 Petrolatum also commonly called Vaseline is a very well known moisturizer that has been used since the 1800s. Not only has it been used to help with dry skin, but it is also marketed as a substance that protects minor cuts and burns. It is widely used by Dermatologists as a substance to apply to wounds from cutaneous surgical procedures. In a large study, petrolatum was shown to be as effective as one of the major topical antibiotics to help prevent infection in patients who underwent dermatologic procedures. Not only are the other topical antibiotics expensive, but also they are commonly the cause of an allergic reaction in up to 10 of the population. Until now, no reason has been found to explain why petrolatum is effective in infection prevention. In a recent study, skin biopsies of skin that had petrolatum applied to them were obtained. Upon analysis certain antimicrobial peptides peptides that possess anti-bacterial properties that help fight infection have been found to be elevated. This could provide an answer as to why petrolatum was as effective as the topical antibiotic in the study mentioned above. 