Introduction
Bepanthen® is a Bayer product line that includes a wound and healing ointment, antiseptic wound cream, scar gel, eye drops, eye and nose ointment, seawater nasal spray, Sensiderm cream, cooling foam spray and the Bepanthen® solution. Probably the best known product is the Wound and Healing Ointment, which is used to treat minor skin wounds such as cuts or scratches as well as dry, cracked and brittle skin. The active ingredient in all Bepanthen products is called dexpanthenol, which is another name for provitamin B5. It supports the natural healing process of skin and mucous membranes and thus promotes faster wound healing. As the active ingredient is a vitamin precursor, Bepanthen is applicable at any age and has few side effects.
Active ingredient and effect of Bepanthen®
The active ingredient dexpanthenol is provitamin B5, i.e. a precursor of the vitamin, which the body can convert into vitamin B5. Vitamin B5 is a component of coenzyme A, which plays an important role in fat metabolism as well as in carbohydrate and protein metabolism. The external supply of the provitamin is intended to facilitate the production of fat and sebum in the skin as well as the production of substances required for wound healing.
Furthermore, dexpanthenol promotes the new formation of skin cells. This means that the active ingredient dexpanthenol only supports the body’s own wound healing process and is therefore not an artificial intervention in the body. Furthermore, dexpanthenol has been observed to have anti-pruritic and anti-inflammatory properties.
Depending on the product, the active agent is incorporated in different substances, e.g. in Bepanthenol wound and healing ointment, dexpanthenol is embedded in an ointment base, a water/oil emulsion, which allows the active agent to penetrate the skin well but at the same time leaves a protective film on the skin which prevents the wound or the application site from drying out. Depending on the field of application, besides dexpanthenol different ingredients are contained as carrier substances with partly additional skin care properties. The other ingredients of Bepanthen® Wound and Healing Ointment apart from the actual active agent dexpanthenol are basically only carriers and substances which oil and moisturize the skin. They include:
- Bleached wax
- Viscous paraffin
- Low-viscosity paraffin-white vaseline ceresin-glycerol monooleate-woolwax alcohols mixture (Protegin X)
- Purified water,
- Cetyl alcohol
- Almond oil
- Stearyl alcohol
- White vaseline, wool wax
Indications for Bepanthen®
Bepanthen® Wound and Healing Ointment is mainly applied to minor skin defects such as cuts, abrasions or burns. For all these wounds, however, it should be noted that they should first be cleaned and disinfected before Bepanthen® is applied, as the cream itself cannot protect against dirt and bacteria in the wound. Alternatively the wound can be cleaned with water and then treated with Bepanthen® antiseptic wound cream.
In the case of lacerations and bite wounds, the manufacturer advises against self-treatment with Bepanthen® and recommends a visit to a doctor. Another application of Bepanthen® is the treatment of dry and cracked skin. It is a sign of a lack of moisture and fat in the skin.
Bepanthen® Wound and Healing Ointment as well as Bepanthen® Sensiderm Cream are suitable for this use. For skin defects on the nose or eyes, be it small wounds or dry skin, Bepanthen® offers special eye and nose ointment. A so-called “off-label use” (i.e. the use of a drug outside the manufacturer’s recommendation) is the treatment of freshly tattooed tattoos with Bepanthen® Wound and Healing Ointment. Other applications of the Bepanthen® product range include eye drops for irritated and dry eyes, cooling foam spray for application on sunburn, seawater nasal spray for dry nasal mucous membranes, scar gel for application on itchy or painful scars and Bepanthen® solution for application on the oral mucosa.