What antibiotics for 2nd degree burns?

Antibiotics for burns are prescribed to speed up the recovery process and prevent complications. The action of such drugs is aimed at preventing infectious lesions on the surface of wounds. This eliminates inflammatory processes and also accelerates tissue regeneration, preventing the appearance of scars.

Indications for use

In what cases are antibiotics prescribed for burns?

A mandatory part of the treatment of second-degree burns is the use of various ointments and solutions. Antibacterial agents for local use are prescribed for the treatment of deep skin lesions, the coverage area of ​​which is at least 10% of the body.

In addition, antibiotic drugs are recommended in the following situations:

  1. Electrical injuries.
  2. Thermal burns, including steam, hot objects, oil and boiling water.
  3. Burns caused by exposure to various chemical compounds. These can be alkalis, acids, iodine, mustard plasters, etc.

In addition, antibacterial drugs are always prescribed for open wounds and blisters. This helps stop the development of a bacterial infection, as well as eliminate the resulting inflammatory process.

When should ointments not be used?

Antibacterial ointments are not used in cases where the burn is assessed as first degree and the integrity of the skin is not compromised. The prescription of antibiotics for bacterial burns should be made by a doctor, who is based on the results of the examination of the patient. In this case, the specialist takes into account such aspects as the area and depth of the injuries received, the stage and degree of the burn, the presence of complications, the age and health indicators of the patient, the presence of allergies and hypersensitivity of the skin.

The use of antibacterial drugs makes it possible to suppress the development of infectious processes that occur with extensive and deep damage to the skin. Taking antibiotics for burns helps eliminate inflammation, which speeds up the regeneration process.

Local preparations

A specialist will help you choose the optimal antibiotic based product depending on the extent and depth of skin damage. There are different options of medications for treating burn lesions including ointments, dressings, tablets, etc.

Let's look at the most popular sprays and ointments with antibiotics for burns.

Thermal burns are best treated with aerosols, creams, and ointments that have an anesthetic and antimicrobial effect. The most commonly used drugs are:

  1. Ointments, the main component of which is silver sulfadiazine - “Silvederm”, “Dermazin”, etc.
  2. Creams with an antibacterial effect - “Cloromicol”, “Levomekol”. These products help cleanse wounds of pus and accelerate the regeneration process.
  3. "Olazol" in the form of an aerosol, "Levosin" in the form of an ointment. The composition, in addition to antibacterial substances, includes analgesic components, which is very important in the treatment of deep and extensive skin damage.
  4. The most accessible and effective antibiotics for treating burns are Tetracycline and Levomycetin. These drugs are also produced in ointment form. Antibiotics have a wide spectrum of antibacterial activity against most pathogenic microorganisms. Most drugs prescribed for the treatment of burns are prepared on the basis of chloramphenicol or tetracycline.
  5. To stop the infection at the initial stage, ointments such as “Streptonitol”, “Dioxidin” and “Gentamicin ointment” are used.

In some cases, only local treatment of the affected skin is not enough, so other options for antibacterial therapy are prescribed.

What other treatment is used for bacterial burns with antibiotics?

Preparations for oral administration

To enhance the effect of topical medications, the doctor may decide to prescribe oral medications. Against the background of damage to the epidermis by third or fourth degree burns, body temperature rises, nausea and vomiting occur, the body’s immune properties are weakened and resistance to various infections is reduced. All these factors lead to longer wound healing. Taking antibiotics orally maintains the body in a state capable of resisting pathogenic microflora.

Your doctor will tell you which antibiotic to choose for a burn.

The following antibacterial drugs are most often prescribed for the treatment of burns:

  1. "Ceclor" and "Cefazolin". These drugs have a low level of toxicity. They have a minimal list of contraindications and can be prescribed to treat burns covering no more than 15% of the body.
  2. To prevent infectious lesions, penicillin-based drugs are prescribed. "Bicillin" effectively relieves inflammation, redness, swelling, pain and removes exudate.
  3. To spur regeneration processes, the patient is advised to take Ampicillin and Amoxicillin. These antibiotics are effective for burns with boiling water.
  4. If burns are assessed as third degree of severity, Cefixime and Ceftriaxone are prescribed.
  5. To prevent complications, as well as the development of bacterial infection, Fluconazole, Nystatin and Metronidazole can be used.

Risk group

Treatment of burns should be prescribed by a specialist, since independent use of antibacterial drugs can cause complications and delay recovery. Elderly patients, children, and women during gestation and breastfeeding are at particular risk.

It should be taken into account that oral antibiotics are prescribed after third-degree burns. In the first and second cases, taking drugs orally is not advisable.

Anti-burn dressings

The pharmaceutical market also offers dressings impregnated with analgesic and antibacterial ointments and solutions. Applications help prevent scarring and speed up the healing process of wounds. Most often, doctors prescribe the following antibacterial dressings:

  1. "Branolind." The composition includes Peruvian balsam, which has a powerful antibacterial effect. The bandage is often used to treat thermal household burns.
  2. “Voskorpan” with levomekol ointment. The drug is made on the basis of beeswax, which ensures rapid healing and removal of exudate.
  3. "Activtex" is a dressing material with a powerful antiseptic and analgesic effect. One bandage remains effective for three days. The bandage helps prevent complications from burns.

Infectious lesions are not treated with antiseptic dressings. Their action is aimed at protecting the wound from infection. Bandages can cause an allergic reaction and also have a number of contraindications, so they should be used with caution.

Special Recommendations

Treating burns with antibiotics minimizes the risk of complications. Preparations based on antibacterial substances are potent, and therefore have a number of contraindications for use. In addition, with the use of antibiotics, adverse reactions and overdose cannot be ruled out.

To prevent complications, a number of recommendations must be followed when treating burns:

  1. You should not start taking antibiotics for first-degree burns. If the integrity of the skin has not been compromised, there are no open wounds or blisters, conventional drugs for local use are sufficient for treatment. The best option would be Panthenol aerosol.
  2. Avoid using oils and fatty creams to treat affected skin areas.
  3. Do not squeeze the contents of blisters or open formations in unsanitary conditions.
  4. Antibacterial drugs should not be given to a child under three years of age unless this is included in the therapeutic regimen prescribed by the doctor.

Prevention of complications

The inclusion of antibacterial drugs in the treatment regimen for burns can significantly alleviate the patient’s condition and relieve the severity of symptoms. In addition, such treatment prevents complications. Antibiotics are prescribed strictly in consultation with the doctor after examination.

Reviews

There are different reviews about the treatment of burns with antibiotics. Experts consider this an effective way to prevent infections and speed up the healing process, especially when it comes to extensive and serious injuries. Doctors warn against independent use of antibacterial drugs, even those intended for local use.

Patients also respond positively to antibiotics for burns. Many are helped by the simplest and most common options, like the mentioned tetracycline and chloramphenicol. Others require a combination of several antibiotics or stronger medications.

The situation is worse with the treatment of advanced and severe cases when the skin lesions are too extensive. In such a condition, antibiotics can be dangerous to the life and health of the patient.

Antibiotics for burns are medications that are prescribed to heal the affected areas of the skin. They are aimed at suppressing infection in the wound. The spread of microbes slows down the restoration of the epidermis and leads to the formation of scars, which subsequently remain unchanged.

How to use antibiotics for burns

Antibiotics are recommended for use only for 1-2 degree burn injuries. This method of treatment is inappropriate for stages 2-3, as well as with deep affected areas, the localization of which exceeds 10-15% of the body.

In a hospital setting, the doctor will determine the stage of thermal damage to the epidermis and create a comprehensive treatment.

The doctor decides whether to prescribe antibiotics for a 2nd degree burn, citing the following factors:

  1. age;
  2. chronic diseases (diabetes), infections;
  3. extent of thermal damage and localization zone;
  4. sensitivity and allergy to a particular drug.

Features of use for burns of 2 and 3 degrees

Antibiotics for 2nd and 3rd degree burns are allowed to be used if the affected area is small. For home treatment, it is necessary to maintain sterility to prevent infection.

In everyday life, antibiotics are used for burns with boiling water. Unpleasant incidents often occur in young children, less often in adolescents.

Antibiotics help strengthen the immune system and fight pathogenic microorganisms. If they are not used, it is possible to get complications in the form of pneumonia, sepsis, lymphadenitis.

For rapid wound healing, external antibacterial ointments and creams, homemade tinctures, and solutions are taken together.

Antibiotics for external use

Topical antibiotics (those that pass through the esophagus) have an antimicrobial effect. Here is a list of the most popular drugs:

  1. Ointments containing silver sulfadiazine. These include drugs such as Sulfadiazine, Silvederm, Dermazin.
  2. Iodopirone and Iodovidone. They have a strengthening effect on the immune system; such solutions with a 1% concentration are most often prescribed. Used after treating a sunburn with antiseptics such as Furacilin, Miramistin and Chlorhexidine.
  3. Ointments Levomekol, Levosin, Clormikol.
  4. Drugs that eliminate the source of infection when burn blisters begin to burst. These include Dioxidin, Streptonitol (contains nitazol) and gentamicin ointment.

All products are suitable for external use at home. Before use, you should consult your doctor for any contraindications or allergic reactions.

Preparations for systemic use

Internal medications have a stronger effect than topical medications.

When burns occur, the body's immunity decreases, resulting in complications such as nausea and high fever, and scars may not heal for a long time. Internal antibiotics are needed to normalize the functions of the immune system. They are prescribed by a doctor in combination with antiseptic ointments and creams.

Medicine offers many drugs in tablet form. We do not recommend taking pills on your own; consult your doctor.

List of the most effective antibiotics for various degrees of thermal and chemical skin damage:

  1. Ceclor, Cefuroxime, Cefazolin. The drugs are non-toxic and have virtually no contraindications; they are used in the first and second stages, as well as for toxicemia.
  2. Bicillin. Kills the root of infection in the wound due to the main component in the composition - penicillin. Relieves swelling and itching.
  3. Amoxicillin and disodium salt, Ampicillin. Prevents the development of sepsis and promotes rapid restoration of the skin on the arms and legs.
  4. Aminoglycosides, which belong to the second generation, contain a beta-lactam substance. In the pharmacy they are found under the names Unazin and Sulacillin.
  5. Cefixime, Cefotaxime, Ceftriaxone. Treat third stages of burn injuries.
  6. Nystatin, Fluconazole. Used for complications after healing, such as fungal infection.
  7. Clindamycin and Metronidazole. Prescribed for an infection that quickly spreads throughout the body.

This is not the entire list of medications prescribed for burn injuries. More often, the doctor recommends undergoing a course of therapy, which consists of taking several medications. At the third stage of burns, when the wound area is too large, hospitalization is recommended. Home treatment in such cases will be ineffective and life-threatening.

Contraindications

If you act incorrectly when dealing with burn injuries, you can cause irreparable harm to your health and appearance. To prevent this from happening, consider several general contraindications:

  1. It is forbidden to lubricate wounds with fatty creams or oils;
  2. It is not recommended to apply ice cubes to burns, this can cause frostbite of the tissue;
  3. It is forbidden to press or open blisters on the body yourself;
  4. It is prohibited to use alternative medicine recipes without the approval of a doctor;
  5. It is prohibited to use external products for the eyes, throat and other mucous membranes;
  6. It is not recommended to give antibiotics to a child under three years of age.

Antibiotics for burns are prescribed for speedy healing without complications. The purpose of their action is to eliminate and prevent infections in the wound surface. Thanks to this, inflammation is eliminated, tissues are restored faster, and there are no scars.

When are antibacterial drugs prescribed?

External remedies are considered mandatory for grade 2 injuries. Such medications are prescribed for deep wound surfaces, the area of ​​which exceeds 10% of the body.

Antibiotics for burns are suggested in the following cases:

  1. Electrical injuries (electric shock).
  2. Damage caused by steam, hot objects, burns from boiling water, oil.
  3. Wounds caused by chemical agents: acids, alkalis, cleaning agents, mustard plasters, iodine, etc.

Antibiotics for 2nd degree burns are necessarily prescribed when blisters or open wounds appear. To prevent the proliferation of a bacterial infection, or to combat the resulting inflammation.

There is no need to apply antibacterial agents for grade I injuries when the integrity of the skin is not compromised.

An antibiotic for burns should be prescribed exclusively by a doctor, based on a comprehensive examination. In this case, the treating therapist takes into account:

  1. Depth and area of ​​damage.
  2. Stage of injury development.
  3. The appearance of complications.
  4. Age and clinical characteristics of the victim.
  5. Associated skin pathologies.
  6. Sensitivity and allergies.

Use of drugs

Antibiotics for burns suppress pathological infectious processes in deep and extensive injuries. This promotes improved, rapid regeneration of the skin and elimination of inflammation.

It is best to ask your doctor which antibiotics to take, especially if the burned areas are large and deep. Depending on medical indications and convenience, medications can be used in the form of ointments, tablets, and special dressings.

External use

The most effective medications for thermal wounds, in the form of aerosols, ointments, creams, have an antimicrobial and anesthetic effect.

Among the most effective antibiotics are:

  1. Ointments developed on the basis of silver sulfadiazine: “Dermazin”, “Silvederm”.
  2. Antibacterial creams “Levomekol”, “Cloromicol” help in cleansing purulent wounds and speeding up their healing.
  3. Levosin ointment, Olazol aerosol, in addition to antibiotics, these drugs contain painkillers with local anesthetic properties, which are extremely necessary for deep and extensive injuries.
  4. The most accessible and effective antibiotics for burns are “Levomycetin gel” and “Tetracycline ointment”; they are broad-spectrum drugs that are active against many pathogenic microorganisms. Most antibacterial agents recommended for use after a deep burn are based on these active ingredients, but have different commercial names and pharmaceutical manufacturers.
  5. To eliminate the first symptoms of a developing infection (when blisters appear), use Dioxidin, Gentamicin Ointment, and Streptonitol.

Medicines for internal use

To enhance the effect of antibiotic-based ointments, an appropriate course of tablets is prescribed. When burn lesions of the epidermis of III-IV severity occur, body temperature rises, nausea, vomiting and a sharp weakening of the immune system appear, the body is not able to cope with various infections. Due to this, recovery is slow and wounds take a long time to heal. Antibacterial drugs for such symptoms can prevent or eliminate inflammation and speed up recovery.

The most effective antibiotics for burns for various degrees of skin damage:

  1. Medicines prescribed for stage II-III wounds, for toxicemia - “Ceclor”, “Cefazolin”. The drugs have a minimal level of toxicity, have no restrictions on use, and are used for deep burns of more than 10-15% of the total body area.
  2. To effectively eliminate the infection at the very beginning, penicillin-based drugs, for example, Bicillin, are needed. This medicine is effective for the symptoms of inflammation: swelling, redness, pain, exudate.
  3. To enhance the regeneration properties of the skin, Amoxicycline and Ampicillin are prescribed.
  4. For third degree burn injuries, drugs such as Ceftriaxone and Cefixime are better suited.
  5. To prevent and eliminate complications, the development of a bacterial infection, Nystatin, Fluconazole, Metronidazole are suitable.

Any antibiotics for skin burns should be prescribed by a doctor; independent use can have negative consequences. Particular care should be taken in sensitive groups of patients: the elderly, children, pregnant women and during breastfeeding.

Important! There is no need to use antibiotics internally for 2nd degree burns. With such symptoms, external application of an antibacterial agent is sufficient to prevent infection.

Anti-burn applications

Ready-made dressings with anesthetic and antibacterial components are offered for sale, which significantly speed up the healing process and prevent the formation of scars:

  1. The Branolind dressing contains Peruvian balsam, due to which it has a strong antiseptic effect; it is often used as a local antibiotic for burns with boiling water and steam.
  2. The Voskopran mesh with Levomekol ointment based on beeswax guarantees speedy healing and high-quality outflow of exudate.
  3. Antibacterial dressing material "Activtex" has high analgesic characteristics. One such bandage protects against infectious complications from burns for 72 hours.

It is not recommended to use special dressings to treat infection; in most cases, they are designed to prevent the proliferation of pathogenic microflora. They should be selected taking into account contraindications and hypersensitivity to the components, according to the instructions.

Contraindications

By using antibiotics for burns, severe complications can be avoided. These are effective and potent drugs that have some restrictions on their use. They will help cause side effects, overdose.

It is necessary to follow some recommendations to prevent complications:

  1. Antibiotics should not be used for first degree burns. When the integrity of the skin is not compromised, there are no blisters or open wounds, it is sufficient to use a specialized drug, for example, Panthenol.
  2. Do not use rich creams and oils to treat the burned skin layer.
  3. Do not press on blisters or open them in unsanitary conditions.
  4. It is not recommended to use any medications for children under 3 years of age without consulting a pediatrician.

The use of antibiotics in the complex treatment of burns makes it possible to reduce the severity of symptoms and prevent complications. What antibiotics to take for burns is chosen by the attending physician after diagnosis, depending on the level of damage.