Garlic and Skin Cancer Update

I am pretty excited to report that today I went to my dermatologist for a follow up appointment.  In a previous blog I had mentioned that he had wanted to do a biopsy on my nose and left forearm for some suspicious looking lesions to rule out basal cell and squamous cell cancers respectively.

When I arrived, the biopsy kit was all laid out, with my name on a specimen cup.  However, when I told the doctor that I attempted a cure with garlic and how I did it, he not only seemed quite interested, but surprised that it might have worked.  He carefully examined both sites, then told me they look good, that there is nothing in the appearance of them to necessitate, or even suggest, a biopsy.  He stated that it appears like freshly healed skin, which is exactly what it is since I finished the last treatment with garlic less than two weeks ago. Both sites are rosy colored, flat, and smooth. The doctor said that the rosiness should gradually disappear, and to just watch the areas.

Just to recap what I did:  I applied tiny slivers of fresh garlic to the actual lesion only and covered with a bandaid.  I started out doing it twice daily, leaving it on the whole time.  I did this for 3 days, and then on the 4th day only for 5 hours in the morning.  On the fifth day no garlic because both lesions had a scab.  When the scabs fell off I repeated the processbut only at night, leaving the garlic on while I slept.  I was kind of making it up as I went along, just doing what made sense.  On the internet I had read to do it until it scabs over three times.  The third time I did it, the skin appeared mostly fine before final treatment, and then reacted very little to the garlic; unlike the first time when it reacted quickly.

Anyway, it was a pretty interesting experience, and I avoided the knife! I really credit that doctor for being open to new things and not scoffing at me and alternative measures.  And this is serious business because I was warned by my prior dermatologist that I could lose my nose.