel, so she took the gel out of one gift set and swapped it with the lotion from another set.
Tonnah paid for the modified gift set containing two lotions and was then “confronted outside and treated like a thief,” High said.
The chief was “forced to pay an additional $200 in ‘administrative costs’” after she was stopped, the attorney said.
“That’s the real larceny here,” High said.
High told Navy Times that Tonnah’s command tried to send her to captain’s mast for shoplifting but her client “stood on principle and refused to accept nonjudicial punishment for a crime she did not commit, demanding the case go before a jury of her peers.”
Sign up for the Navy Times Daily News Roundup
Don't miss the top Navy stories, delivered each afternoon
Thanks for signing up!
Officials referred her larceny case to a special court-martial trial before a military judge, however, “a forum she cannot object to under the new rules of the the Military Justice Act of 2016,” High said.
Albeit a childhood skin infection that I vaguely remember, it’s been mostly good times for my face. For starters, I think there are actual benefits to drinking water and minding your business; way less fine lines, in my personal experience. Additionally, thanks to a mix of genetics (hi Mom!), a meat-free diet since high school and preventative skincare since my early 20s, I’ve sidestepped almost everything outside of a breakout here and there. Unfortunately, turning 30 means all predictability goes out the window. For me, that meant tracking down the best winter body products because, hello eczema!
Come winter, I’m not surprised when my elbows are ashier than usual. That’s just what happens when you’re constantly shuffling between indoor artificial heat and snow on the way to the subway. However, when I began itching to the point of bleeding, experiencing painful flaking and seeing bumps that weren’t the product of ingrown hairs, I knew it would be stupid to avoid the doctor any longer. Unsurprisingly, she confirmed my suspicions and quickly prescribed an antibiotic to help calm my more severe symptoms. Now that I know what I’m dealing with, I’ve become obsessed with gently exfoliating and layering hydration on my body every day.
Those with eczema-prone skin will tell you there is no “one size fits all” solution for treating excessively dry skin. Some of us need everything to be fragrance-free. Others have to stick with all-natural moisturizers. As for me, regular exfoliation and layered hydration have been working so far. To be honest, I’d recommend using any of these if you don’t have eczema either—they’re just that good.
C & The Moon.
I use body scrub once every couple of days. If I do it more frequently, I risk doing too much and irritating my skin. This one is lowkey fancy because one, it’s not cheap, and two, celebs kind of love it. Now that I’ve used it multiple times, I get the hype. The vanilla brown sugar scent is hardly overpowering and the coconut oil makes it way less abrasive than most body scrubs.
CeraVe.
Rarely will I recommend a body moisturizer without suggesting at least one type of CeraVe product. I love putting a dollop of the healing ointment on my cupid’s bow when I’m congested and blowing my nose 24/7, thus creating a sandpaper texture between my nostrils and lips. The classic Moisturizing Cream is also my go-to, no matter the season. However, this anti-itch formula has made sleeping so much easier. When I swipe it on before getting into the bed, I know I won’t be up in the middle of the night, pulling on my PJ bottoms to itch my leg.
CeraVe.
The brand’s new-ish moisturizer for psoriasis-prone skin is also keeping my skin calm and helping to shrink the scaly patches left over from my initial breakout. All of CeraVe’s products are enriched with ceramides, aka the lipids that help our skin retain moisture, so regardless of which product you prefer, you’re getting the moisture you need.
Dr. Brandt.
I rarely use physical exfoliants on my face, but Dr Brandt’s Microdermabrasion mask is one that I have continually used for years because it’s surprisingly gentle and actually leaves my face baby soft. Needless to say, I couldn’t wait to try the body version and it does not disappoint. It smells like peppermint (just in time for the holidays!), isn’t too abrasive, and when I first rinsed it off, I literally gasped because I didn’t expect my skin to be that soft before I applied body lotion.
Necessaire.
If there is a Necessaire hive somewhere, I am ready to join. This brand is ridiculously famous on social media and I don’t why I’ve held out on trying the products for so long. I love taking my time and applying both the serum and lotion, but if I could only use one, it would definitely be the former. The niacinamide and multi-oil-enriched formula feels cool to the touch and absorbs fast without leaving behind a greasy film.
Necessaire.
With that being said, using the serum with the lotion somehow still feels lightweight, but keeps my skin moisturized and ash-free for most of the day. A little goes a long way if you’re using the serum beforehand, but otherwise, a standard dollop will do.
Neutrogena.
I’m usually partial to thick, ultra-rich body moisturizers, but Neutrogena’s hyaluronic acid-enriched balm is one of my new favorites. It feels so lightweight upon application that you may feel the urge to add another lotion on top. You don’t have to! It gets the job done on its own and the cooling sensation is one you will not want to tamper with.
Saint Jane Beauty.
I am still highly skeptical of the many claims being made about CBD’s beauty benefits, but I can confirm that it’s been somewhat helpful in calming inflammation on my face and body. I’ve been using Saint Jane’s Beauty Serum for over a year now whenever I have a breakout and the body formula has been just as effective for combating flakes.
Spa Ritual.
If you have eczema-prone skin that can tolerate fragrance, this brand is almost as good as a spa day. All of the scents will make you want to take a nap and the body salve is a godsend for ashy elbows and knees. Whenever I use this one, I really take my time since it warms up as you run between your hands.
Spa Ritual.
And if you’re going to use the salve or lotion, you might as well prepare your skin with the polish beforehand too. It’s more creamy than scrubby and the scents are even more satisfying in a steamy shower or bath.
Urban Skin Rx.
Urban Skin Rx fans love that the brand is available at affordable prices in the drugstore, but the Pro Strength line has made a huge difference in my body care routine. The Body Cleansing bar is what I credit with getting rid of the bumps leftover from my initial breakout and may have even diminished some of the scarrings.
Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.
Welcome! Meredith collects data to deliver the best content, services, and personalized digital ads. We partner with third party advertisers, who may use tracking technologies to collect information about your activity on sites and applications across devices, both on our sites and across the Internet.
You always have the choice to experience our sites without personalized advertising based on your web browsing activity by visiting the DAA's Consumer Choice page, the NAI's website, and/or the EU online choices page, from each of your browsers or devices. To avoid personalized advertising based on your mobile app activity, you can install the DAA's AppChoices app here. You can find much more information about your privacy choices in our privacy policy. You can make a Data Subject Request at any time. Even if you choose not to have your activity tracked by third parties for advertising services, you will still see non-personalized ads on our site.
By clicking continue below and using our sites or applications, you agree that we and our third party advertisers can:
transfer your personal data to the United States or other countries, and
process your personal data to serve you with personalized ads, subject to your choices as described above and in our privacy policy.
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.
It comes without saying how important it is to apply body lotion after taking a bath. But did you know that the lotion prevents the build-up of static electricity by acting as a barrier. Whatever remnant is left on your hands, just rub it onto your clothes to diffuse the shocks.
As a lubricant
If your scissors are almost worn out, about to rust, or hard to open and close, just apply a small amount of body lotion to the blades. It works as a lubricant and results in proper functioning scissors!
As much of an inconvenience squeaky doors, stiff locks and keyholes that won’t function, pose to be, the go-to way to resolving the issue is using oil, but the other lesser known alternative is to just smear a little bit of body lotion. Apply it on the hinges of the doors or your keys before using and the metal will glide easily without causing any more unnecessary friction.
For leather
Rubbing a decent portion of body lotion onto any leather furniture helps it last longer, prevent drying and cracking.
Shoe polish
If you’re about to get out of the house and realise your shoes lack that lustre, and you’ve also run out of shoe polish, opt for body lotion as an alternative.
Protecting cuticles
Instead of burning a hole into your wallet by buying expensive cuticle oil, just use body lotion instead. Apply small amounts to your nails and push back the skin gently. To keep your cuticles hydrated, moisturise them properly and regularly.
Exfoliate
Mix some brown sugar or coffee grounds with your favourite body lotion, and then apply and slowly rub it into the skin. Wash it off and then rub in your favourite go-to lotion/cream. This is a snazzy way to keep your skin healthy looking, without having to use scrubs that can sometimes be harsh.
Use it to shave
Instead of shaving cream, just use your body lotion the next time you plan on shaving. Just remember to apply a thick layer of the lotion when shaving.
This coming weekend, on Saturday, December 14th, over 600 Bath & Body Works body-care products, from shower gels to aromatherapy moisturizers and fine fragrances, will be going for just $4.95 a pop. Like Candle Day, this sale — which will be known as Body Care Day moving forward — is pretty simple, without many exceptions or exclusions. On the 14th, the deals will be available both online and in stores nationwide, with many locations offering extended hours starting at 7 a.m. on Saturday.
Because my skin is naturally both so dry it occasionally flakes off in sheets and so sensitive that a scented candle in another apartment can cause me to break out in hives, I have devoted hours, perhaps years, of my life to massaging creams and ointments into my epidermis as if I were my own prize-winning Chinese Crested. Somewhere along the way, I came to believe in the magic of this process. Eventually, in addition to the constant lotioning, I began to periodically scrub, burn, peel and/or blast all the old skin from my body with as many products and procedures as I can afford at any given time. Slithering out of one’s top skin and immediately softening the newly revealed dermis with an assortment of potions has become more than a beauty process—it’s theurgical ritual. If no skin survives longer than a month atop my bones, I, in turn, shall live forever. So if you have a friend who, like me, knows no religion but that of the lotion bottle, I can tell you exactly what that person wants for Christmas.
A La Mer Dupe
Of course, everyone wants a bottle of La Mer, but at $90 for .5 ounces, most people understand that they probably don’t need it. Your friend who thinks lotion is magic, however, thinks about La Mer every day, longs to caress Crème de la Mer’s silken broth between their palms, craves its translucent caress against their skin. But that’s tough shit to your poor friend. Luckily, my colleague Stassa Edwards claims Weleda Skin Food is an incredibly La Mer-like dupe for a fraction of the price.
Advertisement
Obviously, your friend would love you more if you bought the real thing, but if you’ve got La Mer money, buy that for yourself.
Snail Cream
Your friend who thinks lotion is magic also most likely believes that magic is magic. And no good potion is made without breaking some slimy things open, spilling their snot-consistency innards into a cauldron, and stirring the mess around until something supernatural happens.
Advertisement
Any snail lotion will do, but I like to buy lotions with snail mucus and bee venom because it feels more like something a witch in a children’s rhyme would make and children’s book witches are so scary because they absolutely know their shit. Therefore, anything with bee stingers and snail gunk is most likely much more powerful than the sum of its parts.
Advertisement
Blood Red Skin Peel
A few months ago, I decided my pores were big and full of goo. And not good snail goo that keeps you young forever. Bad dirty goo that curses you with a teenager’s nose forever. But those pore clearing strips, while fun to look at when prickly with blackheads, don’t really do much besides hurt. So on a whim, I added this $7 bottle of The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution to my cart at Sephora. Let me tell you that it is magic. I use it twice a week followed by a pink clay mask. My skin is less bumpy and my pores are noticeably smaller and cleaner. Plus, it’s so blood red that it stains my sink if I don’t wipe it up right away, making it as close to the blood of virgins one can come by for less that $10.
Advertisement
Obviously, I’ve looked into it.
A Lump of Coal
Your friend who believes lotion is magic isn’t stupid. They also believe that activated charcoal is magic. Rub it anywhere on one’s body, and activated charcoal grants unlimited health and beauty wishes. Each day for nearly a decade, I have rubbed Lush’s Dark Angels on my chest and face to draw impurities from my pores. Gross black toothpaste buffs coffee stains from my teeth and smells from my mouth. I’ve heard activated charcoal can prevent hangovers. I once saw in a documentary that eating charred wood from nearby fires cures monkeys of their stomachaches. There is no limit to what I fully believe activated charcoal can do. Buy any of it and stuff it into a stocking. Your friend will be thrilled.
Advertisement
Remember, talismans only work if you believe, so don’t look for proof that any of this stuff does anything. Your support means every bit as much as your gift-wrapped bottle of snail snot.
