OTC Skin Cancer Treatments

Skin cancer affects the largest organ of the body, the skin. It has a very high mortality rate and can be extremely painful. There are a few different types of treatments available, ranging from chemotherapy to just plain prescription topical ointments. There are also a few over-the-counter treatments.

Cymilium

• Cymilium is a topical over-the-counter insect bite remedy. It comes in tiny pouches, which are usually good for about 10 to 15 applications. The ingredients are ammonium hydroxide, diazolidinyl urea, cetyl alcohol, methylparaben, mineral oil, pancreatin, petrolatum, emulsifying wax, polyethylene glycol distearate, propylene glycol, propylparaben, sodium laurel ether sulfate, urea, stearic acid and water. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this ointment shrinks the size of skin cancer lesions and relieves pain. A box of 14 packets costs about $10, so it's a cheap remedy to try.

Curaderm

• Curaderm is a topical ointment that helps eliminate non-melanoma skin cancers. It attacks the cancer cells, and only the cancer cells, leaving your healthy skin completely unharmed. It was developed by Dr. Bill Charm, who began his research in the 1980s and continued testing the cream throughout the 1990s. Curaderm was first sold in Australia and became the most popular skin cancer treatment available there. It is now available worldwide and is fast becoming one of the leading skin cancer treatments. Its active ingredient, solasodine glycosides, is found in eggplant, which led Dr. Charm to believe eggplant can help cure more than just skin cancer. Curaderm is available in 20-ml. tubes, which should be enough to treat one to three larger lesions. As of 2009, Curaderm is still being used to treat skin cancer and research is continually taking place to further improve the formula.