What is silver nitrate

Silver nitrate or silver nitrate is a silver salt of nitric acid and is used on the skin for its bactericidal and cauterizing activity .

Applications with silver nitrate pencils are carried out for example in case of skin wounds to prevent or treat bacterial infections.

Silver nitrate can be in powder or in aqueous solution: in both cases it is a substance that can cause skin burns and the appearance of red-brown spots that are difficult to remove .

The spots are due to the decomposition of silver nitrate with sunlight and disappear after some time, thanks to the cell turnover of the epidermis .

Aqueous solutions and pure powder are particularly dangerous because they can cause burns to the skin, so to reduce the risks, the silver nitrate powder is mixed with other salts; the mixture is then melted and poured in the form of a pencil.

The use of the silver nitrate pencil allows you to apply the product more easily and limited to the area to be treated, reducing the risk of burns and stains . 

Benefits and use of silver nitrate

Silver nitrate pencils are used in the medical, veterinary and aesthetic fields.

Pencils contain about three g of silver nitrate and are mainly used to eliminate benign skin growths such as warts , leeks and calluses as this substance is capable of causing tissue necrosis, destroying them. 

Silver nitrate sticks are also used in case of epistaxis to cauterize injured or broken capillaries and by barbers to cauterize small wounds that can be caused following shaving.

Also in the veterinary field , silver nitrate-based pencils are used to disinfect and close infected wounds.

The treatment is not painful and, when done correctly, there is no risk of surrounding tissues being damaged or stained.