Hydrogen peroxide has long been used for disinfection and bleaching. It is often bought for a home first aid kit, because it is an affordable antiseptic, which has a very wide range of applications. But is peroxide allowed in the treatment of children and what precautions should be taken so that it does not harm the child?
Release form and composition
Hydrogen peroxide is a colorless, transparent liquid without any odor, soluble in water and alcohol. It is produced by many pharmaceutical companies in the form of a 3% solution, placed in glass or plastic bottles in different volumes.
The main component of such a solution is hydrogen peroxide (its chemical formula is Н2О2). Its amount per 100 ml of liquid is 7.5-11 grams. The preparation contains sodium benzoate and purified water as auxiliary ingredients.
Operating principle
When hydrogen peroxide comes into contact with the skin or mucous membrane, reactive oxygen species begin to be released, and the surface is simultaneously mechanically cleaned. Treatment with such a solution removes exudate, blood, protein molecules and other organic compounds, as well as microorganisms from damaged mucous membranes or skin.
The resulting foam during the application of peroxide helps the formation of blood clots in the capillaries, which stops or prevents bleeding from small vessels.
Professor Neumyvakin studied the effect of hydrogen peroxide on the human body in various diseases for a long time. He confirmed not only the antiseptic effect of this medication, but also its properties. destroy bacteria, viruses and some fungi. According to his method, today such a drug is used to treat the common cold, sinusitis, and ear inflammation.
Indications
Hydrogen peroxide is used:
- for the treatment of small superficial skin lesions (scratches, cuts, abrasions);
- to stop capillary bleeding from damaged skin, as well as nosebleeds;
- for cleaning the ear canals from accumulated sulfur and plugs, as well as for the treatment of otitis externa;
- for the treatment of vesicles with chickenpox, to prevent infection;
- for the treatment of the oral mucosa with stomatitis or other injuries;
- for gargling with pharyngitis, sore throat or laryngitis.
At what age is it prescribed?
Treatment with hydrogen peroxide is allowed at any age, but it is undesirable for babies under 3 years old to drip such a solution into the ear or nose. If you need to inject a medication into the auricle for such small patients, turundas are used.
Contraindications
The medication is prohibited only in case of individual intolerance. However, mucous membranes should not be treated with undiluted solution. Besides, it is unacceptable to drip peroxide into the ear if there is a puncture of the tympanic membrane, as well as with otitis media.
If a child has kidney, thyroid or liver abnormalities, consult a doctor about the use of peroxide.
Side effects
The solution may occasionally cause an allergic reaction. When the drug comes into contact with the mucous membranes, a tingling and burning sensation appears, and edema may also develop. If peroxide gets into your eyes, you should immediately rinse them with copious amounts of water, and then show your child to a doctor.
Instructions for use
For external treatment, hydrogen peroxide can be used undiluted (3% solution) or after dilution with clean water to a 1-2% solution. A gauze or cotton swab is moistened with a medication, after which the skin is wiped. You can also irrigate the wound directly from the bottle.
If the child is prescribed a gargle, the peroxide is first diluted with boiled water, which should be warm. The recommended concentration of the solution to treat any mucous membrane is 0.25% (11 parts of water are added to 1 part of a 3% solution).
You can gargle with diluted hydrogen peroxide up to 4 times a day with an interval of at least three hours.
If you are going to clean your ears with peroxide, then the solution is applied to a cotton swab (often the drug is diluted 1 to 1 with boiled water), which is inserted into the ear canal. After 5 minutes, the tampon is removed, and the ear is wiped with a cotton swab or dry cotton wool.
If there are plugs, heated peroxide should be dripped into the ear in the amount prescribed by the doctor and left for 10 minutes. Then the head is turned and the excess fluid is wiped off. The procedure is performed up to 6 times a day for several days, after which you need to go to the ENT doctor to remove the softened plug.
Rinsing the nose with hydrogen peroxide according to Neumyvakin involves instilling a few drops of a diluted medicine into each nasal passage and blowing it out after 5 minutes.
Additionally, the professor recommends rubbing the chest area, armpits and folds of the arms with peroxide. For this treatment, the solution is diluted by half with warm water. After manipulating the child, you need to put on clean cotton clothes and ask him to lie down a little quietly.
Overdose
External use of peroxide is not capable of leading to overdose. A negative effect can only be when the solution gets inside.
Terms of sale and storage
Hydrogen peroxide is an over-the-counter medication available in all pharmacies. Its price depends on the volume of the solution in the bottle and the manufacturer, but it is not high.
Peroxide has a shelf life of 2 years from the date of manufacture. The optimum storage temperature for the medicine is not higher than +25 degrees.
Because the solution is clear and odorless, which makes it look like water, it is very important to store the peroxide where it will not be available to babies.
What to do if the child drank the drug:
- seek medical attention immediately;
- give the child a lot to drink;
- provoke vomiting so that the swallowed medicine leaves the stomach;
- give the baby a sorbent, for example, several tablets of activated carbon.
Reviews
Most parents and doctors speak positively about hydrogen peroxide, calling it an effective antiseptic. It is praised for its availability and low cost, good hemostatic properties, and help in cleaning wounds due to the formation of foam.
The popular doctor Komarovsky also considers hydrogen peroxide to be a good antiseptic and advises using for various shallow skin injuries, as well as in the form of a 1% solution for rinsing the throat and mouth. However, he does not recommend the unconventional use of such a drug (ingestion, instillation in the nose or ear), arguing that there is no scientific justification for the effectiveness of such a use of peroxide, and experiments on your children can lead to bad consequences.
A negative reaction to peroxide is extremely rare. The disadvantage of the medication is considered only unpleasant sensations when it comes into contact with the skin.
Analogs
Other antiseptic agents are capable of replacing peroxide, for example:
- Miramistin. This medication is similar to hydrogen peroxide in that it is also a colorless, odorless liquid, and the solution foams when shaken. It can be used in children of any age by treating damaged skin or infected mucous membranes. The drug is in demand in dentistry, ENT practice, surgery and other fields of medicine.
- Hexoral... Such a solution or aerosol contains hexetidine and is used for infections of the oropharynx in children over three years old. Its analogues are Stopangin, Maxicold Lor and Stomatidin.
- Betadine... The action of such a solution is provided by povidone-iodine, which is also the main component of the preparations Iod-Ka, Iodoxide, Iodovidone and some others. These products are used to treat wounds, burns, infected skin and other problems. Betadine is approved for children over 1 month old.
- Hexasprey... The basis of this aerosol is an antiseptic agent called biclotymol. The drug is prescribed for children over 6 years of age with angina, glossitis, stomatitis and other infections in the mouth and throat.
