What to disinfect wounds and why hydrogen peroxide is not necessarily the best agent that can be used to disinfect wounds? If in doubt, see the guidelines of the Polish Wound Treatment Society.
A scratched knee or elbow, a finger injured with a sharp knife, a tumor on the head from which blood is oozing - for years, hydrogen peroxide was used to disinfect such wounds, which is still in almost every home medicine cabinet and for many people it is still the first-choice preparation, always used when someone in the household gets hurt.
The burning sensation accompanying its application is - to put it mildly - not very pleasant. In addition, its use is, according to experts at present, a mistake.
Why is hydrogen peroxide not suitable for disinfecting wounds and how to disinfect wounds so that they heal faster?
Why is hydrogen peroxide not suitable for disinfecting wounds?
When you pour hydrogen peroxide on a fresh wound - for example, a worn knee - foam will appear, which is created when the preparation comes in contact with blood. It is commonly believed that this foam helps to cleanse the wound and kill bacteria in it, preventing contamination.
The truth is different: foam does not remove impurities from the wound, so its application does not prevent infection. Especially that by nature, the bactericidal properties of 3 percent are quite weak. hydrogen peroxide solutions are neutralized in contact with tissue cells by catalase - an enzyme from the oxidoreductase group.
The burning associated with the application of hydrogen peroxide to the wound is not a sign that the preparation is working - it is a symptom of irritation of the wounded tissue, which occurs as a result of direct contact with the hydrogen peroxide solution.
How to disinfect wounds?
How to handle wounds that are not deep and do not require suturing? Experts recommend that you first gently wash the wound with plenty of water - clean or with the addition of gray soap (it cannot be scented soap because the alcohol it contains can irritate the wound).
For wound disinfection - both immediately after its formation and afterwards, for washing during dressing changes (if the wound requires it) experts from the Polish Wound Treatment Society (associating, among others, surgeons, chafing specialists, family doctors and dermatologists)they recommend mainly antiseptic drugs.
This allows not only to reduce the risk of infection, but also to maintain adequate moisture and microbial levels in the wound, so that the wound heals faster and no scars are formed.
Experts recommend the following for disinfecting wounds:
- preparations with bactericidal, viral and fungicidal activity containing octenidine and phenoxyethanol. They work for a minute after they are applied to a wound and are colorless.
- preparations containing iodine. They are brown in color, but should not be combined with silver-containing dressings, and cannot be used by people with a thyroid condition or allergic to iodine.