Just don't pay attention in the kitchen and your fingers are filleted instead of the fish. Or a child comes in crying with a scrape. How do you best disinfect these wounds?
In the past, almost everyone used iodine to disinfect wounds. A good disinfectant, but unfortunately it also stings. Nowadays there are various other (non-stinging) disinfectants for sale in the form of ointment, wipes and plasters.
Disinfectants are not always necessary, but are mainly used to prevent inflammation. A wound infection can be recognized by a red and swollen skin around the wound. Instead of healing the spot, it remains sore and irritated. The risk of a wound infection is greater with an open wound that has come into contact with (in)visible dirt, such as a knife with food remnants or an animal bite. Children who regularly scratch a wound (or insect bite) are also more likely to develop inflammation. In addition to a purifying effect, disinfection has another function:the wound heals better.
Rinse the wound first
For deep cuts or a lot of blood loss, you naturally go to the doctor or the emergency room. In that case, leave the disinfection to the doctor. But, for example, abrasions and minor wounds can be treated at home. The first step for all types of minor wounds is to rinse immediately with lukewarm water. Do this for about fifteen minutes, this way you can rinse out any dirt. It is okay if a wound bleeds a little, that has a cleansing function and disinfection is only possible when the bleeding has stopped. You apply the disinfectant to the skin around the wound and not in the wound itself. After cleaning and disinfecting, there is not always a need for a plaster on small wounds. A crust forms faster in the open air.
Caution! You only disinfect wounds that you treat definitively yourself. Wounds that need to be seen by a doctor should not be rinsed or disinfected first.
Read also:you can disinfect a wound with these agents
What not to use
Never use ether or rubbing alcohol to disinfect a wound:this is harmful to the cells, causes a burning sensation and delays wound healing. You can use it to clean or degrease the intact skin around the wound.
