You're lying on the golden beach, soaking up the warmth of old sol, listening to the soothing lap of the waves, when you begin to notice that tight, irritated feeling we all recognize as the first sign of sunburn. As you reapply more sunscreen you contemplate switching to a sunblock for more protection from the dreaded curses of sunspots, solar keratosis, or even worse: basal or squamous cell carcinoma. You lie back reassured that you are protected, but you can remember a time in your youth when you got such a bad burn that you peeled....

Weeks or months later you notice a strange spot on your skin. You head for a doctor immediately and to your dismay he diagnoses one of the above conditions and advises surgery to remove the spot plus a wide margin of skin around it. This nightmare occurs all too often to millions of people, who are just like you and me.

If you were in Australia, your doctor might suggest a trial treatment with a product called CURADERM, made by CURACEL INTERNATIONAL based in Queensland. This cream was developed after 20 years of research by a medical scientist, Dr. Bill Cham. He discovered that a glycoalkaloid treatment he had developed was able to kill skin cancer cells in the laboratory. He then experimented to find a "vehicle" that would act as a piggyback ride to carry this glycoalkaloid into the deeper layer of the skin where the cancer cells live and reproduce.

After trying all available moisturizing creams available on the market at the time, he was disappointed to find that none of them lived up to their manufacturer's claim of deep penetration. They all had a base made of a large oil-soap-water molecules which are unable to pass through skin cell membranes. In addition, the soap component further irritates the very skin it is meant to help heal! Dr. Cham found a way to alter the base by using a mucopolysaccharide (present in connective tissues of the body) instead of soap to form a smaller molecule capable of penetrating the skin and carrying the cancer killer to the deeper cells.

CURADERM is 99.8% natural with a tiny amount of preservative added. It contains solasodine glycosides 0.005% as the active cancer destroying agent. Solasodine is derived from Sodom's Apple (Solanum sodomaeum), also known as Devil's Apple or Kangaroo Apple in Australia. It is in the same family as eggplant and aubergine. Another well known component is melaleuca oil 0.1%, an anti-microbial from the Ti or "Tea" Tree (melaleuca alternifolia). Linoleic acid 0.05%, a polyunsaturated fat found in canola oil is present as well. The fourth ingredient, urea 5%, is one of the chief nitrogen-carrying components of urine, formed by the breakdown of protein molecules. Its role in CURADERM is to increase the amount of water in the skin. As the cancer cells are killed they are encouraged to slough by the action of salicylic acid 10%, the same ingredient found in Compound W, at 17%.

CURADERM is officially marketed as a treatment for horny growths on skin, known as keratosis, and for sunspots. The area being treated is cleansed first, preferably with CURA CLEANSE antiseptic gel, then washed with water and dried. A thick layer of CURADERM is then applied and the area is covered by a simple dressing. The area may tingle or feel painful for 30-60 minutes after application. The treated area usually gets red, then ulcerates and erodes away as the cells die. Scar tissue will then fill in the defect.

Surrounding skin which is normal must be protected during treatment with CURADERM. It is not recommended for use on melanomas, moles or highly pigmented lesions or near the eyes or lips. Pregnant women or persons with allergies to any of the ingredients should not use this product.

CURADERM was available over-the-counter in Australia until a campaign by dermatologists prompted the Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia's FDA) to classify it as an S4, or perscription only medication. It is currently being used in Australia, Holland and Indonesia. Masters Marketing Company in England markets CURADERM in countries other than Australia. (Phone number : +44 181 424 9400) The CURACEL home page on the Internet is http://iccu6.ipswich.gil.com.au/comm/curacel and it includes a link to pre and post-treatment photos of actual patients. Other sites concerning this product may be found by searching for "Curaderm" using HotBot at http://www.hotbot.com.