Page 96 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Winter 2016

An Ongoing Series

Garlic Burn to the Face

Michael D. Oberle, MS; Taylor Wachs, BS; Paul Brisson, MD

ABSTRACT

Topical burns from the use of garlic have been reported zygomatic area. The patient found a recommenda-
rarely in the medical literature. Most cases have re- tion on the Internet regarding the value of garlic paste
sulted from the use of naturopathic or home remedy in wound healing. He created the paste by crushing a
treatments. A 20-year-old male military Servicemember clove of garlic; then he applied the paste widely to the
presented to a military wound care clinic 7 days after skin lesion and covered the area with a dressing. About
applying a homemade topical preparation of garlic to 12 hours later, the patient was awakened by a burning
the zygomatic region of the right side of his face. The sensation beneath the dressing. On inspection, the area
patient had consulted the Internet for treatment of a mi- was inflamed and blistered. The patient removed the
nor skin lesion in that area. He created a garlic paste, paste and did not use any other wound preparations.
applied it to the affected area, and covered it with a He presented to the wound care clinic 7 days after the
dressing. Twelve hours later, he noted an intense burn- initial application (Figure 1). The wound was dry, pain-
ing sensation where he had applied the garlic paste. Af- less, and without evidence of infection and required no
ter the initial blistering, the patient recovered without specific intervention or treatment.
any additional treatment. Second-degree burns were an
unintended consequence of the use of garlic as a home Figure 1 Well-demarcated lesion over patient’s zygomatic
remedy. area. The initial lesion is noted in the center.

Keywords: burns, chemical; garlic; military personnel

Introduction

The medicinal use of garlic was first described in ancient
times. Since then, garlic has been used for the treatment
of fever, asthma, rashes, skin erosions, abdominal pain,
and foot numbness. Adverse reactions to the use of top-
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ical garlic as a home remedy in the treatment of pain and
skin irritation has been uncommonly reported. Since it
was first described in 1987, researchers have reported
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skin burns after the application of garlic in 24 cases.
Burn locations have been described on the oral mucosa,
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shin, knee, foot, neck, and face, and a separate re- Discussion
5,6
7
4
8
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port listed locations on the groin, neck, lower limb, and
face. To our knowledge, our report is the third of a Garlic (Allium sativum) has been used traditionally as a
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garlic-paste injury to the face. 8,9 health remedy for at least 5,000 years. Recently, it has
1
been found to have positive effects on blood pressure
and to have fibrinolytic properties. The use of garlic
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Case Presentation
as a topical relief for various ailments is a mainstay of
A 20-year-old male Servicemember developed a small naturopathic physicians and is a reoccurring theme in
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skin lesion of uncertain etiology in the right-side unregulated, online home-remedy sites. 11,12
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