Silver sulfadiazine, a sulfa drug, is used to prevent and treat infections of second- and third-degree burns. It kills a wide variety of bacteria.
This medication is sometimes prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Silver sulfadiazine comes in a cream. Silver sulfadiazine usually is applied once or twice a day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Use silver sulfadiazine exactly as directed. Do not use more or less of it or use it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
Do not apply this drug to infants less than 2 months of age.
Do not stop using silver sulfadiazine until your doctor tells you to do so. Your burn must be healed so that infection is no longer a problem. Gently wash the burned skin area daily to help remove dead skin. If your burn becomes infected or if your infection worsens, call your doctor.
Before applying the medication, clean the burned area and remove any dead or burned skin. Always wear a sterile, disposable glove when you apply silver sulfadiazine. Cover the cleaned burned area with a 1/16-inch (0.2-centimeter) thickness of cream. Keep the burned area covered with cream at all times; reapply the cream to any area that becomes uncovered.
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