wound care ointment

Wound care ointment is not an IQ tax, but it is only effective for wounds that meet the indications. It is by no means a universal ointment that can be applied casually to all broken skin injuries.

Last week, I met a neighbor's girl squatting on the roadside crying, riding a scooter and knocking her knees. Her mother ran over with a small medicine box like a cosmetic bag, took out three tubes of different care ointments and applied them to the wound - one tube was a moist burn ointment left over from last year's scald, one tube was a scar removal and repair ointment imported from Internet celebrities, and the other tube was a hormone ointment for treating eczema. I quickly stopped her. It’s true that most people have one or two tubes of wound care ointment at home, but 90% of people use it wrong.

Interestingly, there is currently no unified opinion in the medical community regarding whether or not ointment should be applied to wounds. There are many clinicians of the older generation who are conservative and believe that "drying and scabbing will heal quickly". Just break the skin, disinfect it and let it dry. Applying ointment will tend to suffocate the wound and breed bacteria. ； The other group of doctors who follow the evidence-based approach more recognizes the concept of wet healing. They believe that a suitable nursing cream can lock the wound exudate and provide a warm environment for cells to grow. The healing speed is at least 20% faster than dry scabs, and it can also reduce the probability of scar hyperplasia. In fact, both sides are right. The difference is essentially that the applicable scenarios are different.

Let’s first talk about the most common antibiotic care ointments, such as erythromycin ointment and mupirocin ointment, which are available in almost every household. Many people just apply a layer of this first to make a small cut, which is really not necessary. The core function of this type of ointment is to inhibit bacteria and sterilize. It is only suitable for wounds that have become red, swollen and pusy, or have been contaminated by soil or rusty metal. If used on clean wounds that are not infected, it will destroy the normal flora on the skin surface, and in severe cases, it can induce antibiotic resistance. Two months ago, I met a young man working as a copywriter at the outpatient clinic. He had a small cut of less than one centimeter on his hand on an A4 paper. He applied erythromycin continuously for a week. Finally, a red rash appeared around the wound. It took half a month to heal. It was caused by imbalance of the bacterial flora.

As for the popular healing care creams nowadays, their ingredients range from the most basic petroleum jelly and hydrogel to the expensive recombinant human epidermal growth factor. They are also the "common weapons" of the wet healing faction. What is this type of cream suitable for? For clean superficial abrasions and cuts, as well as wounds after cosmetic surgery or photon treatment, the premise is that you must first debridement the wound with saline and iodophor, then apply a thin layer of it, and then either wrap it with sterile gauze or put a breathable band-aid on it, and do not expose it directly to the outside to get dust. Some people said before that it should be applied to such suffocated wounds. In fact, most people apply it without debridement and seal all the dirt inside, which will lead to infection.

There is also the silicone scar removal ointment that everyone often buys, which is also a type of wound care ointment. Do not apply it on the skin as soon as it is broken. You must wait until the scab has completely fallen off and the wound has completely closed before applying it. Otherwise, it will affect the wound healing, and applying it will be useless. There are also Chinese patent medicine scald ointments, which are also controversial. Western medicine sometimes thinks that some ointments have many impurities and are afraid of inducing infection. However, in actual use, for small first-degree and shallow second-degree burns, apply a thin layer after running cold water for 15 minutes. The effect of relieving pain and promoting healing is indeed good. However, do not apply it on your own for large-scale burns. It is more serious to go to the hospital as soon as possible.

I keep two tubes of care cream at home, one tube of mupirocin and one tube of pure white Vaseline. I never stock up on those imported repair creams that cost hundreds of dollars. Last month, I accidentally cut the pulp of my finger while peeling an apple, and the blood flowed uncontrollably. I took a clean cotton pad and pressed it for five minutes to stop the bleeding. I used saline to wash away the pulp residue around the wound to make sure there was no dirt. I applied a thin layer of Vaseline and put a band-aid on it. It healed in three days, and now even the mark is almost gone.

Oh, by the way, there is another point that many people forget: if you get a deep cut from a rusty iron tool or something dirty outdoors, regardless of whether any nursing cream will work, go to the hospital for a tetanus shot first. Anyway, to put it bluntly, nursing cream is just an auxiliary tool. It is not absolutely good or bad. It all depends on whether you use it correctly. If you really encounter a wound that you are not sure about, don't blindly try Xiaohongshu's guide. Go downstairs and see the nurse at the community hospital for a look. It will be much more effective than half an hour at home trying to figure it out.