A 40-year-old Chinese woman shocked the internet after developing purplish-red “snake skin” patterns all over her body when she decided to self-medicate with a “pure traditional Chinese medicine” ointment instead of getting professional treatment.
It was later found that she had become severely overweight, had high blood pressure, and her entire body was covered in snake-like purple-red stretch marks.
The seller claimed the ointment could cure any skin problem
As shared by SCMP, the woman, Amy (pseudonym), was admitted to Zhongda Hospital of Southeast University in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, in October.
Upon examination, Wang Fei, the hospital’s chief dermatologist, found her cortisol levels had dropped sharply and diagnosed her with secondary adrenocortical insufficiency, a condition where the adrenal glands fail to produce enough essential hormones.
According to Amy, her struggle began 10 years ago when red spots and itching first appeared on her lower right leg. After constant scratching, the rashes quickly spread all over her body.
In search of relief, she turned to the internet and found an ointment that was heavily promoted online, with the seller claiming it could “cure all kinds of skin diseases”.
She spent over ~RM58,000 on the ointment over a 10-year period
Amy ended up using the cream for a decade, spending more than CNY100,000 (~RM58,695) in total.
Her condition initially stabilised after treatment, but her health has recently taken a serious turn for the worse.
She began suffering from swelling in her legs, frequent nausea and vomiting, and numbness in her hands.
Fortunately, after receiving further medical care, her condition has started to show signs of improvement.
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