Health expert dr. Gia Pratama said those who have an open wound, such as a fall, do not need to cover it, for example, with a special wound plaster for 24 hours.
“It doesn’t have to be closed for 24 hours. If it’s not exposed, it can be opened. (Closed so) don’t get wet in water because there are bacteria in the water,” he said in the “Press Conference Be The Unstoppable Family with Betadine!” in Jakarta, Tuesday.
Covering the wound helps keep the injured skin area moist which speeds recovery. But that doesn’t mean one has to keep wearing bandages or plasters and not take them off.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend removing old bandages and checking for signs of infection every 24 hours. People are also reminded to keep wounds dry while they are healing.
Gia said that before treating an open wound, a person should make sure that his hands are clean by washing them first with water. After that, check whether there is bleeding or not.
“See if there’s bleeding or not, if there’s any it’s closed, don’t let it continue to flow (the blood). If it keeps flowing, take it to the hospital, usually it’s sewn up right away,” said Gia.
It is better to clean the wound with running water. Antiseptics can also be used, for example those made from povidone iodine because they are known to prevent infection in wounds as well as cleaning fluids before medical procedures.
“In a wound, it’s the skin that’s damaged, so the barrier is open, bacteria can easily enter. That’s what an antiseptic is for, preventing bacteria from penetrating,” said Gia.
Povidone iodine is also known to have high effectiveness and good skin compatibility, so it only protects and doesn’t irritate healthy cells.
“The goal is to treat injured skin so that cells can regenerate into new cells, not disturbed by bacteria,” said dr. Gia explained.
2023-07-11 10:06:41
#Open #wounds #dont #closed #hours #ANTARA #News #West #Kalimantan
