Compound
You can purchase the medicine in 2 forms that differ in structure:
- ointment;
- emulsion.
The active component is the substance of the same name. The dosage of benzyl benzoate in 1 g of ointment is 200 mg. The same amount is contained in 1 g of solution. The drug in different dosage forms is quite concentrated. It contains 20% of the active component of the total amount of the substance. The ointment is available in 25 g tubes. The emulsion can be purchased in 200 g bottles.
How does it work and what does it help?
The drug is prescribed for skin infections caused by various ectoparasites. This is the name given to harmful organisms that live in the human or animal body. The product is also used against demodex mites. The active component in the drug is benzoic acid phenylmethyl ester. The structure is an oily, colorless liquid; upon application, discomfort is noted.
Main areas of application: pediculosis, scabies, phthiriasis. It is noted that if the head is affected by lice, the drug should be used in the form of an ointment. It is less convenient to use a liquid substance in this case. For scabies, it is permissible to use the drug in any form: ointment and emulsion are suitable.
The active substance in the drug is toxic, due to this, parasites are destroyed at different stages of development. The exception is nits. The protective shell of parasite eggs does not allow the toxic substance to pass through. If you need to get rid of lice and nits due to pediculosis, you should combine different methods: use a poisonous agent to kill adult lice, and use a special comb to remove nits from hair.
The drug acts relatively quickly. Adult ticks die no later than 32 minutes after treatment of the affected areas of the body. Under some conditions, the destruction of parasites occurs over a shorter period. So, sometimes insects die in 7 minutes.
Due to the structure of the body, it is more difficult to destroy lice. They remain viable for the next 5-7 hours after applying the substance to the affected areas of the body. It takes time for the active component to penetrate the chitinous integument of the parasites.
The long period is due to low absorption, which means that this substance does not enter the systemic bloodstream of lice and ticks. There is a gradual accumulation of poison in the body of the ectoparasite. When the amount of the active component reaches the maximum level, the pests die.
Contraindications and side effects
The ointment should not be rubbed into the skin if the patient has an individual intolerance to one or more active ingredients. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should consult your doctor. The drug is contraindicated for most patients. You cannot treat demodicosis with ointment if the patient is a child (under 6 years old). The drug is not used if there are pustular formations or wounds on the patient’s skin.
Side effects are extremely rare when used topically. The likelihood of their occurrence increases in the case of medication applications. The patient may feel a burning sensation, but it disappears on its own, without special influence, so you should not stop using the medicine. If a person has very sensitive skin, there is a risk of local reactions: this may be dryness of the upper layers of the epidermis, their redness, an itchy sensation immediately after treating the affected areas.
The occurrence of allergic reactions is possible. When side effects do not disappear on their own, you must stop taking the medication and contact a medical facility for qualified help. Most often, the appearance of an allergic reaction of the body (hives, rash, redness) is provoked by neglecting the instructions for the medication. You cannot increase the dosage, change it yourself, or violate the duration of the therapeutic course. Treatment is adjusted only by the attending physician.
When taking the ointment orally, disturbances in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract occur. In this case, it is necessary to rinse the stomach and take absorbents. Since local use of the drug does not threaten the absorption of benzyl benzoate components into the patient’s blood, cases of overdose are not observed.
Efficacy of Benzyl Benzoate
It is false to say that this drug is useless. It quickly destroys parasites. However, the effect only appears when adults are eliminated. If the pest nits are not destroyed, after a short period the symptoms of the infectious disease will appear again. This way you can treat a patient for a long time, but you won’t be able to get a consistently positive result, despite the high level of toxicity of the substance.
To achieve the desired effect, it is necessary to use the drug in question along with other means. If it is necessary to eliminate the symptoms of head lice, a hard comb with closely spaced teeth should be used simultaneously with benzyl benzoate. To treat scabies, you can use this remedy as monotherapy. At the same time, hygiene rules should be observed. If you follow these recommendations, you can get rid of parasites completely.
Side effect
When applying benzyl benzoate ointment topically, no adverse reactions are usually observed. However, when applying the drug, a burning sensation may occur, which goes away with further use of the ointment. In rare cases, people with sensitive skin may experience local skin reactions (burning or itching, redness or dryness of the skin area treated with the drug), as well as allergic skin reactions. If the above side effects do not go away on their own, the use of the drug must be discontinued.
How to use Benzyl benzoate?
Therapy continues for 4 days. At the end of this period, you can wash off the product. It is recommended to treat not only the affected areas, but also neighboring, healthy tissues. This will prevent the parasites from moving to other parts of the body.
Emulsion
Adults are recommended to use the product at a concentration of 20%. For the treatment of children, an emulsion or ointment of 10% is prescribed. Considering that the drug is not available in such a concentration, it is recommended to dilute the product with boiled water in a 1:1 ratio. The emulsion is applied in a thin layer. It can be rubbed into the skin, this will speed up the absorption of the substance.
Ointment
The rules for using the product in the form of an ointment are the same as in the case of an emulsion. This type of preparation is thicker. This means that its consumption when treating large areas of the body will increase. For this reason, this medicine is more often used for head lice. In this case, the ointment is used to treat the affected areas of the scalp, trying to apply it to the skin. There is no need to rinse off the substance. After a few hours (5-7) they move on to combing using a comb.
The frequency of treatment for pediculosis is 1 time per day. The duration of treatment is determined individually. In most cases, the product is used until all parasites are destroyed.
Considering that the drug is not available in 10% concentration, it is recommended to dilute the product with boiled water in a 1:1 ratio. The emulsion is applied in a thin layer.
Benzyl benzoate from demodex
The medicine is applied to areas of skin without hair. The procedure should be performed in the evening before bedtime. The patient must first take a shower, and it is important to thoroughly wash the skin with soap. Treatment of the body with the drug begins with the hands. Then the emulsion or ointment is applied to the torso and legs. After this, you need to put on clean underwear. If you do not adhere to these rules, the effectiveness of treatment will decrease.
The drug cannot be washed off. During the second and third days you can take a break from treatment. You are not allowed to shower during this period. On the fourth day, the skin is re-treated. The principle of applying the emulsion or ointment is the same as on the first day. After this, do not contact with water for 3 hours. Then you should apply the medication to the skin of your hands every time after washing.
If for some reason it was necessary to wash off the drug from the outer skin, it is necessary to re-treat it. Treatment ends on the fifth day. You need to take a shower and thoroughly rinse the medicine from your skin. Treatment for complications of scabies is carried out simultaneously with the main treatment. In this case, eczema, pyoderma, and dermatitis develop.
Instructions for use of benzyl benzoate
For demodicosis: 20 percent ointment or cream is applied in a thin layer to the affected areas, three hours before bedtime after thoroughly cleansing the skin. The course of treatment with benzyl benzoate is 7-10 days, it can be repeated once a month until complete recovery. In the same way, the symptoms of scabies are treated with benzyl benzoate.
Method of using benzyl benzoate emulsion/solution for demodicosis: applied at night after washing to the affected areas. The course of treatment is 2-3 weeks.
Instructions for using benzyl benzoate against lice (for head lice): apply the ointment evenly over the surface of the scalp, then wrap it in a cotton towel and leave for 30-50 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with water.
special instructions
If a parasitic disease is detected in people who are in close contact (children in a preschool institution, family members, etc.), each infected person should be treated.
After treatment for scabies, intense itching occurs. This is how the body’s individual reaction to the death of parasites under the skin is manifested. Soon this symptom disappears. To alleviate the patient's condition, antihistamines are prescribed. For intolerable itching, it is recommended to use glucocorticosteroids.
All clothing, furniture and other surfaces that the infected person has come into contact with should be cleaned. In this case, the heat treatment method should be used: ironing, machine wash at high temperature (+60...+90°), steam generator, boiling for 5-10 minutes. The choice of method depends on the type of product. For example, towels and bed linen can be washed or boiled. Outerwear should be treated with a hot iron. A steam generator is used to disinfect furniture.
If some items cannot be cooked, they are placed in an oxygen-free environment for 5 days. You can use a plastic bag for this. The premises are wet cleaned using disinfectants.
During pregnancy and lactation
The drug is not prescribed because it is characterized by a low degree of absorption into the outer integument.
For children
Does not apply until 3 years of age. Infants are strictly prohibited from using the drug. This is due to the fact that at this age there is a high risk of respiratory dysfunction, which can cause death.
Contraindications to the use of benzyl benzoate
How to treat with benzyl benzoate? It is necessary to evaluate the risks and benefits of using the drug, which should be done by a qualified physician. For the treatment of demodex with benzyl benzoate, the following should be considered:
Allergy
Tell your doctor if you have ever had an unusual or allergic reaction to benzyl benzoate or any other medicines. Also report any other types of allergies to food, dyes, preservatives, etc.
There is no specific information on comparing the effect of using benzyl benzoate against demodicosis in children and in representatives of other age groups.
Pregnancy
Benzyl benzoate ointment is contraindicated for pregnant women.
Other medical disorders
The concurrent presence of other medical diseases may affect the use of benzyl benzoate. Tell your doctor about the development of other diseases, especially those associated with skin inflammation, because... benzyl benzoate may make the condition worse.
How much does it cost and what analogues are there?
Average price: 20-140 rub. Other drugs may be used instead of benzyl benzoate. Moreover, they often differ in release form: cream, solution, gel. There are no direct analogs of Benzyl benzoate. However, you can select substitutes with similar properties. For example, Wilkinson's ointment.
The composition includes tar, sulfur, green soap, naphthalene ointment, calcium carbonate and water. You can purchase this drug in a 40 g tube. It has a wider range of action. This is due to a number of properties: antifungal, antimicrobial, antiparasitic. Additionally, the product helps reduce the intensity of the inflammatory process and is also an antiseptic.
Due to the complex effect on the body, positive changes can be seen quickly. Naphthalene ointment additionally manifests itself as a moderate pain reliever. The active antiparasitic component in the composition is sulfur. Tar helps accelerate the regeneration of the outer integument and improves blood microcirculation.
Wilkinson's ointment is prescribed for scabies, eczema, bedsores, psoriasis and trophic changes in tissue. The product is not recommended for use if a negative individual reaction occurs to any component in the composition, as well as during an exacerbation of skin diseases accompanied by a violation of tissue integrity.
Side effects occur only in the form of allergies. In this case, itching, burning sensation, and redness appear. The duration of treatment is 2 weeks. The frequency of use of the medicine is 2 times a day. When treating scabies, the entire body is treated, except for the scalp and facial skin. The duration of treatment for parasitic disease is 3 days.
Interaction with other drugs
No pharmacological interaction of Benzyl benzoate ointment with other drugs has been identified, however, like all antiparasitic agents, it is not recommended to be used simultaneously with other external medications. Local or systemic use of corticosteroids may help to eliminate or reduce the manifestation of some symptoms (itching, hyperemia, etc.) while the invasion persists, so the use of such drugs should be avoided during treatment with Benzyl benzoate ointment.
Cetylpyridinium chloride, which is part of the drug as an antimicrobial preservative and emulsifier, interacts with anionic surfactants, in particular with soaps. This can lead to loss of the bacteriostatic properties of the drug and its coagulation.
