TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Biafine really works!

Just a quick thank you to all those here who recommended Biafine. I brought a tube home with me from SXM last year and just last night used it for the first time.

It is horsefly season here, and for those of you who have never had the pleasure of one of their bites let's just say mosquitoes are small potatoes in comparison of swelling and itching and of course there is the initial pain of the bite. Working in the yard yesterday the bugger got me on my shoulder and upper arm three times before I smacked him!

But with a quick slap on of Biafine, the itching and soreness quickly dissapeared and the swelling was gone within an hour. Yay!

Can't recommend this stuff highly enough. Thanks TTOL for once again being a wonderful source of information!

Wow, I wish I had some now! David got stung four times by hornets yesterday, and his arms and hands are horribly swollen.

I learned about it from 'Marybeth' here on TTOL a few years ago after managing to become severely sun-burned on my lower legs and suffering a miserable night of pain. I made a post here asking for help and she came through with what I think is the best suggestion imaginable for this product which I'd never heard of. We picked up a tube at the Maho Pharmacy that morning and I was amazed. It took the pain away immediately. I never thought about using it to take the sting out of some insect bites but thanks for the info and I will file that additional factoid away for future reference. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Sorry to hear about that. Hornets are nothing to sneeze at!! Like Pat, I did not realize that it worked on insect bites either. Sounds like we should pick up some to bring home next time.

I took Benedryl when I got bit. My entire thigh was red, hard and swollen. Hurt!
Benedryl helped.
Cortisone cream helps also.

Good to know I am allergic to horsefly's so I swell up pretty big.

Yes, the information I found on the internet (because of course the packaging is all in French) indicates that it is primarily used to treat 1st and 2nd degree burns, including those from radiation treatments and of course sunburn.

But I'm sure that it was someone on TTOL who tipped me off to using it on bug bites, otherwise I would not have purchased any because I rarely if ever get sunburned!

My Caribbean wife introduced me to Biafine some 20 years ago, it is great! Don't understand why the FDA won't allow its sale in the US!

I was prescribed Biafine ($40 w/copay, $80 with no insurance) during radiation treatments for breast cancer here in Mass.
It was such a pleasant surprise to find it for much less money in SXM.
It is the most amazing sunburn creme.
Did not know it could be used for bug bites.

I got into something today doing some yard work and my forearm was itching badly. Put a little Biafine on it and itching stopped at once. Great stuff.

It's been a while but it seems to me we paid around $12.00 the first time we got it and about twenty dollars a year or two later. The prices you've quoted are but one very small part of what's wrong with our US medical insurance system. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

I as well had Biafine prescribed for a laser/radiation burn. It was pricey. Perhaps I should grab another tube.

Just got Retin A for $20a tube vs. the hundred plus in the US.
(once again, what is wrong with the US medical and rx system)

The pharmacy in Maho carries the big tube. Better price than the smaller ones.

Is it sold at both French & Dutch side pharmacies? I got some wicked bites this past weekend

Thanks, I love that pharmacy on the corner in Maho!

And they have the La Roche-Posay line. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />

I wish I had picked some up. This year seems to be a bad one for bug bites. I have a bunch!!

My grandchildren are itching like crazy, but I would be afraid to use it on children, if it's not approved in the U.S.
Anyone know why?

terry,

Not sure why it hasn't been approved for otc but it is widely prescribed here in the US for cancer patients with radiation burns. Perhaps it's just too high-powered for every day use and they don't want people to over use (i.e.abuse?) it as they used to do with antibiotics? Just a SWAG, if you will. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

I found this info on the Drugs.com website that also describes in detail how to use it on radiations burns, skin grafts, etc. It would appear that it is by prescription only in the US. But then, so is Voltaren which is also sold OTC in Canada.

Rx ONLY - Prescription Medical Device: Federal Law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a physician (or properly licensed practitioner).

Distributed by:

OrthoNeutrogena

DIVISION OF ORTHO-McNEIL PHARMACEUTICAL, INC.

Los Angeles, CA 90045

For additional information: www.biafine.com

Made in France

So, is it available without a prescription in Canada?

Good question. I have never looked for it but will do next time I'm in town. It was available on Amazon.ca for $45cdn, but I see that it is currently out of stock with no indication of when (if) they will have it available.

I just paid 13 euros for Biafine in Italy.
Retin A for $20?
No script needed? Wow. where?

We buy something called sting-kill. Keep it on hand in various locations as it works well for stopping the sting of bees, etc! Pharmacies should carry it here in the US.

How much is it in SXM and where?

Biafine is about $15 in SXM. Just ask in any pharmacy.

We learned about Biafine about 10+ years ago when I forgot to spray my legs with Deep Woods Off when it got to be 3pm on Orient beach. The sand fleas had a feast, and the worst part is that the pain does not start until the next day. We drove to the pharmacy in Cul de Sac and the pharmacist gave me Biafine. It worked within minutes of applying it to my legs!

I then remembered that French pharmacists have similar prescribing powers as PAs in the US... something I learned on our honeymoon in Paris back in 1977 when I developed a bad ear infection and the pharmacist gave me sulfa based ear drops that solved the problem fast!.. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />

I've been using Biafine for over 25 yrs. and it works every time! Glad it worked for you!

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />
Contessa

Where do you get it?

Any Pharmacy on the French side of St. Martin. Others may know if it is also available on the Dutch side...

Dutch side Pharmacies all carry it too.

There is another product available on both sides of the island that we have used successfully enough that we have brought it back with us to use at home. It is called "Bite Balm." I don't recall what it costs, but it is less than $10, I believe. It is made in Belgium and they claim it is effective against insect bites, stinging nettles and even jelly fish. It does help relieve the discomfort from no-see-um bites.

Anybody else familiar with it?

Is this the same one Google shows made by Johnson & Johnson? It's available on eBay ($12 or so) and thru Amazon. Of course going to SXM and buying it there would be more sun.

Not made by J & J and neither is it available on Amazon. It is made by a Belgian company named Jaico and here is a link to their web site. They also sell mosquito repellent that we have used on the island.

http://www.jaico.be

from eBay


Biafine Emulsion 100ml Tube(Wounds,Burns,Sunburns,Abrasions)Fresh Stock:Exp:2020
$13.98
Buy It Now