So I lost a decent chunk of skin and actually looked up advice for wound care for the first time in my life not too long ago and discovered everything I thought was wrong. Hopefully this helps someone who was as ignorant as I was. NYT thing is correct but practical advice if you have a wound:
Wash out with cold water to remove debris. Don’t apply soap to the wound if at all possible, but you can clean around it with soap. If there is still debris in the wound after you wash it out you can remove it with tweezers. Sterilize your tweezers first. Avoid touching the wound as much as possible. If it looks bad, needs stitches, or there’s debris you can’t remove see a doctor. Also make sure your tetanus shot is up to date.
Then:
Apply plain petroleum jelly (vaseline) and cover with a non-stick dressing. Band-aids are fine but if it’s large you’re probably going to have to use medical tape and gauze pads. Replace at least daily or if the dressing gets dirty. There should be a layer of vaseline over the wound at all times though so you’re probably going to have to swap out 2-3 times a day.
OR
Buy and apply an advanced dressing with hydrocolloid or alginate. (Band-Aid Hydro Seal is one option that’s usually readily available.) The material absorbs wound exudate to create an environment which is optimal for healing. They’re waterproof and typically don’t need replacement for 3-7 days. Do not apply vaseline, read and follow the package directions.
It’s simple but wounds treated this way instead of drying out and scabbing heal drastically faster and with less scarring.
So I lost a decent chunk of skin and actually looked up advice for wound care for the first time in my life not too long ago and discovered everything I thought was wrong. Hopefully this helps someone who was as ignorant as I was. NYT thing is correct but practical advice if you have a wound:
Wash out with cold water to remove debris. Don’t apply soap to the wound if at all possible, but you can clean around it with soap. If there is still debris in the wound after you wash it out you can remove it with tweezers. Sterilize your tweezers first. Avoid touching the wound as much as possible. If it looks bad, needs stitches, or there’s debris you can’t remove see a doctor. Also make sure your tetanus shot is up to date.
Then: Apply plain petroleum jelly (vaseline) and cover with a non-stick dressing. Band-aids are fine but if it’s large you’re probably going to have to use medical tape and gauze pads. Replace at least daily or if the dressing gets dirty. There should be a layer of vaseline over the wound at all times though so you’re probably going to have to swap out 2-3 times a day.
OR
Buy and apply an advanced dressing with hydrocolloid or alginate. (Band-Aid Hydro Seal is one option that’s usually readily available.) The material absorbs wound exudate to create an environment which is optimal for healing. They’re waterproof and typically don’t need replacement for 3-7 days. Do not apply vaseline, read and follow the package directions.
It’s simple but wounds treated this way instead of drying out and scabbing heal drastically faster and with less scarring.