What are the differences between using stripslashes(), mysql_real_escape_string, and a combination of both for escaping in PHP?

When dealing with user input in PHP, it is important to properly escape the data to prevent SQL injection attacks. The function `stripslashes()` is used to remove backslashes from a string, while `mysql_real_escape_string()` is used to escape special characters in a string for use in a SQL statement. Using a combination of both functions can provide an extra layer of security when handling user input.

$user_input = $_POST['user_input'];
$clean_input = mysql_real_escape_string(stripslashes($user_input));
// Now $clean_input can be safely used in a SQL query