Ruth Orji
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Claim: Tilapia skin can help burns heal.
Last week, a YouTube channel, @BoneDoctor_Youtube made a post claiming tha fish skin, especially the Tilapia skin can aid burns heal faster, stating this as not just an AI test but a tested fact.
This post has since gathered 3,303,920 views; 1,700,000 likes; 1,178 comments; 200 shares.
NatureNews, Africa’s foremost newspaper on climate change, which is dedicated to providing accurate insights to stop the spread of fake news particularly among users of social media, subjected the claim to fact checking.
Findings: Using the Google search tool in conducting this research, NatureFact, the fact checking unit of NatureNews, accessed a few papers and studies.
A thorough fact-checking investigation has revealed that this claim is true.
@STAT said tilapia skin will be wrapped around the burnt areas like a band-aid and the healing process begins.
@PRSJournal says that the Nile Tilapia, a heavily abandoned type of fish is the most effective.
@VoiceofAmerica said that this methodology was first tested in Brazil and was effective.
@WCCO-CBSMinnesota states that it’s an unorthodox methodology that provides even faster healing than orthodox drugs.
@WCMSurgery said it doesn’t just heal humans, it can also heal animals that were caught in the wild fires.
@BFBSForcesNews acquiesced and added that it can also be used in treating combat wounds.
Tilapia skin has been explored as a potential treatment for burns, and the results are promising. Researchers have found that tilapia skin can serve as an innovative and cost-effective therapeutic alternative for burn victims, promoting vascularization and reducing bacterial infection.
In a study, mice with third-degree burns were treated with tilapia fish skin bandages, and the results showed that the fish skin groups exhibited twice as much vascularization and higher expression of antimicrobial defensin peptide compared to the control groups ¹. This means that the tilapia skin helped to increase blood flow to the wound and reduce the risk of infection.
The tilapia skin used in the study was prepared using a patented protocol, which involved cleaning, scraping, and treating the skin with glycerol to preserve it ¹. The skin was then applied to the wounds, and the results were impressive.
While more research is needed to confirm the effectiveness of tilapia skin for burn treatment in humans, the existing studies suggest that it could be a valuable and affordable option, especially for low-income communities.
Verdict: True. Fish skin can heal skin burns.
