Promotion of Healing by Benzoyl Peroxide and Other Agents.

Abstract

This is a study designed in part to test the suggestion of the late Prof. A. S. Loevenhart that certain organic peroxides (benzoyl peroxide in particular) should be superior to anything now employed for the healing of skin lesions. This is because of their antiseptic action, without protein precipitation, by the slow but continuous liberation of “active” oxygen in contact with living tissue, and because of a supposed beneficial effect of this liberated oxygen on the healing process. Failure of these agents to coagulate protein should be a weighty argument in their favor, since it may be claimed that antiseptics which have this action delay healing to just that extent. Some evidence in support of these views was furnished by Loevenhart. 1

Experimental: About 25 square cc. on the inner surface of the leg below the knee was shaved, washed and dried. By means of a small pipette, 0.1 cc. concentrated sulphuric acid was applied to each of 8 spots, 2 cm. apart, within the area. Each drop of acid was allowed to remain on the skin for 10 seconds, when it was wiped off. The spots became yellow and pained, and within 15 minutes the area became erythematous. The erythema subsided within 2 hours. Directly after the burning, the spots were treated by applying a thin layer of ointment to each as follows: (a) a widely advertised proprietary ointment containing zinc oxide, phenol, salycylates, and oils; (b) 10% scarlet red sulphonate in petrolatum; (c) 5% tannic acid and 5%. ethyl aminobenzoate in petrolatum; (d) 1% butesin picrate (p-amino-benzoyl-butanol picrate); (e) 5% benzoyl peroxide and 5% ethyl aminobenzoate in petrolatum (this turns dark brown on standing): (f) 10% ethacaine (p-amino-benzoyl-ethanol benzoate) in petrolatum; (g) 5% benzoyl peroxide in petrolatum, and (h) petrolatum alone.