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Milk of Magnesia Fights Acne

Q. I volunteer at a local high school in the theater department. Acne is a constant issue for the kids.

I suggested that the students try the MoM (milk of magnesia) treatment and it worked!

One parent even told me it was a life-saver for his son. They had spent a small fortune on treatments with a dermatologist. When the father told the dermatologist that MoM worked better than prescribed medications, the physician was not happy.

MoM even cleared up my rosacea. Thanks for helping so many young adults.

A. Thank you for sharing your success stories. We suspect the physician was unhappy because there isn’t any good research to show how (or even whether) applying milk of magnesia to the skin affects acne-causing bacteria or the body’s reaction to them. We were able to find one letter published in a medical journal decades ago: it was a patient reporting success with topically applied MoM (Archives of Dermatology, Jan. 1975).

In addition to acne, readers of this column have also reported success with topical applications of milk of magnesia to control underarm odor. Other topical uses include drying up a poison ivy rash and easing seborrheic dermatitis.

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About the Author
Terry Graedon, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and co-host of The People’s Pharmacy radio show, co-author of The People’s Pharmacy syndicated newspaper columns and numerous books, and co-founder of The People’s Pharmacy website. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies..
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