A 40-year-old woman from China, identified by the pseudonym Tingting, developed severe purplish-red, snake-like marks across her body after applying a so-called “pure traditional Chinese medicine” skin ointment for more than a decade. The case, which surfaced in October, drew widespread attention across Chinese social media after her hospitalisation in Nanjing’s Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, South China Morning Post reported.
According to hospital officials, Tingting had been self-medicating for 10 years without ever consulting a doctor. She was admitted with extensive purple-red fissures on her skin, swelling in her lower limbs, persistent nausea, vomiting, numbness in her hands, and high blood pressure.
Tingting said her symptoms began a decade earlier, when red spots and itching appeared on her lower right leg. “As I kept scratching, it started spreading all over my body,” she recalled. In search of relief, she turned to an ointment she found online, advertised as being made from “pure traditional Chinese medicine” and capable of curing “all kinds of skin diseases.” The product’s name has not been disclosed.
Persuaded by the marketing claims, Tingting bought the cream and continued using it regularly for ten years, spending more than 100,000 yuan (approximately US$14,000). “When I first started using it, the anti-itch effect was remarkable. I thought I had finally found the right medicine,” she said. However, what began as temporary relief gradually gave way to serious health deterioration, according to SCMP.
By the time she was admitted to Zhongda Hospital, Tingting’s entire body was covered with snake-like purplish-red streaks resembling deep stretch marks. After running diagnostic tests, the hospital’s chief dermatologist, Dr Wang Fei, found her cortisol levels to be abnormally low and diagnosed her with secondary adrenocortical insufficiency—a condition in which the adrenal glands fail to produce sufficient hormones essential for normal body function.
Dr Wang confirmed that her health had started to improve following treatment but warned that her case reflected a recurring problem. “Many so-called ‘pure herbal and hormone-free’ ointments sold online are in fact mixed with strong steroids,” he said in an interview with the Yangtse Evening Post.
“Steroids can indeed provide rapid relief from itching and inflammation, but when applied long term, they lead to skin dependence. Once stopped, symptoms can rebound severely. Prolonged absorption through the skin can also suppress adrenal function and cause permanent damage.”
He further stressed that medications for skin conditions “must always be used under professional medical supervision.”
Tingting’s ordeal has prompted extensive discussion on Chinese social media, with users expressing disbelief at her decade-long self-treatment. One comment read, “She didn’t feel unwell enough to go to the hospital? Self-medicating for 10 years? I can’t understand.” Another user remarked, “The pictures are terrifying. These sellers are truly heartless.”
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