Lipoma removal traditionally involves one of two methods. Surgery removes the mass in its entirety, and usually prevents a recurrence or regrowth of the lipoma. Lipoma removal surgery is minimally invasive, and usually requires only local anaesthetic. Liposuction is another option, best suited for small-to-medium sized lipomas. The major advantage of liposuction is that it leaves a smaller permanent scar. The disadvantage is that regrowth of the lipoma is more likely. Thuja is another, all-natural way to treat lipoma. It is a homeopathic treatment, and will therefore likely not be recommended by a medical professional. Yet, thuja has been used to treat various skin ailments since at least the 18th century. Many people have used thuja to successfully remove unsightly lipomas. A useful course of action may be to treat your lipoma with thuja first, before resorting to the more invasive techniques of surgery or liposuction. The benefits of thuja […]
Is Salicylic Acid Good for Jock Itch?
Salicylic acid has mild antifungal properties and jock itch is caused by fungal infection. So can salicylic acid based skin medicines be used to treat ringworm, the type of fungus that causes jock itch? And how effective is it? What is jock itch and what causes it? Jock itch is a red skin rash that forms on the inner thighs, genitals, and buttocks regions. The rash often forms a circular or ring pattern on the skin, hence the name “ringworm.” There are many sophomoric names used to describe jock itch, which won’t be mentioned here. Ringworm actually can form on many areas of the body, not just the groin. For example, athlete’s foot is caused by ringworm, too. Tinea cruris is the scientific name for the fungus that causes jock itch, specifically. It thrives on skin that is damp and moist. Thus, jock itch often afflicts athletes because that part of the […]
Don’t Inject Salicylic Acid into a Wart
At first blush, it might seem like a reasonable idea to inject salicylic acid wart medicine directly into your wart. Wouldn’t doing so, the thinking goes, make the wart disappear twice as fast? Injecting it into the meaty core of the wart and applying it directly to the outer skin of the wart at the same time would seem to burn through the wart from both directions. To date, salicylic acid treatments have only been approved for topical application on warts, not for injection. Why is that? In theory, the idea of injection seems to make sense. But there are a few reasons why injecting salicylic acid is not really a good idea in practice: Inside your wart are many tiny blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients to the flesh of the wart. If you inject salicylic acid into it, there is the risk that some of the acid […]
Does Salicylic Acid Bleach or Stain Clothes?
Ever ruin your clothes because your skin care medication left a blotchy discoloration on the fabric? Acne medications are infamous for staining clothes, towels, and bedsheets. Of course, each medication has its own list of ingredients and some stain more egregiously than others. Medications with benzoyl peroxide are the worst when it comes to bleaching. If benzoyl peroxide is exposed moisture it converts to hydrogen peroxide, which is a bleaching agent. And once a fabric has a bleach stain, the discoloration is irreversible. Always use old towels or tissue when wiping off benzoyl peroxide products. To prevent bleach stains, never let a fabric touch benzoyl peroxide unless it is completely dry. Will salicylic acid bleach or stain, too? Salicylic acid is not nearly as bad as benzoyl peroxide at staining your clothes. First, salicylic acid itself is not a bleaching agent. It will not permanently lighten or whiten your clothes, hair, […]
Is Salicylic Acid Usable After Expiration Date?
All over-the-counter skin care products containing salicylic acid are required to have an expiration date on the packaging. But is it safe and effective to use salicylic acid after the expiration date? Salicylic acid is a stable compound that degrades very slowly if stored in optimal conditions. So yes, as a general rule, salicylic acid products can be used long after their expiration date as long as they have been stored properly. Each individual product is different however. They all have different ingredients and packaging quality. Check yours for any of the following signs of degradation and spoiling: the product has changed color or texture, or the smell is off putting or rancid. Also check for dark speckles of color, as this is an indication of bacterial contamination. If any of these signs are present in your product, discard it and do not use regardless of the expiration date. Storage […]
Treating Warts With Thuja, the Homeopathic Way
This article discusses the various treatment options available for common warts, with a focus on thuja occidentalis as a homeopathic remedy. You will learn how to use thuja to get rid of warts, which type of wart is thuja effective on, and how thuja compares to traditional western medicine for wart treatment. How do we get warts? All warts are caused by various strains of the HPV virus. The virus spreads by physical transfer. That is, by touching an object that is contaminated with the virus. Hands, fingers, and feet are the most common location for warts because we use these parts of the body to interact with objects in our environment. Wart viruses enter the skin through cuts or abrasions, which may be merely microscopic. Our immune system quickly kills off the vast majority of these viruses. But if the immune system is weak, the virus has a chance […]
How Does Salicylic Acid Remove Warts?
You may have noticed that most over-the-counter wart treatments use salicylic acid as the primary active ingredient. No matter the brand name or the form of wart treatment (be it liquid, pads, gel, etc.), salicylic acid is most likely to be the medicine used to actually remove the wart. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why salicylic acid is such a stalwart medicine for wart removal. What is salicylic acid? Salicylic acid is a colorless, organic, and naturally occurring acid found in many plant species. It functions as a hormone and is also required for many aspects of organic synthesis. Salicylic acid also has many antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Not only used for warts, salicylic acid is also a primary treatment for many skin ailments including acne, psoriasis, corns, dandruff, and ringworms. In fact, salicylic acid is such an important medicine it is included on the World Health […]
Lamictal (Lamotrigine) Off-Label Treatment for Depression
Lamictal is an anti-seizure medication that has also found some success in treating the symptoms of depression and bipolar disorder. It has not been approved by the FDA for treatment of depression as of yet but it has found an off label use as such because many psychiatrists have found that it has substantially benefited the treatment of manic depression in their patients. Usually Lamictal is not used as a front line medication in the treatment of depression. Standard SSRIs are usually prescribed first because they have a longer track record of success and have less side effects. Patients whose depression is unresponsive to standard medications are sometimes been prescribed Lamictal, which often has the effect of augmenting the standard depression medication. In fact, Lamictal is often prescribed in conjunction with another SSRI such as well Wellbutrin or Cymbalta. Lamictal acts as an antidepressant and also as a mood stabilizer. […]