ACV, H2O2 and Salicylic Acid for Seborrheic Keratosis

| Modified on Mar 21, 2024

1 User Review


Posted by Bruce H (Hastings, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand) on 03/06/2016
★★★★★

I had a very large (3cm) "verruca seborrehic keratosis" on the back of my scalp and where I am balding. It was dark brown and barnacle like with a cauliflower surface. It caused me no discomfort but family and friends were forever questioning me about this ugly lesion. Because of its size, my skin specialist would not "freeze" it with liquid nitrogen as he said it would require multiple treatments and likely leave me with a cauterised area that would cause more problems than it solved. His solution was excision with a skin graft. I was not too happy with this diagnosis so researched for home remedies such as this site. 3 products were consistently quoted as having success, being Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV), Hydrogen Peroxide, and Salisylic Acid (over the counter wart remover). The common attribute of these products is "acid" which acts as a "keralytic" I.e it thins the skin on the lesion causing it to loosen and shed. My process was as follows:

  • Daily application, for 4 days, of ACV (a soaked cotton wool pad for 10 minutes), then a paint on of Hyd Peroxide 6% solution, followed by the salisylic acid (wart remover)
  • I waited about 15 minutes between the individual applications.
  • I then left it alone until the dead skin started to lift naturally (about 5 days later) and got wifey to pick the whole scab clean with a pair of tweezers.
  • At this point the ugly was as good as gone but I followed up with 3 more days of ACV and Hyd Peroxide 6% solution to kill off any underlying "root" structure. I did NOT reapply the wart remover as it is a very strong acid and I did not want to damage the good skin re growth.
  • My final product was Aloe Vera to the treated area for its known skin repair properties.

Voila...bye bye ugly...gone... and if it wants to come back I will be ready and waiting.

I would stress that you should clearly identify what sort of keratosis you are dealing with as there are many, and some types may not take too kindly to being treated with acid (particularly salisylic acid).

Cheers and good luck.

Replied by Mary
(Parksville, Bc)
08/25/2016

Did your bald spot grow in? Did that area feel spongy to the touch? I have a similar problem. Doctor did prescribe salicylic acid.