Save our Skin: A History of Treatments
Remedies to improve the complexion and remove warts, spots and boils have been in use since antiquity. Donkey milk, turpentine and crocodile faeces were all applied to the skin. Bathing in wine, known as vinotherapy, was adopted among the elite in the 1500s and 1600s. Another common home remedy was to rub the skin with a ‘flesh brush’ to improve health and circulation. Self-treatment was common and the sick only visited a medical practitioner when their ailment became increasingly painful, appeared to be dangerous or threatened to leave a permanent mark.