Burow's solution is an aqueous solution of aluminium triacetate. It is available in the U.S. as an

over-the-counter drug Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines sold directly to a consumer without a requirement for a prescription from a healthcare professional, as opposed to prescription drugs, which may be supplied only to consumers possessing a valid prescr ...

for

topical administration A topical medication is a medication that is applied to a particular place on or in the body. Most often topical medication means application to body surfaces such as the skin or mucous membranes to treat ailments via a large range of classes ...

, with brand names including Domeboro (Moberg Pharma), Domeboro Otic (ear drops), Star-Otic, and Borofair. The preparation has

astringent An astringent (sometimes called adstringent) is a chemical that shrinks or constricts body tissues. The word derives from the Latin ''adstringere'', which means "to bind fast". Calamine lotion, witch hazel, and yerba mansa, a Californian pla ...

and

antibacterial An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention ...

properties and may be used to treat a number of skin conditions, including

insect bites and stings Insect bites and stings occur when an insect is agitated and seeks to defend itself through its natural defense mechanisms, or when an insect seeks to feed off the bitten person. Some insects inject formic acid, which can cause an immediate ski ...

rash A rash is a change of the human skin which affects its color, appearance, or texture. A rash may be localized in one part of the body, or affect all the skin. Rashes may cause the skin to change color, itch, become warm, bumpy, chapped, dry, c ...

es caused by poison ivy and

poison sumac ''Toxicodendron vernix'', commonly known as poison sumac, or swamp-sumach, is a woody shrub or small tree growing to 9 metres (30 feet) tall. It was previously known as ''Rhus vernix''. This plant is also known as thunderwood, particul ...

, swelling,

allergies Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, refer a number of conditions caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic dermat ...

, and

bruise A bruise, also known as a contusion, is a type of hematoma of tissue, the most common cause being capillaries damaged by trauma, causing localized bleeding that extravasates into the surrounding interstitial tissues. Most bruises occur close ...

s. However, its main use is for treatment of otitis (ear infection), including

otomycosis Otomycosis is a fungal ear infection, a superficial mycotic infection of the outer ear canal. It is more common in tropical countries. The infection may be either subacute or acute and is characterized by malodorous discharge, inflammation ...

(fungal ear infection).

History

The creator of Burow's solution was

Karl August Burow Karl Heinrich August von Burow (10 November 1809 in Elbing – 15 April 1874 in Königsberg) was a German surgeon and ophthalmologist. From 1830 he studied at the University of Königsberg, where his influences included Ludwig Wilhelm Sachs, ...

(1809-1874), a military surgeon and anatomist. Burow was also the inventor of some plastic surgery and wound healing techniques which are still in wide use today.

Use

Otitis

Burow's solution may be used to treat various forms of ear infections, known as otitis. As a drug it is inexpensive and non-ototoxic. In cases of

it is less effective than

clotrimazole Clotrimazole, sold under the brand name Lotrimin, among others, is an antifungal medication. It is used to treat vaginal yeast infections, oral thrush, diaper rash, tinea versicolor, and types of ringworm including athlete's foot and jock i ...

but remains an effective treatment.

Skin irritation

Most versions of Burow's solution can be used as a soak or compress. As an FDA approved astringent it is used for the relief of skin irritations due to poison ivy, oak and sumac, and rashes from allergic reactions to soaps, detergents, cosmetics and jewelry. This is due to the combination of two active ingredients found in this version of Burow's solution, i.e. aluminum sulfate tetradecahydrate and

calcium acetate monohydrate Calcium acetate is a chemical compound which is a calcium salt of acetic acid. It has the formula Ca(C2H3O2)2. Its standard name is calcium acetate, while calcium ethanoate is the systematic name. An older name is acetate of lime. The anhydrous ...

. The solution is used by some to reduce inflammation and potential infection from conditions such as

ingrown nail An ingrown nail, also known as onychocryptosis from el, ὄνυξ () 'nail' and () 'hidden', is a common form of nail disease. It is an often painful condition in which the nail grows so that it cuts into one or both sides of the paronychium ...

s, in a warm water soak.

References

Antipruritics Dermatologic drugs {{dermatologic-drug-stub

History

Use

Otitis

Skin irritation

See also

References