wound care ointment

Wound care ointment is neither the "panacea that can cure all broken skin injuries" as marketed by the merchants, nor is it a useless IQ tax product - it is only suitable for small superficial wounds without obvious infection and the depth does not exceed the dermis layer. Blind application of burns, deep wounds, and wounds that have suppurated and ulcerated will aggravate the infection and delay treatment.

Speaking of which, the first time I stepped into a pit was when I was cooking last summer. My arm was burnt by hot oil and I had three small red blisters. At that time, I took a Chinese medicine healing ointment that was bought by an old man at home and said it was a "hundred-year-old prescription" and applied a thick layer on it, thinking that it would It healed quickly, but the blisters burst the next day, and there was still redness around the area, with pus and water flowing out. The pain lasted for several days. When I went to the community hospital to change the dressing, the nurse scolded me for a long time, saying that this was a typical infection caused by indiscriminate use of ointments.

There are so many types of ointments on the market, and the opinions of different factions are quite different. The current mainstream of Western medicine clinical practice is the wet healing theory, which focuses on occlusive ointments based on petroleum jelly and polyethylene glycol. The advantage is that it can isolate the wound from external dust and bacteria, and can also keep the wound moist without scabbing, leaving scars after it has healed. The probability will be much lower, but this thing cannot be used in all situations - if the wound is already exuding fluid or even pus, applying a thick layer of sealing ointment is like building a greenhouse with constant temperature and humidity for bacteria, which will multiply faster than anything else.

Traditional Chinese medicine ointments are even more controversial. Most of the ingredients are herbal extracts such as Lithospermum chinensis, Cortex Phellodendri, and Borneol. Many veteran doctors in primary hospitals like to prescribe them, especially for minor scratches and severe swelling, or mosquito bites and hard swelling. Apply them with cold silk. It is silky, and has a really fast effect in reducing swelling and relieving pain, but its shortcomings are also obvious: most of the ingredients are complex and easy to cause allergies, and many Xiaoxiao products have not undergone strict sterile treatment. If used to apply to wounds with a depth of more than 2mm, the risk of infection is much higher than using Western medicine ointment. Oh, yes, there is another point that many people don’t know: try not to use colored traditional Chinese medicine ointments on broken skin wounds on the face. If the pigmentation is in the new growth, it will not disappear for half a year.

In the past two years, medical and aesthetic repair ointments became popular for a while. The ones containing epidermal growth factor and collagen were sold for dozens of dollars each. Many people applied it on their faces after spotting moles or undergoing medical aesthetic procedures. I once read a blogger who said that after he had a mole, he applied a certain imported ointment from an Internet celebrity, but it left a red mark that could not go away for half a year. Later, when I went to a dermatologist, I found out that growth factor products have long been clarified by the country and can only be used on basically healed wounds or intact mucous membranes. Indiscriminate application on open wounds can easily stimulate excessive proliferation of granulations and cause protruding scars.

My sister and my mother had a fight before about what ointment to apply to my nephew who broke his knee. My sister wanted to apply a cosmetic repair ointment worth hundreds of dollars a piece, saying it would leave no scars, but my mother insisted on applying her own comfrey ointment, saying it would reduce the swelling quickly and eventually The next two people took the baby to the community health center. The nurse first wiped the wound clean with iodophor, sucked up the exudate, and then only applied a thin layer of white petroleum jelly ointment worth a few dollars and a hydrocolloid dressing. It healed in three days without leaving any marks.

Many people apply ointment in a wrong way. They always think that the thicker it is, the better the effect will be. In fact, it is enough to apply a thin layer so that you can vaguely see the wound underneath. If it is thicker, it will make you feel stuffy. Some people apply ointment first no matter what the wound is. For wounds scratched and bitten by cats and dogs, deep wounds punctured by nails, and lacerations where yellow fat can be seen, no matter how much ointment you apply, it is useless. The former must be vaccinated for rabies, and the latter must be debrided and sutured in the hospital. Time is wasted and problems often occur.

Oh yes, be sure to look at the packaging when buying. Regular wound care ointments are all in mechanical brands. To put it bluntly, cosmetic ointments are skin care products and are not qualified to be used to treat broken skin wounds. Don’t buy them randomly after the live broadcast room talks about "medical grade". I only keep two in the medicine cabinet at home. One is a mechanical-sized white petroleum jelly ointment. It can be used to make small cuts when cutting vegetables or scratched skin while riding a bicycle. A little is enough to disinfect and apply it. The other is a regular comfrey ointment bought at the drugstore. It is comfortable to apply on a bite in the summer and a cracked heel in the winter. I had half a drawer of Internet celebrity repair ointments piled up, but they were all thrown away the last time I packed them.

Really, there is no best ointment for small wounds. There is only one that is suitable for the current situation. If you are not sure whether the wound is serious or not, go downstairs and see the community nurse for a look. It will be more effective than buying ten expensive ointments blindly.