What is Bee Venom?
Bee venom or apitoxin is honeybee venom, an insect poison. It’s responsible for protecting beehives and comprises several biologically active substances. These are peptides like melittin, apamin, adolapamine, mast cell degranulation peptides, enzymes, amines, amino acids, phospholipids, minerals, carbohydrates, and some volatile compounds [1, 2]. Bees' two most potent venom components are melittin and phospholipase A2 [2].
What Does Bee Venom Do?
Bee venom also exerts a broad spectrum of biological effects. It’s also used for apitherapy, a kind of complementary medicine that has existed for millennia. It has exhibited anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, anti-fibrotic, and anti-atherosclerosis properties.
It has been used to treat conditions such as:
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
- Parkinson’s
- Alzheimer’s
- Liver fibrosis
- Atherosclerosis
- Pain [2, 3].
Bee venom is also antimicrobial and active against bacteria, viruses, and fungi [4]. It has been employed in the treatment of various skin disorders like atopic dermatitis, acne vulgaris, alopecia, vitiligo, psoriasis and it is widely used in topical preparations as cosmetics [5].
Furthermore, bee venom has anticoagulation factors, which can speed up the clotting process in vitro [6, 7]. Bee venom may also have anticancer properties, with some research suggesting it works against cancerous tumours [8]. However, more clinical studies are needed to fully establish its efficacy and safety in humans.
But even with the many potential medical benefits of bee venom, it can cause side effects, including local itching or swelling and, in some cases, severe allergic reactions [3, 9]. So, use it only when advised by a doctor.
Risk Factors of Bee Venom
Some people will react to bee venom in allergic ways — and those reactions may be severe. Some conditions may put you at greater risk of experiencing an allergic reaction to bee venom.
Frequent bee stings are a risk factor for most. The fewer times a person is stung—less than 10 times per year—the higher the probability of having an allergic reaction [10]. This is especially true for beekeepers and their families, who are at a higher risk as they are frequently exposed to bees [10, 11].
A further big risk factor is an atopic constitution, a genetic predisposition to allergic conditions. People with this condition are more prone to allergic reactions to bee venom [10]. This goes for people with upper respiratory allergy symptoms working in a beehive [12].
Previous allergic reactions to bee stings make the same reaction even more likely. Even if a response was mild in the past, this can still make a more significant reaction more likely [11].
Even living in areas where bees are most active or where there are beehives close by increases the probability of bee stings and allergic reactions [11, 13]. Similarly, if exposed to the outer environment for business or leisure, individuals are always vulnerable to bee stings [11].
Taking some drugs like beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors can make severe reactions to bee venom even more dangerous [13, 14].
Age is a significant factor in allergic reactions to bee venom. Adults tend to have more severe reactions than children and are more likely to succumb to anaphylaxis [11].
What is a Pilar Cyst?
A pilar cyst (trichilemmal cyst) is a benign growth inside hair follicles' epithelium. That covering comprises keratin, the protein that makes skin, hair and nail cells. In time, the protein accumulates inside the hair follicle, forming the pilar cyst bump [15].
These cysts are usually the same colour as your skin, and they are round and can leave a dome-like bump on your skin. They are generally hard on the skin but squishy. Pilar cysts aren’t pus-filled and won’t hurt if touched [15].
Although 90% of pilar cysts occur on the scalp, they can appear anywhere on the body. Other potential sites are the face and neck. Most people carry more than one pilar cyst in a lifetime [15].
What are the Causes of a Pilar Cyst?
Pilar cysts are brought on by the keratin accumulation in the hair follicles. It fills up the exit hole for the sebaceous gland secretions and results in cysts [16].
These cysts can be genetic and affect middle-aged women more [15]. They also tend to occur more frequently in areas with a high hair follicle count, like the scalp, but they can also be found on the face, head, and neck [17].
Pilar cysts can be autosomal dominant and sometimes present with it. Patients with familial pilar cysts are often seen with several lesions at once [18].
Does Bee Venom Help With the Removal of a Pilar Cyst?
There is not enough evidence to support the claim that bee venom removes a pilar cyst. We could not find any scientific papers that suggest using bee venom may cure or remove pilar cysts.
Pilar cysts are best surgically removed. The procedure involves cutting the cyst and the epithelial lining out of the surrounding hair follicle so that the cyst does not continue to secrete keratin and cause bumps [15, 17].
Venom from bees has been utilised in Chinese medicine to heal inflammation and wounds. It’s anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antifungal, antiviral, antimicrobial, and analgesic in nature, which helps to heal wounds [19]. However, the referenced articles did not state how it can be used to remove or treat pilar cysts.
We know that bee venom can be therapeutic but can also trigger allergic reactions. So, any therapeutic application of bee venom should be supervised by a physician [19].