Zinc oxide ointment is a common topical preparation in life, commonly used for skin diseases such as eczema, skin abrasions, minor abrasions and burns. Zinc oxide ointment generally has a zinc oxide content of 15%, the rest is the excipient vaseline, in this issue we share some knowledge about zinc oxide ointment.
Zinc oxide is a white solid powder, which has the effect of adsorbing oil and water, and in pharmaceutical preparations, it can play a role in astringent, drying, bacteriostatic and other effects.
Petroleum jelly is a common topical excipient, which belongs to the oily matrix, which can play a role in isolating moisture, preventing the evaporation of skin moisture, and contribute to the percutaneous absorption of active ingredients. Most of the common "dew" or "emulsion" in our lives belong to the oil-in-water matrix, which has strong fluidity but does not retain water, and generally plays a moisturizing effect; and "cream", "cream or ointment" is generally a water-in-oil type matrix, and the moisturizing effect is stronger.
The structure of human skin is mainly divided into three parts: epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue. The epidermis layer is the most superficial layer of the skin, mainly including various types of cells; the dermis layer is rich in blood vessels and nerve endings, as well as hair follicle sweat glands; the subcutaneous tissue is mainly adipose tissue, which also contains blood vessels, lymphatic vessels and nerves. Scientific studies have shown that zinc has a unique role in biofilm regulation, which can promote the healing of wounds, and the zinc content in the human epidermis is much higher than in the deep skin. Zinc oxide also has a certain bacteriostatic effect, which can inhibit the invasion of skin by Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans.
Zinc oxide ointment is widely used for various minor skin diseases such as eczema and interbrasion dermatitis, and because of its high safety, it can be used for diaper rash in infants, but zinc oxide ointment is available for not all skin diseases:
- Cold compresses should be selected first, and then consider using 3% boric acid solution, 0.1% berberine hydrochloride solution, 0.1% ethacridin solution, etc.;
- Zinc oxide oil can be used when erosions are present but there is not much exudation, and topical zinc oxide pastes are recommended for subacute lesions;
- Hormonal ointment is the main drug used to treat chronic eczema, zinc oxide ointment is not recommended for patients with chronic eczema or chronic phase skin lesions.
In terms of combined drug application, hydrocortisone butyrate cream combined with zinc oxide ointment can reduce the recurrence rate of pediatric eczema, and the effect is better with supplemental probiotics; compound calamine lotion combined with zinc oxide ointment can effectively treat allergic dermatitis; Mopirocin ointment (Baiduobang) combined with zinc oxide ointment can treat severe red buttocks in infants and young children.
Note when purchasing:
Zinc oxide ointment is cheap and easy to use, but everyone must look at the packaging clearly when purchasing. Similar to the names of zinc oxide ointments are zinc oxide ointment for borate and zinc oxide ointment for ice flakes of boric acid, which have different effects in addition to the difference in zinc oxide content compared with zinc oxide ointment. Zinc oxide borate ointment contains 5% boric acid, which is a weak bacteriostatic agent, has a certain irritation, mainly used for chronic dermatitis, prohibiting large-scale use on the skin; and borate ice flake zinc oxide ointment has a certain analgesic effect, but because there is also a possibility of skin irritation, infants and young children are cautious. When choosing goods, be sure to look at the packaging clearly, especially the parents who buy it for their children at home.