From Chemical Burn to Below Knee Amputation: Amputation Secondary to Application of Over-the-Counter Topical Analgesic With Menthol and Methyl Salicylate

Abstract

Topical analgesics and topical rubefacients are widely used to control acute as well as chronic pain every day. Due to their availability without a prescription, consumers often overlook any potentially harmful effects and consider them largely benign. Here, we present a rare case of chemical burn triggered by a typical over-the-counter (OTC) analgesic containing menthol and methyl salicylate resulting in chemical burn, complicated by necrotizing infection treated by below the knee amputation.