Skin cancer patients face deadly risk using ‘black salve’ home remedy
(Reuters Health) – People who fear they have skin cancer, or know it, and decide to try an unapproved product called “black salve” may face infection, scarring and worse cancer outcomes, doctors warn.
Utah researchers surveyed black salve users and found that most did not talk to a doctor before trying the product - which is on a U.S. Food and Drug Administration list of “fake ‘cancer cures’ consumers should avoid” - nor were they aware of its harmful effects.
Black salve refers to products containing zinc chloride and sanguinarine, both corrosive ingredients that can severely damage skin, the study team writes in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
The salve is widely available online, touted as a way to eliminate skin cancers. It does scour off top layers of skin, giving the appearance that a lesion is gone. But, the authors explain, cancer remaining deeper in the skin may go unseen, and undiagnosed, until it becomes more advanced and potentially even life threatening.
“People who use black salve are largely unaware of how serious the side effects of black salve can be, and over-estimate how precise or effective it can be in treating their problem,” said senior author Dr. Mark Eliason of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, by email.
= new reply since forum marked as read
