Perrigo Ichthammol Ointment 20%, 1 oz

I ordered this product on May 7th 2013. Since it is not due to arrive until approximately no later than May 15th. And I was in so much pain with the boil under my left arm I decided to call around to the local drug stores where I live. Like (CVS and RITE AID) And I was able to go and buy it myself on May 8th. Oh my, I am so happy that I did. I started using it that day after I got home and I knew that I would not be going out into the general public. I washed with warm soapy water and sterilized under my arm with Hydrogen Peroxide. I made sure the area was completely dry before I applied the salve. Now it does not smell that great and if you know what Tar smells like, that is the best way to describe how it smells. I really did not care about that because I knew that the odor that would come from the boil under my arm would smell a heck of a lot worse and I was just simply tired of being in pain and not being able to sleep well at night.When you apply this salve you can put it on a piece of sterilized gauze or a couple cotton balls and tape it in place. And please make sure that you clean and sterilized the area each time before you apply this salve or any type of topical cream or ointment over the counter or one that prescribed by your Doctor to avoid further infection to the infected area.Depending on the size of your boil and location I prefer using the sterilized gauze because seems to stay in place lot better. I would used the medical paper tape that is used in Hospitals and Nursing homes by Nurses and Doctors. Because some of the other medical tapes may tear or irritate your skin and the fact that you are already in pain from having the boil itself, and you most certainly do not want to add to your discomfort. You can also purchase which ever medical tape you prefer at your local drug store as well. Word of caution it will stain your clothes or bedding so be sure to wear a shirt or other clothing you will not mind getting stained. Now after just using this salve for two days and two nights straight along with alternating warm compresses as warm as I could tolerate them. I am now as of today pain and boil free!!!! After taking my bath today and while drying myself off I noticed the boil under my left arm had come to a head, (which is the exact stage you need the boil to be so that you can expel the infection out of your body). So I took a clean paper towel and applied just a slight bit of pressure. And I was able to expel all of the infection out the boil. I washed under my arm again with warm soapy water and sterilized it again with more Peroxide and applied antibiotic cream and cover it with a piece of sterilized gauze. I will continue to repeat this process at least 2 to 3 times a day by keeping the area clean and sterilized until the area is completely healed. I'm a retired Nurse's Aid of 23 years and I have worked very closely with a lot of very well trained Nurses and Doctors, so I felted okay with treating my boil at home. And I have use this product before some years ago when I had a boil. So I already knew what to expect and I knew that it would work. But if you are not sure or comfortable with self treating a boil or any other type of skin infection at home. I strongly recommend that you consult with you own personal Physician or healthcare provider before you just start using this or any other product that you are not familiar with. It is better to be safe than sorry. Best wishes to you .Sincerely,very happy pain and boil free consumer.

No it does not really 'draw out' splinters, what it does is soften the surrounding skin, making it easier to pull out or work out naturally. It does not 'draw out' a boil, pimple, or infection. It softens the skin making the infection seem closer to the surface, and in addition it has antiseptic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, bactericidal and fungicidal properties, so it helps heal and keeps things from getting worse. Made from sulfur-rich shale, it's considered a safe and effective natural product. Stinky? Yes. But not overpowering. One of the best ointments for minor skin issues, be it people or animals. There is a reason why Great Grandmother had it in the medicine chest. Why isn't in more medicine cabinets today? I suspect it has something to do with company profit or advertising, as it really SHOULD be in your first aid arsenal, in my opinion. It works. UPDATE 8/4/13: I took a video of my finger slathered with this stuff after picking a weed with 'stingers'. Within a few minutes the stinging stopped. I didn't wind up bandaging, just rinsed it off after a few hours. No stinging on that finger, yet on my RIGHT hand where I did NOT apply the ointment, I still had mild stinging.

I received fresh and good quality Ichthammol. I highly recommend it for lots of skin treatments and even acne (which is what I use it for now). Will help draw out the infection so your skin can start healing. Leave it on cyst undisturbed for at least 2-3 hours, once a day. Repeat until infection is gone. Wash with a face cleanser before AND after. It has anti-bacterial action as well. You can also put a dab on a band aid and leave it for 8-10 hours with no issues. Change the bandage and re-apply the next day, if necessary. Do not go to bed with the Ichthammol on as it will terribly stain any sheets, pillows, fabric, etc. I few years ago I used the band-aid method to painlessly "dissolve" a skin tag on my neck. I changed the bandages everyday and it started to drain the liquid and completely disappeared within 10 days (it's possible that it was gone before that, but I forgot to remove the last bandage for 3-4 days). Note that if you are using ANY type of strong retinoid creams or acid peels, this can cause an interaction and chemically burn your skin. Remove immediately if any burning sensation is felt, itching however is normal.

Used to be able to get this at drug stores. Now it's difficult to find. Needed it to draw out a cactus thorn that my dog picked up in New Mexico while we were traveling through. (It's usually used on people, but can be used on animals with no problem). This is evidently delicious, because it's difficult to put it on his foreleg without him wanting to lick it off. (HA!) I then dress it with bandaging tape which he lets stay on for a little while. The thorn has not come out, but it was in there for a few weeks before I realized it. "Black salve", ie ichthammol ointment is a wonderful drawing salve and I have not found any better ointment that works as well for splinters, ingrown nails, infected sores, etc.

Dear Amazon Friends, I have decided to change my greeting to your firm by adding the word, "Friends" to my salutation, because I now feel add Amazon to my list of friends. After all, you provide goods and services at a cost that would be one, more than likely, a price from a friend. A friend would NOT gouge a friend for the all mighty dollar. A friend would want to know if what he did for his friend helped that friend live a happier life. Well, you, (Amazon), have those qualities. The qualities of a good friend. For that, alone, I thank you very warmly and sincerely. The bottom line is that I really do appreciate not only the service you provide; but, to me, I, more importantly, appreciate the manner in which you provide those services. That part, my friend(s), is, unfortunately, is what is missing from so many others. Do go changing. Love, John PS Since I now count you, Amazon, as one of my friends, it is with the utmost .sincerity, and respect, that I close my correspondence(s) with a word that honestly describes how I feel. Therefore, that is why I chose the word "Love" to close my letter.with you. Please share my thoughts, and hopefully philosophy, with those around you. After all, none of us currently do not have the ability to live forever; so, we all should make the most of the time we have been given for a life that is worth living. Please make yours one that is worth living. That should be a simple task since you certainly already behave as if you do. Thank you, once again!

it took almost a week for this product to work, so know that individual results will vary. i highly recommend lancing for large boils as this product will not get to the core of the abcess, only provide some relief with draining it somewhat.

First of all, I give the product 5 stars because it works. To the person who used it once and threw it away because it smelled bad, even though a previous boil required surgery, you have strange priorities. You would rather have a boil lanced and drained than put up with a bad smelling ointment for a few days? Really? Also, if it doesn't smell like tar, then it doesn't contain Ichthammol, and it probably does not work. The problem with this product is its availability. In the past, whenever I got a bad boil I would get Boil-Ease from the local drugstore. The last time I did this I noticed that the package just said "pain relief", not drawing salve. They now only have one active ingredient, benzocaine, which does nothing to get rid of the boil. The results of this were that the boil kept getting worse and much bigger and I ended up in the ER to have it lanced and drained. I was admitted as an inpatient and was inhouse for 3 days. Now I have another boil. I definitely do not want to go through the hospital experience again. But again, this product does not seem to be in stores. So last week I ordered thru Amazon and paid three times the price of the product to have it shipped overnight. I need this stuff NOW!!! So today I find out that it has not even been shipped yet, even though it says it is in stock. What good is overnight shipping if they do not ship it until several days after the order is placed? Update 07/11/2013 Well, they finally shipped my order but I still do not have it. I tracked the item and it says that the expected delivery date is from July 9 to July 12, so I might not get it until tomorrow. This certainly does not sound like 1 day delivery, yet my invoice still shows the $16 charge for overnight delivery. This is the worst shipping service I have ever experienced through Amazon and once I get the product, I am going to do everything I can to get refunded for the bogus shipping charge. But the worst thing is that I really need this stuff NOW!!!

Ichthommol Ointment is the greatest and every household should have a tube. I was told it was no longer available for purchase and was pleased to find it on Amazon. It has an odor that can be offensive to some BUT it works!!! My daughter got a sliver of glass in her heel that we could remove with tweezers. Before bedtime we put a dab of Ichthommol Ointment and a bandaid over the sliver. In the morning, the sliver of glass was on the bandaid when it was removed. It works!