In everyday life, people often encounter burn injuries to the skin. Regardless of their severity, the victim must immediately provide first aid (see first aid for burns). The burn site should be cooled with water and then an antiseptic bandage should be applied. Damaged tissues are also treated with various medications. Levomekol ointment for burns is used to avoid the risk of inflammatory and infectious processes.
Action and components
The use of this drug began in the 20th century, in the 70s. The effectiveness of treatment with Levomekol can be explained by the fact that it contains:
- Methyluracil. This component is an immunostimulant. Thanks to it, metabolism is normalized in areas of cellular damage, the ability of the epidermis to regenerate increases and the production of interferon begins, which helps to increase the protective properties of the skin.
- Chloramphenicol. This antibiotic is capable of destroying a wide range of pathogenic microflora. The component has a detrimental effect on Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as well as staphylococci.
If you treat burns with this ointment, the healing and scarring of the wound will go much faster. In addition, the drug does not allow bacteria to multiply and relieves the inflammatory process.
Using Levomekol ointment for burn injuries will not harm the biological membranes of skin cells. Its therapeutic properties do not change even if there is pus in the wound. Thanks to this, the drug can be used even if a person has a third or fourth degree injury (see 4th degree burn).
Levomekol is intended for external use. All its components are absolutely safe, so it can be applied even to the skin of a newborn baby. After using the drug, pathogenic microorganisms continue to die for 20 hours.
Correct treatment
Burn injuries to the skin are divided into 4 degrees of severity (see degrees of skin burns). During the first two stages, the victim's skin turns red and small blisters appear on it. Grades 3 and 4 are characterized by deep tissue damage. In this situation, the processes of treatment and restoration of the skin last a very long time. With such injuries, you must consult a doctor who will prescribe a course of treatment. In the process, not only drugs for external use are used, but also internal ones. For 1st and 2nd degree burns, treatment can be carried out at home.
You can smear the burn site with Levomekol from the first minutes after the incident, but first the wound must be placed under cold water for some time. The drug is used 1-2 times a day. The process of recovery and regeneration of the skin depends on the depth of tissue damage and the correct use of the drug. There are instructions for using Levomekol, following which you can speed up the healing process:
- The burn area is carefully blotted using a sterile gauze pad. Only after this can medications be applied to it.
- If the wound contains dead tissue or purulent masses, it is washed with an antiseptic before application. For treatment, you can use furatsilin, chlorhexidine or hydrogen peroxide.
- Levomekol burn ointment is applied to a dry wound. The layer of the drug should be thin.
- A gauze bandage is applied to the treated area of the body. To fix it, you can use an adhesive plaster or bandage.
Complete restoration of the skin after a 1-2 degree burn occurs in approximately 14 days.
Application and side effects
The drug Levomekol is used both in cases of mild damage and in severe burn wounds. Using it, you can not only achieve rapid wound healing, but also cleanse it of pus and pathogens. In addition, burn ointment quickly relieves swelling.
Before starting treatment, it is necessary to check the expiration date of the drug, its consistency and color. The ointment should be even white. There are no contraindications to its use; an overdose will also not harm the body.
It happens that a person has an individual intolerance to any component of the ointment. In such cases, an allergic reaction may occur. If swelling and itching appear, and the skin turns red, you need to wash Levomekol off the body using plenty of water. After this, you need to consult a doctor who will help you choose another drug.
Sometimes the question may arise: is it possible for pregnant women and nursing mothers to use this drug? In these cases there are also no contraindications. Therefore, such patients can safely use this ointment for burns. However, it is necessary to carefully monitor the health of the victim. At the slightest manifestation of an allergic reaction, you must stop using the drug.
Levomekol should be in every first aid kit. With an active or passive lifestyle, a person can get injured. One of the most common problems in everyday life is thermal or chemical injury. Levomekol will ease suffering and speed up healing for burns.
Levomekol instructions for use
Any drug must be used strictly as directed. There are instructions for use for this. The information sheet provides a description. The instructions describe in detail how to use Levomekol.
The buyer who purchased the ointment will evaluate it after studying the instructions. By providing assistance, he will be able to do everything correctly, as required by the rules. It is possible that the use of Levomekol in the form of an ointment for burns is prohibited by the instructions for use. Prohibitions may apply to certain categories of patients, children, nursing mothers or pregnant women.
Levomikol during pregnancy
Expectant mothers demonstrate a responsible attitude towards their position. But life is unpredictable, and an accidental injury with a hot object poses a question to a woman: is it possible to apply Levomekol? The answer is in the annotation for the remedy. The instructions contain tips, indications and contraindications. It says that you can safely smear the injury with Levomekol for pregnant women and during lactation. The permission is justified by the external method of use, which does not cause systemic absorption.
The properties of helping against skin damage are not limited to this injury. Soothes itching if bitten by a bee or other insect Levomekol. The ointment will help against the effects of poisonous plants.
Advice for expectant mothers: when going outdoors, take this indispensable tool with you. Levomekol can be recommended for sinusitis, otitis, and pustules.
Levomekol for children
It is not dangerous to use if children are affected. The smeared area should be bandaged to prevent the medicine from getting into your mouth or eyes. The pharmacological advantage is that the drug helps with pain and the consequences of injury. The elixir fights pathology, dries out rashes and diaper rash.
Use for infants
What age is considered permitted and can the external remedy be used for infants?
A universal healing and disinfectant can be given from birth, from the moment the umbilical cord is treated.
Attention! Any medicine can cause a negative reaction, primarily in children. Before treating your child, consult your doctor about side effects and instructions for use.
Use of Levomekol for burns
There is a well-known saying among doctors: Levomekol helps the surgeon. However, instruments sparkling with steel will not frighten the patient if trouble happens to him. After all, instead of surgical accessories, they open a jar of Levomekol, the contents of which can be used by following a simple algorithm of actions. It is necessary to understand that the external component is intended for 2-3 degrees of injury. In other, more severe cases, it is given in addition to general therapy.
How to use Levomekol using available means
Many people know what unbearable pain skin burning causes. Levomekol for burns will relieve her from the first minutes of the tragedy. But first you need to make sure the degree of damage to the skin. A deep wound above grade 3 requires immediate transportation to a hospital or emergency room. But redness of the body, swelling of the skin, blisters - you can cope with such symptoms on your own.
- Immerse the limb in cold water or pour it on the sore surface. Ice and snow are prohibited.
- Squeeze the contents of the tube onto a sterile cloth or gauze.
- Distribute so that the healing effect covers the injury and healthy space around.
- Apply Levomekol to the burn, covering the healthy surface.
- Secure with dressing material.
- Carry out the treatment twice a day until healing.
The structure of the drug consists of active substances that help reduce inflammation. The more competently the elixir is handled, the stronger the antimicrobial blockade.
Composition of Levomekol ointment
As with any antibacterial medicine, Levomekol ointment contains an antibiotic. An immunostimulating substance is provided for the regeneration of damaged tissues. It contains two active components:
- antibiotic – chloramphenicol (chloramphenicol);
- anti-inflammatory – methyluracil.
The pharmacological tandem accelerates the healing process of the lesion, thanks to the unique properties of each.
How Levomekol helps with burns
The creamy effect of the medicine is given by the aqueous base in combination with hydrophilic substances. The medication is combined with other medications. It is easy to wash off from damaged skin and easy to apply Levomekol. A wound treated with an effective elixir stops causing pain after 5 days. We are talking about minor injury, not 4th degree. In severe cases, this drug serves as an addition to the main treatment. The drug can be used in a pharmacological complex as prescribed by a doctor. The ability of chloramphenicol to quickly restore tissue is especially important at the household level.
Boiling water burn
Surely everyone has such cases of trauma in their memory. In case of burns with boiling water, it is important to immediately pour water on the damaged part of the body until the pain subsides. The injury is characterized by the formation of blisters with fluid inside. They cannot be opened to avoid infection, but they must be treated with medication. For 2nd degree injuries, which is scalding with hot liquid, it performs its function perfectly. Applied to blisters, it leaves only a small mark and sad memories.
Chemical burn
Unlike burns with boiling water, an injury resulting from careless handling of acid, alkali, or reagents can leave a person permanently crippled. When attacked by chemicals, its purpose is first aid. The water-repellent composition will not provoke chemicals that come into contact with the skin. This means that when asked: is it possible to smear vinegar or lime on the body if it gets on your body, experts will say “yes” and send you to a medical facility.
Other types of burns
Knowing what type a particular case belongs to, you can help a person. Or cause harm with an unusual medicinal drug.
Solar
It is necessary to use Levomekol if you are overheated in the sun. Ointment for injury after excessive sunbathing is applied in a thin layer to the blisters.
Herbal
Plant injury is a chemical type. Unlike reagents, for which Levomekol burn ointment is only first aid, the practice of the drug is effective for burns from poisonous plants and subsequent rehabilitation.
Contraindications and side effects
The medicine is made from components that may cause individual intolerance. Contraindications and side effects are characterized by allergic reactions: rash, itching. How do you know that the injuries you receive will not turn into problems? Test on a small area of a healthy body. The exam will show whether another product can be used or should be applied.
The time-tested medicine enjoys credibility among patients. Demand is strengthened by an affordable price - no higher than 120 rubles with high efficiency and a wide range of operation.
Levomekol ointment is an effective medicine with antibacterial and regenerating effects. This local drug is used in surgery, gynecology, dentistry, and otolaryngology. Levomekol helps cope with burns and various damage to the skin and mucous membranes, and stops the inflammatory process.
Composition of the drug
Levomekol ointment looks like a homogeneous mass of a white-yellowish tint. It is packaged in metal tubes or dark glass jars. The active components of the drug are chloramphenicol and methyluracil.
The first substance belongs to the group of antibiotics, which has a wide spectrum of action. It is effective against many pathogenic microorganisms, such as Shigella, which cause dysentery.
Methyluracil stimulates metabolism between cells and accelerates tissue healing. In addition, Levomekol contains additional components: polyethylene oxide-400 and polyethylene oxide-1500.
They are responsible for the uniform distribution of active components throughout the mass, accelerate their penetration inside, and make it easy to distribute the product on the damaged area.
pharmachologic effect
The combined drug has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and regenerating effects. The therapeutic effect of Levomekol is due to the properties of its components.
Chloramphenicol captures and destroys a large number of pathogenic microorganisms, including gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria (staphylococcus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, etc.).
Methyluracil promotes the production of interferon by cells, increases local immunity. This component accelerates the restoration of damaged tissues and has an anti-inflammatory effect.
The ointment penetrates deep into the epidermis without damaging cell membranes, accelerating healing. If there is pus or dead cells on the damaged area, the therapeutic effect of the drug remains. Polyethylene oxides complement Levomekol with a dehydration effect.
Indications for use
As mentioned earlier, Levomekol is widely used in various fields of medicine. And all thanks to the fact that the product acts carefully and effectively. The drug is indicated in the following cases:
- Stitches after surgery;
- Injuries, burns;
- Wounds in which pus, swelling and tissue necrosis are observed;
- Skin ulceration;
- Removal or implantation of teeth (prevention of inflammatory processes);
- Mouth ulcers;
- Runny nose or sinusitis of bacterial origin;
- Acne, boils;
- Stomatitis (damage to the oral mucosa) and other inflammatory processes in the mouth;
- Periodontal disease (deep damage to the periodontal tissue);
- Injuries and damage after difficult childbirth;
- Acceleration of tissue healing and prevention of infection after genital surgery;
- Necrosis of soft tissues caused by constant pressure, local circulatory disorders (bedsores).
In addition, Levomekol is used in the treatment of advanced forms of hemorrhoids. The ointment is effective in the fight against calluses, herpes, and helps get rid of purulent ulcers. It is used for lymphadenopathy (inflammation of the lymph nodes).
Contraindications
The reactogenicity of Levomekol ointment is minimal, so it rarely causes negative reactions after use. The only contraindication to the use of the medication is an allergy to active or additional substances. In this case, after its use, side effects will certainly appear.
It is also not recommended for use in children under 3 years of age. In addition, it is better to avoid the drug if the patient has psoriasis or fungal skin lesions.
Possible side effects
Negative reactions after treating the skin with Levomekol occur extremely rarely. They may occur as a result of hypersensitivity to the substances of the drug (most often to chloramphenicol).
Adverse reactions after using Levomekol:
- Rash on the skin;
- Itching, burning;
- Swelling, Quincke's edema;
- Redness of the skin;
- Dermatitis;
- Nettle fever.
These manifestations appear at the site of exposure to the ointment. Sometimes they are accompanied by weakness.
In most cases, there is no need to abandon the drug; a specialist will assess the patient’s condition and adjust treatment tactics. Most often, Levomekol is well tolerated by patients without causing negative reactions.
Instructions for use of Levomekol ointment for burns
Burns are divided into 4 degrees of severity. With a grade 1-2 injury, the skin turns red and blisters appear. With a 3rd - 4th degree burn, not only the skin is damaged, but also the muscles and bones. In all cases, Levomekol ointment can be used, but for burns of 3–4 degrees, the drug is used only after a doctor’s prescription.
Levomekol ointment for burns is applied twice or three times a day. The rate of tissue healing depends on the depth of soft tissue damage and compliance with the rules for using the drug. 1st - 2nd degree burns can be treated independently at home with Levomekol. Instructions for use of Levomekol ointment for solar, thermal and chemical burns:
- Rinse the affected area with cold water, blot it with gauze or bandage. Only after this can the affected area be treated with medications;
- If there is pus or necrotic tissue at the burn site, wash it with an antiseptic solution. For this purpose, you can use Furacilin, Chlorhexidine, Hydrogen Peroxide;
- Apply a thin layer of ointment on a sterile bandage;
- Apply to the damaged area like thisso that not only damaged, but also healthy tissues are covered (by 2 cm);
- Secure the bandage on top a few more layers of bandage.
The homogeneous mass is evenly distributed over the affected area of the skin, envelops it, penetrating deeply. The therapeutic effect lasts for 20 hours, then the bandage needs to be changed or a new layer of product applied.
Levomekol can be used to heal purulent or severe burns, as the ointment cleanses the damaged area of purulent exudate, necrotic masses, dried blood, and pathogenic microorganisms. Levomekol ointment also helps relieve swelling for burns.
Chemical
Chemical burns appear after exposure to substances that have a pronounced cauterizing effect (concentrated acids, alkalis, salts of heavy metals, etc.). A person usually receives such injuries at work.
Levomekol ointment is allowed to be used to treat chemical burns, since it is water-based and does not come into contact with reagents. If a chemical burn occurs, you should act according to the standard plan:
- The damaged area is washed with cold water;
- Then a thin layer of ointment is applied to a piece of bandage or gauze;
- Then the bandage is applied to the sore spot and secured on top with a bandage or adhesive plaster.
If you don’t have a bandage at hand, then Levomekol ointment can be spread on the burn area and then covered with a clean cloth.
Thermal
Such injuries are more common in everyday life, and children often suffer them. Levomekol ointment for burns with boiling water, steam or another heat source will help stop or weaken the inflammatory process, relieve pain, and destroy pathogenic microorganisms in the damaged area.
As in the previous case, the ointment is applied to the affected area only after rinsing it with cold water. Then the burn site is blotted with a towel; Levomekol should not be applied to a wet wound. After this, the ointment is applied in a thin layer to the skin or bandage.
It is forbidden to burst them; simply lubricate them with ointment or apply a bandage with Levomekol. After some time, the bubbles will burst on their own. The bandage should be changed at intervals of 20 hours; if possible, this can be done more often. For the use of Levomekol ointment for a burn in a child, watch the video:
FAQ
People who have not yet used Levomekol ointment have a lot of questions about the drug. They are interested in how much the medicine costs. Its price is quite affordable, which is good news.
People who suffer from allergies to the components of Levomekol have a question about what can replace it. There are a large number of analogues that have a similar effect.
Some patients are interested in what helps more with burns and wounds: Panthenol or Levomekol. And nursing mothers and pregnant women are wondering whether they can use the medicine. You will find answers to these questions below.
How much does Levomekol cost?
Levomekol is a long-known effective drug that has a low cost. The final price depends on the region, manufacturer and dosage. As a rule, for home use, the drug is purchased in a metal tube with a dosage of 40 g.
In Moscow, the cost of Levomekol ointment starts from 90 rubles, and in St. Petersburg – from 100 rubles. The drug in packages of 100 and 1000 g is usually used by doctors.
Analogues of the drug
If you are hypersensitive to the components of Levomekol, you should choose a more suitable ointment. There are many drugs that have a similar mechanism of action:
- Levomethyl – an absolute analogue of Levomekol in composition and action;
- Netran also repeats the composition and action of Levomekol;
- Levosin has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic effect. Levomycetin in the composition helps destroy bacteria.
- Lingezin based on lincomycin and gentamicin, it has antibacterial and proteolytic effects;
- Streptonitol contains streptocide and nitazol, which help stop purulent-inflammatory processes;
- Salicylic-zinc paste based on salicylic acid and zinc oxide, it has an anti-inflammatory, disinfecting, keratolytic (softens the stratum corneum) effect. There are no antibiotics in the composition.
Which ointment is better Panthenol or Levomekol
Burns are common injuries, so patients are interested in whether Panthenol or Levomekol is better for burns. We are talking about popular drugs called Panthenol and Levomekol. There is no definite answer to this question, since much depends on the type of damage and the individual characteristics of the body.
Panthenol helps with chemical, thermal and sun burns. The main component of the drug, dexpanthenol, restores cellular metabolism, has a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect, and accelerates tissue healing.
Levomekol will also help with all types of burns (especially with chemical ones). The product has a pronounced antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effect.
When used, burn injuries rarely fester, since chloramphenicol quickly destroys pathogenic microorganisms. And methyluracil accelerates cell division, increases the level of leukocytes, which helps stop inflammation and accelerate tissue regeneration.
The ointment prevents infection from developing and accelerates the healing of damaged tissue. But, if the patient is allergic to its components, then it is better to give preference to Panthenol.
Can it be used during pregnancy and breastfeeding?
The question of whether Levomekol can be used during pregnancy and lactation is quite relevant. In most cases, the drug is approved for use, since it acts locally and is not absorbed into the bloodstream, which means it does not affect the development of the fetus and infant. The likelihood of negative effects increases only with long-term treatment.
If the wounds are large, then the decision to prescribe medication is made by the doctor, taking into account the benefits for the mother and the risk for the child. If the likelihood of a negative effect of the ointment on the fetus or infant is high, then safer means are used for long-term treatment.
Levomekol is an affordable and effective drug for the treatment of damage to the skin and mucous membranes.
It is used to heal wounds, burns, relieve inflammation and pain. The ointment is evenly distributed over the damaged area, quickly penetrates into the deep layers of the dermis, where it has a howling effect. This remedy is effective even when wounds are suppurated.
If after using the ointment you notice a rash, redness, or itching, then rinse the area with water and consult a doctor. If you are allergic to Levomekol, ask your specialist to select a more suitable drug with a similar effect. Pregnant and nursing mothers and children under 3 years of age should obtain a doctor’s approval before using the drug.
Victor Systemov - expert of the 1Travmpunkt site