The key difference between polysporin and Neosporin is that polysporin is a double antibiotic consisting of bacitracin zinc and polymyxin B sulfate, whereas Neosporin is a triple antibiotic material that contains bacitracin zinc, polymyxin B sulfate, and neomycin sulfate.

Polysporin and Neosporin are antibiotic medications that we can use to treat mild skin infections. They are different from each other according to their composition.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Polysporin 
3. What is Neosporin
4. Polysporin vs Neosporin in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Polysporin vs Neosporin 

What is Polysporin?

Polysporin is a combination product that is useful in treating minor wounds, preventing, or treating mild skin infections, etc. Usually, minor skin infections and wounds heal without any treatment, but some do not. Moreover, if we use an antibiotic, skin infections can heal faster than usual. Polysporin also consists of antibiotics that can act slowly or by stopping the growth of bacteria.

Polysporin is only for topical applications. In other words, it is used to apply to the skin. Prior to using this medication, we need to wash our hands thoroughly. It is important to avoid getting this medication in our eyes or inside the mouth. We need to rinse the medication thoroughly if it is accidentally applied to the eyes or mouth. If it is directed by the doctor, we can use this medication inside the nose.

There can be some side effects of Polysporin, such as burning, redness, or irritation of the skin. The persistence of these symptoms can cause severe effects, so we need to consult a doctor in these cases. However, serious allergic reactions to this medication are rare. But there can be rare incidents such as rash, itching, severe dizziness, trouble breathing, etc.

What is Neosporin?

Neosporin is an important medication we can use to prevent and treat minor skin infections that are caused by small cuts, scrapes, and burns. We can use this medication without a doctor’s prescription, but we have to avoid using it over a large area of our body because it can cause some side effects such as allergy reactions such as itchiness, rash, severe dizziness, etc. However, it is better to ask a doctor before using this medication if we have a serious skin injury or infection such as a deep cut, puncture wounds, animal bites, etc. Generally, Neosporin is well tolerated.

The components in this medication include neomycin, bacitracin, and polymyxin, and antibiotics. It can work by preventing the growth of bacteria. It can only work on bacterial infections, so it’s not suitable for fungus infections and skin diseases caused by viruses. Similar to other antibiotic medications, this medication can also lead to decreased effectiveness.

What is the Difference Between Polysporin and Neosporin?

Polysporin is a combination product that is useful in treating minor wounds, preventing or treating mild skin infections. Neosporin is an important medication we can use to prevent and treat minor skin infections that are caused by small cuts, scrapes, and burns. The key difference between Polysporin and Neosporin is that Polysporin is a double antibiotic consisting of bacitracin zinc and polymyxin B sulfate, whereas Neosporin is a triple antibiotic material that contains bacitracin zinc, polymyxin B sulfate, and neomycin sulfate.

The below infographic presents the differences between Polysporin and Neosporin in tabular form for side by side comparison.

Summary – Polysporin vs Neosporin

Polysporin and Neosporin are important medications that are useful for treating mild skin treatments. The key difference between polysporin and Neosporin is that Polysporin is a double antibiotic consisting of bacitracin zinc and polymyxin B sulfate, whereas Neosporin is a triple antibiotic material that contains bacitracin zinc, polymyxin B sulfate, and neomycin sulfate.

Reference:

1. “Polysporin Topical: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing.” WebMD.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Neosporin Wellcome L0047396” By Welcome Image Gallery (CC BY 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia

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