The Neosporin that was suggested above and other generic antibiotic ointments help with this this is an economical solution. Scabbing retards the healing process greatly, and will increase scarring.
The main idea is to keep scabs from forming. Examples of hydrocolloidal dressings are Duoderm (ConvaTec, SkiUman, New Jersey) and Cutinova hydro (Beiersdorf, Inc, Norwalk, Connecticut). These dressings are impermeable to water and bacteria but allow the exudate to evaporate."
Semipermeable film dressings, such as Bioclusive (Johnson & Johnson, New Brunswick, New Jersey) andTegaderm (3M Company, St Paul), in combination with semiocclusive hydrogels such as Spenco 2nd Skin (Spenco Medical Corp, Waco, Texas). Two basic options fulfill this requirement." "A moist healing environment is provided by the dressing. The advice I got from my physician (who is a cyclist) is pretty much the same as the advice here on .Īfter a proper cleaning it's recommended to apply an application of a hydrocolloid or semiocclusive hydrogel dressing. The keys to healing and preventing scarring are to keep the wounds clean and moist. He also told me not to use hydrogen peroxide as it damages tissue. The reason being that it only has an affect on the superficial layers of the wound and that infection, if it occurs, will be in the deeper layers and also that topicals are shown to interfere with wound healing. My doctor recommended that I NOT use Neosporin type ointments. Unfortunately his knee has quite a deep gash and will be very soar today.There are some newer ideas on road rash healing. UPDATE: I’m told that Cookie dressed his wound exactly roughly how I described above, with the exception that the doctor told him to keep a thin layer of vaseline over the wound to keep it moist. I’ll find out what Cookie’s method is later today and post it…
In my limited experience, the Opsite method above is the best for superficial wounds (most road crashes) where just the top layers of skin are removed. There is also good article from a qualified emergency medicine physician here on how he likes to handle road rash.
If it’s been 5 years since your last tetanus shot, go to the ER. These are all signs of infection and you should seek medical attention. You never get a scab with this, so you can be out riding the same day, if you aren’t too sore.Ĭheck your wounds daily for increasing redness, swelling, pain, pus or foul smelling drainage. It will get disgustingly moist underneath, but it " retains wound contact with the natural wound exudate which contains vital nutrients for growing cells, and white blood cells to prevent infection ". You just need to place it over the wound without putting any ointment on it and let the wound heal inside. It’s breathable, quite resistant to water, and heals wounds in about 1 week. In terms of covering the wound up, I use this second skin product called Opsite. After the wound is clean, gently pat your road rash damp-dry. Abrasive scrubbing is unnecessary because you risk damaging tissue and delaying the healing process. Only scrub hard enough to get the gravel out to prevent it from tattooing your wound. Next, clean the wound with mild antibacterial soap and a washcloth and plenty of water. Once again, I’m not a doctor so you may want to confirm with your GP what your personal tolerance is.)
(I got this information on ibuprofen dosages through various internet searches. It’s especially helpful right before bedtime so you can get some sleep. The maximum dose is 800mg every six hours and no more than 2400mg in 24 hours. For the rest of us who are new to this, here’s my method of dealing with minor road rash (I realize I’m digging up an old post here, but we’ve had many new readers come aboard over the holidays and it’s quite relevant at this time).įirst, take two to four 200mg ibuprofen with food 45 minutes prior to cleaning you wound. He got right back on his bike after taking a couple laps out. Look at this mess! Cookie is a tough cookie and has been through this a thousand times before, so he’ll be okay.