Skin doctors warn against home remedies

A group of dermatologists warned that home remedies for skin diseases, like psoriasis, could worsen rather than cure the ailment.

While the internet offered tons of information on how to treat diseases, the Philippine Dermatological Society (PDS) said there was still no alternative to personal visits to doctors.

Doctors could give proper medication for psoriasis, an autoimmune disease afflicting an estimated 300,000 Filipinos, the group said.

PDS director Malou Palmero acknowledged that one of the reasons Filipinos opted to self-medicate was the cost of seeing a doctor and buying prescribed medicines.

She said, though, that rather than cure diseases, cheap home remedies could bring more harm like contact dermatitis.

Steroids

Among the home remedies often used to treat psoriasis are applying oil and ginger on diseased parts of the skin or taking steroids.

Palmero said while it might appear that the remedies were curing the disease, people could expect their condition to worsen if these types of treatment were stopped.

“That is why it’s very important for the public to be aware that they should seek consultation,” she said at a health forum on Tuesday.