Wounds need to be covered so that they can heal properly. When a wound is left uncovered, the new surface cells that are being created can easily dry out. When these important cells dry out, it tends to slow down the healing process. A wound should be covered using a clean bandage.
Leaving a wound uncovered helps it stay dry and helps it heal. If the wound isn't in an area that will get dirty or be rubbed by clothing, you don't have to cover it.
Keep your wound covered with clean gauze or an adhesive bandage during waking hours. You can leave it uncovered while you sleep if it isn't oozing or painful. Don't soak your wound for long periods when bathing. Don't go swimming until it's healed.
Leaving a wound uncovered may dry out new surface cells, which can increase pain or slow the healing process. Most wound treatments or coverings promote a moist — but not overly wet — wound surface.
If the wound is healing it can be left without a dressing, but you may prefer to have a dressing to cover the wound for protection, especially if your clothing can rub against it. We will give you a supply of replacement dressings to use at home. Dissolving stitches usually disappear in 7-10 days.
A handful of studies have found that when wounds are kept moist and covered, blood vessels regenerate faster and the number of cells that cause inflammation drop more rapidly than they do in wounds allowed to air out. It is best to keep a wound moist and covered for at least five days.
Perhaps the biggest risk of improper wound care is infection. Skin is a protective barrier against bacteria and other foreign invaders. While it is open, bacteria can enter and multiply inside, causing an infection. An infected wound will ooze pus, feel warm, and be painful.
Don't clean your wound with soap or chemicals.
Don't use alcohol, hydrogen peroxide or plain soap on your wound. They can be harmful to healing skin and can slow the healing process. Instead, only clean your wound with salt water, sterile water or distilled water.
HYDROGEN PEROXIDE
According to wound specialist Dr. Walter Keller, “The hydrogen peroxide bubbling releases pure oxygen, which kills bacteria but also the healthy cells, slowing down wound healing.” Therefore, hydrogen peroxide is one thing you should never put on a wound.
Yes, you can have a bath or a shower. If your wound does not have a dressing in place when you go home, then you can have a bath or a shower, simply let water run over the wound. If your wound does have a dressing then you can still bathe or shower.
Wounds heal faster if they are kept warm. Try to be quick when changing dressings. Exposing a wound to the open air can drop its temperature and may slow healing for a few hours. Don't use antiseptic creams, washes or sprays on a chronic wound.
Wounds generally heal in 4 to 6 weeks. Chronic wounds are those that fail to heal within this timeframe. Many factors can lead to impaired healing. The primary factors are hypoxia, bacterial colonization, ischemia, reperfusion injury, altered cellular response, and collagen synthesis defects.
Wound dressings are customarily left in place for at least 48 hours after surgery (delayed dressing removal) irrespective of the level of contamination of wounds, or other factors such as antibiotic administration.
This arises from damaged tissue. Signals are picked up by sensory receptors in nerve endings in the damaged tissue. The nerves transmit the signals to the spinal cord, and then to the brain where the signals are interpreted as pain, which is often described as aching or throbbing.
Change the bandage each day—or sooner, if it becomes dirty or wet—to keep the wound clean and dry. Some wounds, such as scrapes that cover a large area, should be kept moist to help reduce scarring. Sealed bandages work best for this purpose.
Indicators of wound infection include redness, swelling, purulent exudate, smell, pain, and systemic illness in the absence of other foci. Subtle signs of local wound infection include unhealthy “foamy” granulation tissue, contact bleeding, tissue breakdown, and epithelial bridging.
Wound bed. Healthy granulation tissue is pink in colour and is an indicator of healing. Unhealthy granulation is dark red in colour, often bleeds on contact, and may indicate the presence of wound infection. Such wounds should be cultured and treated in the light of microbiological results.
It's normal to feel some pain, swelling, and heat around a wound as it starts to heal. But if the pain doesn't go away, it might indicate a non-healing wound. Non-healing wounds can cause worsening pain over time. You may notice increasing swelling, redness, and even develop a fever if infection occurs.
If bacteria, germs, and fungi invade your wound, you get an infection that slows the healing process and may cause more serious complications if left untreated. Signs of an infected wound include: Excessive redness and swelling. Continued bleeding.
Gently wash the area with mild soap and water to keep out germs and remove debris. To help the injured skin heal, use petroleum jelly to keep the wound moist. Petroleum jelly prevents the wound from drying out and forming a scab; wounds with scabs take longer to heal.
These five principles include wound assessment, wound cleansing, timely dressing change, selection of appropriate dressings, and antibiotic use.
Symptoms of Non-Healing Wounds
Increasing inflammation or redness around the wound. Pain that is getting worse or doesn't seem to improve. Wounds that are weeping or leaking or start to smell bad. If the edges around the wound develop a dark or blueish color.
A moist environment has been proven to facilitate the healing process of the wound by preventing dehydration and enhancing angiogenesis and collagen synthesis together with increased breakdown of dead tissue and fibrin. This improves the aesthetics of the wound, while decreasing pain.