A Rave for Polysporin

[missnadia]

Okay first of all does anybody know if there is any harm in using Polysporin regularly on the skin, seeing as how it is an antibiotic?

..I'm asking because this has worked for me so well that I never want to stop using it. Let me explain. Last week I waxed my legs, and the next day I was a few pimples developing.. I didn't think much of it.. until a couple of days later when the pimples started to grow, became all hard and hot to the touch, and the redness around them blew up to a whole 1-2 inches in diameter!! I was seriously alarmed. Last time this had happened to me, I ran straight to the doc, who explained that this was an infection and put me on oral antibiotics and gave me Bactroban (an antibiotic cream) to put on the pimples. That worked pretty well back then, so I decided to use Bactroban again. Except after a week I was running out of it and didn't want to go back to the doc to get a prescription!

That's when I found some Polysporin in my mom's bathroom cabinet! I thought, this is an antibiotic as well, so I decided to give it a try (I used it in combination with Tea Tree Oil for more antibacterial effect). To my amazement, Polysporin has sped up the healing process SO MUCH that within 2 days the infected pimples were completely dried up!!

And then I tried using Polysporin on regular pimples, and OMG it seems to heal them so much faster than they would on their own! I am totally using this for everything now. Except I'm scared of developing a resistance to the antibiotic? Is that possible?? Should I use this sparingly?? I want to bathe in the stuff.

 

[Kathy]

Well...it's a different approach, but if it's working I don't see where the harm would be. Acne is caused by bacteria and if Polysporin kills bacteria then it's doing what it's supposed to.

 

[Dragonfly]

I use Polysporin on my face, whenever I start to get irritated from the Retin A. To me, it is just like Vaseline but more soothing and healing.

I think it is great for chapped lips, as long as you don't taste it.

 

[emily_3383]

I learned this from mua. It really helps with pimples. Sometimes i put it a bandaid and polysporin overnight.

 

[missnadia]

I am now concerned about prolonged use of antibiotics. It seems that if you use it too often, the bacteria can develop a resistance to antibiotics and you'd end up with a worse infection. I guess the use of polysporin should be limited to emergencies only. Sigh. Oh well, better be safe than sorry.

 

[Aprill]

Yeah that is true for some antibiotics, cant say it is true for that one though. The body can build resistance to just about anything.

 

[brewgrl]

it is absolutely true that your body will build up a resistance to most antibiotics. Also any high usage of any antibiotic can cause a major surge in fungus growth!!!

that freaks me out more than anything. Skin can also become hypersenistive as well, making it susceptible to uv damage, swelling, and premature aging.

also, if your skin becomes hypersensitive to an antibiotic ointment, it's not uncommon for your skin to also develop longterm allergic reactions.

so when you actually have a non-cosmetic need for an antibiotic topical treatment, you may be SOL.

these are things my mommy instilled in me when it came to the overuse of all antibiotics.

 

[cablegiirl]

Never heard of it... Is there a difference between polysporin and neosporin?

 

[magosienne]

well i suppose if you use it only when needed, it can't do much harm. but it is an antibiotic, so i would say beware the risk of your body building a resistance to it.

 

[missnadia]

Originally Posted by brewgrl /img/forum/go_quote.gif it is absolutely true that your body will build up a resistance to most antibiotics. Also any high usage of any antibiotic can cause a major surge in fungus growth!!!that freaks me out more than anything. Skin can also become hypersenistive as well, making it susceptible to uv damage, swelling, and premature aging.

also, if your skin becomes hypersensitive to an antibiotic ointment, it's not uncommon for your skin to also develop longterm allergic reactions.

so when you actually have a non-cosmetic need for an antibiotic topical treatment, you may be SOL.

these are things my mommy instilled in me when it came to the overuse of all antibiotics.

Yeah avoiding them sounds more reasonable on second thought. Thanks for sharing.

Originally Posted by cablegiirl /img/forum/go_quote.gif Never heard of it... Is there a difference between polysporin and neosporin? Yeah I think there's a difference, as far as I know they have different ingredients.