When you fell over or hurt yourself as a child, did your Mum ever tell you to let your wound “breathe” in order to heal? This misconception is still around today, despite clinical trials in the 1960s showing that keeping the wound moist leads to improved healing. Across the country tissue viability nurses and wound care experts employ the moist wound healing concept to treat chronic and acute wounds but when we asked 100 people about their ideas of wound healing almost 75% still believed in letting the wound dry out, 15% had no idea and only 10% said keep the wound covered.
Anna has a 5 year old son who fell off his bike last week. She told us “My Mum said don’t use a plaster as the air can’t get to the cut and it won’t dry out properly but then I read some research stuff that said use a plaster and keep the wound covered. The fact is that every time I change the plaster it pulls off the scab, what should I do?”.
Nora Smith, a wound care nurse, gave us her expert opinion. “It is a misconception. Leaving a wound open to the air does not promote wound healing. Clinical studies have shown a number of benefits to keeping the wound moist including: faster wound healing, faster wound closure, lower rates of infection, less scarring and overall better cosmetic results. The use of something like 1 Primary Wound Dressing, which is a plant based healing spray, helps to keep the wound moist as well as stopping the plaster or bandage from sticking to the wound. The oil also covers the nerve endings and has been shown to lower the pain, this factor shouldn’t be underestimated when treating wounds. The presence of a scab actually prevents the regenerative wound healing process, if you keep the wound moist it should close without forming a large scab. Wash your hands with soap and water, wash the cut/graze to prevent infection, stop the bleeding, apply 1 Primary Wound Dressing and cover with a non-woven sterile gauze.” Nora also pointed out that if there are any concerns or signs of infection (pain, heat, discolouration) then you must seek medical attention.
1 Primary Wound Dressing is a Swiss made, natural plant oil spray which compares itself to the Swiss army knife: 1 device with lots of functions.
- Maintains a moist wound environment
- Can reduce scarring
- Acts as a barrier to protect the skin around the wound
- Antimicrobial properties helps keep the wound free from infection
- Painless dressing change
- Neem oil content promotes regeneration of the epidermis
- Suitable for children over 1 month
