Biafine

Before moving to Guadeloupe, the beach was (at most) a once-a-year excursion to Fire Island, the cost and the difficulty of getting there being major deterrents. New England sun is not particularly strong, but still, we'd slather on the SPF40 sunblock once there, and so sunburns were rare.

Since moving to Guadeloupe, I do take extra precautions to prevent exposure. I apply a face moisturizer with SPF, and I do not leave the house without a large brim straw hat, or more often, an umbrella. At the beach I always sit in the shade.

Nevertheless, the sun is quite relentless and any lapse in vigilance can lead to sunburn. In our house, we keep a tube of Biafine. Introduced in France more than 25 years ago, Biafine is a household name, used widely to treat sunburn. It is a relatively inexpensive over-the-counter product: a 95g tube costs a little more than 3€ (less in France métropolitaine).

Above, Biafine in a French cartoon (1).

Biafine was developed to treat much more serious conditions. According to its prescribing information, Biafine is indicated for use in:

• full thickness wounds, pressure sores, dermal ulcers including lower leg ulcers
• superficial wounds
• 1st and 2nd degree burns, including sunburns
• dermal donor and graft site management
• radiation dermatitis
• minor abrasions

In the United States, Biafine used to be known only to those in the medical field, primarily in the treatment of burns, and especially burns from radiotherapy. It merits an entry in the National Cancer Institute's online dictionary of cancer terms (2).

Above, advertisements for Biafine for the American market.

However, Biafine is slowly gaining recognition outside the medical field. In the past several years, increasing numbers of cosmetic procedure patients began using it to speed healing (3). Biafine requires a prescription in the United States and this is a hurdle for some potential users. Nevertheless, its popularity does not seem to be adversely affected; MarieClaire featured it in its Beauty Products to Toss, Try & Buy column last August.

Above, MarieClaire beauty editors endorse Biafine.

The MarieClaire article lists the product as $33, but doesn't specify the quantity. An Amazon.com marketplace vendor is selling the same 93g tube for $63.00. Walgreens has it listed on its website, but prices are location dependent.




(1) Cartoon drawn by Marion Berthillion.

(2) Biafine cream: A topical preparation to reduce the risk of, and treat skin reactions to, radiation therapy. (NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms)

(3) Read the study abstract here.