In today’s modern world, with unfettered access to the internet and everyone googling their symptoms to see what is wrong with them, self diagnosis is not uncommon. This has led to an increase in use of over-the-counter medications, even though most of us might not be entirely aware of the side effects.
Recently, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) of the United States cautions against using any over-the-counter products for treating skin spots, tags or moles without consulting a doctor first. This is because many doctors and dermatologists say that these products can cause disfigurement and scarring.
The most common skin issues treated at home are skin spots, skin tags, moles, warts, and seborrheic keratoses. While there are many over-the-counter products for these issues, make sure you talk to a doctor or dermatologist before you use them. Unsupervised usage of these products can cause wounds on the skins, infections, scars, and in extreme cases, even skin cancer.
Most of these products often contain a key ingredient, which is salicylic acid. The main feature of this ingredient is to kill cells. When too much salicylic acid is administered to the skin, it can be extremely harmful for the skin and can corrode the skin, causing even more harm. While a lot of these products may market themselves as organic and natural, the quantity of salicylic acid added to remove skin deformities can sometimes be too high.
When these “over-the-counter” products are used without any supervision, they can cause chemical burns on the skin and resolving these can be way harder than actually fixing the root cause. So, over time, they can end up doing more harm than good.
Another big reason why people should refrain from using these products is that, more often than not, issues like moles and skin tags can be an indication of a bigger issue, with cancer being the most notable one. So the next time you see something new popping up on your sin, do not hesitate to get it checked by a doctor.
Let us paint the picture for you. You see a mole on your skin, which you choose to get rid of using an OTC product. But little did you know that the mole was a sign of a bigger issue growing underneath your skin. So now, not only have you missed the chance to nip the problem in the bud, but the issue will continue to grow under your skin, and you will only get to know about the severity of the problem a lot later, whereas you could have found out about it earlier if you had consulted a doctor.
We get it – consulting a doctor for every little thing can be overwhelming. But as the old saying goes, better safe than sorry, so take our advice and take care with self-prescribed products. Just because a product calls itself herbal, natural, or homeopathic, it doesn’t mean that it’s safe to use. Consult a cosmetic professional in Auckland today, so that they can assess the issue on your skin. If required, they will also give you approval for certain products, and they can also conduct a skin tag removal or removal of skin spots and pigmentation for you.