 Cotton pads soaked in salicylic acid for medical use | |
| Clinical data | |
|---|---|
| Trade names | Various trade names |
| AHFS/Drugs.com | Multum Consumer Information |
| Routes of administration | Topical administration |
| ATC code | |
| Legal status | |
| Legal status | |
| Pharmacokinetic data | |
| Bioavailability | low |
| Identifiers | |
| CAS Number | |
| PubChemCID | |
| DrugBank | |
| ChemSpider | |
| UNII | |
| Chemical and physical data | |
| Formula | C7H6O3 |
| Molar mass | 138.122 g·mol−1 |
| 3D model (JSmol) | |
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Salicylic acid is used as a medicine to help remove theouter layer of theskin.[1] It is used to treatwarts,skin tags,calluses,psoriasis,dandruff,acne,ringworm, andichthyosis.[1][2] For conditions other than warts, it is often used together with other medications.[2] It is applied to the area affected.[1]
Side effects include skin irritation, andsalicylate poisoning.[2] Salicylate poisoning tends to only occur when applied to a large area and in children.[2] Use is thus not recommended in children less than two years old.[2] It comes in a number of different strengths.[3]
It is on theWorld Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[4] It is also available mixed withcoal tar,zinc oxide, orbenzoic acid.[3]
Salicylic acid as a medication is used to help remove the outer layer of theskin.[1] It is used to treatwarts,calluses,psoriasis,dandruff,acne,ringworm, andichthyosis.[1][2]
Because of its effect on skin cells, salicylic acid is used in someshampoos to treatdandruff.[medical citation needed]
In modern medicine, salicylic acid and its derivatives are constituents of some"skin-reddening" products.[medical citation needed]
Concentrated solutions (20-30%) of salicylic acid may causehyperpigmentation on people with darker skin types (Fitzpatrick phototypes IV, V, VI), without a broad spectrum sunblock.[5][6] Due to sun sensitivity, sun protection is recommended when using salicylic acid on sun-exposed skin.[7]
No studies examine topical salicylic acid in pregnancy. The risks of aspirin late in pregnancy are probably not relevant for a topical exposure to salicylic acid, even late in the pregnancy, because of its low systemic levels. Topical salicylic acid is common in many over-the-counter dermatological agents and the lack of adverse reports suggests a low risk.[8]
Side effects include skin irritation andsalicylate poisoning.[2] Salicylate poisoning tends to only occur when applied to a large area and in children.[2] Use is thus not recommended in children less than two years old.[2] It comes in a number of different strengths.[3]
Salicylic acid overdose can leadmetabolic acidosis with compensatoryrespiratory alkalosis. In people presenting with an acute overdose, a 16% morbidity rate and a 1% mortality rate are observed.[9]
Salicylic acid works as akeratolytic,comedolytic andbacteriostatic agent, causing thecells of theepidermis to shed more readily, opening clogged pores and neutralizing bacteria within, preventing pores from clogging up again and allowing room for new cell growth.[10][11]
Dioscorides, in the first century AD, described the use of an extract of what might have been willow bark (a plant he called Itea),[12] 'being burnt to ashes, and steeped in vinegar,'[13] for taking away 'corns and other like risings in the feet and toes.' The active ingredient in this mixture could have been salicylic acid, but it is a modern myth that willow was ever used to ease aches and pains or reduce fevers.[10][14]
