Rare Skin Conditions: Can Medicinal Cannabis Really Help?

In this blog we are uncovering the effects of rare skin conditions and featuring success stories from using medicinal cannabis or CBD to help treat these specific rare skin conditions. Some conditions that affect infants can lead to discomfort and pain with patients not even being able to close their eyes (in some rare cases) but have found relief in medicinal cannabis topical skin creams.

As a pharmaceutical supplier of medicinal cannabis, we love raising awareness for chronic conditions that can be treated with medicinal cannabis. Did you know that here in the UK, 60% of people are currently affected by a skin condition or have been in the past. 13 million GP attendances every year are thought to be for skin conditions, with over 2 million consultations taking place with a dermatologist. [1]

As you may already know, medicinal cannabis and CBD have become widely popular in recent years and associated with a multitude of chronic diseases and conditions, where it has been used as a therapy for anxiety, cancer, chronic pain, arthritis and even severe epilepsy. Medicinal cannabis and CBD have also shown great results as a form of topical treatment on the skin. The popularity has advanced into cannabis-infused skincare products and as of January 2019, 40 percent of U.S. households stated that they were interested in starting to buy skin care products which had Cannabidiol (CBD) as an active ingredient. In that year, about 14 percent were already buying such products. [2]

CBD oil has an anti-inflammatory property, which can benefit the skin, and it can also reduce oil production, provide moisture and relieve pain and itching, according to Dr. Alster, clinical professor of dermatology at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, DC: “Topical CBD is safe and works effectively for all skin types.” [3]

There are a number of chronic skin conditions that cause pain, discomfort and distress to a wide group of people and by spreading the word…and the CBD topical cream – we aim to help people that are affected by these conditions who are searching for alternative effective treatment.

Myasthenia gravis Is an autoimmune condition that causes the rapid weakening of skeletal muscles and affects approximately 50-200 million people worldwide. [4] Some of the symptoms include drooping eye lids, double vision, slurred speech, restricted swallowing and weak facial muscle movement. [5] Dr Allan Frankel is a specialist physician in the USA who truly understands cannabis as a medicine and one of his patients who suffered with this rare skin condition advised anyone experiencing those symptoms or has been diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis or another auto-immune disease to use cannabis oil as an alternative treatment over harsh medication.

“I am so grateful that I met Dr. Frankel and tried the Cannabis oil because it completely changed my life! I am able to maintain good quality of life without taking any harmful steroid medications that cause negative side effects. The amazing thing about the Cannabis Oil is that there are no side effects and it has also helped heal other parts of my body – like my eyes, skin, bones, PMS pain, hormones and more.”– Myasthenia Gravis Patient.

Behçet’s disease is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks multiple parts of the body. [4] It is a rare disorder that causes blood vessel inflammation throughout the body. The disease can lead to numerous symptoms that can seem unrelated at first. They can include mouth sores, eye inflammation, skin rashes, lesions, and genital sores. [6]

Cannabinoids including CBD are well known for their anti-inflammatory properties and many patients suffering from this condition have reported using medicinal cannabis.

Ichthyosis is a condition that causes widespread and persistent thick, dry, “fish-scale” skin. The skin of a person with ichthyosis is rough, dry and scaly and needs to be regularly moisturised. [7]

Rare skin conditions in babies can be very distressing for the parents as well as the patient. Baby Carter was suffering from Ichthyosis and this condition can affect approximately one out of 250 people. However, some cases range from mild to severe and therefore can go undiagnosed or untreated. In Baby Carter’s case, this condition took a heavy toll on his infant body. After his parents had tried oatmeal baths and coconut oil several times a day just to provide a little bit of relief for their son. They found hope in a cream made from cannabis oil and it’s continued to show amazing improvements to his skin and wellbeing.

If you know someone or are suffering from a skin condition that standard medicines and treatments are not helping to improve, we advise you to seek advice from your GP about a medicinal cannabis treatment plan.

We will regularly feature the benefits and links between the endocannabinoid system and how those receptors are activated by the various cannabinoids found in special strains of the plant. It can help mitigate various internal and external ailments, conditions and diseases, as we uncover in our blog Cannabis Treatment vs Back Pain – You Won’t Look Back!

References:
1. https://www.sapphireclinics.com/conditions/rare-or-challenging-skin-conditions/
2. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1077762/natural-attributes-in-skin-care-products-consumers-willing-to-buy-in-the-us/
3. https://www.dermatologytimes.com/view/hemp-skin-health
4. https://sensiseeds.com/en/blog/10-rare-diseases-that-cannabis-may-treat/
5. https://www.greenbridgemed.com/blog/patient-with-myasthenia-gravis-markedly-improved-with-cbd-thc-and-thc-acid
6. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/behcets-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20351326
7. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ichthyosis/