What is Salicylic Acid Used For?
Salicylic acid is a topical medication often used to treat skin conditions and disorders. It comes in prescription and nonprescription strength, depending on the percentage of concentration and nature of treatment. No matter what the intended use, it is important, much like any other medication, to use it as directed, since there is the potential of side effects, like skin irritation, skin inflammation, dryness, discoloration and even poisoning.
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Acne
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One of the most common uses of salicylic acid is for the treatment of acne. The solution is applied to the area to treat the infection and clear up the outbreak.
Warts
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Another fairly common use of salicylic acid is in the removal of both common warts and plantar warts. Much like acne, a prescribed or recommended amount of the topical plaster or solution is applied to the wart. But, this time it is done every other day for the plaster and once or twice each day for the solution until the wart is removed.
Dandruff
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Surprisingly, dandruff can also be treated with a topical lotion or shampoo containing salicylic acid. With the lotion, it is applied once (or twice) a day over the entirety of the scalp. With the shampoo, the hair is washed once a week with the medicated treatment. The rest of the week the patient uses his regular shampoo.
Psoriasis
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Some people suffering from psoriasis will use a gel or ointment containing salicylic acid to treat their condition. The gel is applied directly to the scalp each day and the ointment would only be used when needed, when someone is experiencing a flare-up.
Dermatitis
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Many people will find relief for dermatitis, both seborrheic and antiseborrhic, from the use of a shampoo, lotion or ointment containing salicylic acid. The shampoo would be used one to two times a week, the lotion would be applied once daily and the ointment, much like in the case of psoriasis, would be used as needed to treat the condition.
Other Uses
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Depending the individual, some people will also use a plaster or topical solution to help remove calluses and corns. The application process is similar to that of a wart.
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