Slow Healing

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Slow Healing

Mend Cuts, Scrapes, Nicks and Bruises Fast

Does it seem like the last cut you got took forever to heal? Was your bandage becoming a fashion accessory? The right kind of first-aid plays a big part in speed-healing, say the experts.

"Properly cleaning and dressing your wound should prevent infection and promote fast, healthy healing," says Libby Edwards, M.D., chief of dermatology in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, and clinical associate professor of dermatology at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In other words, a thorough but gentle approach is best.

OUT WITH THE BAD

If you've been skinned, scraped or cut, women doctors offer this advice.

Cleanse, don't scour. "The first thing you should do for cuts or scrapes is to wash the injury really well with plain soap and water," says Ann DiMaio, M.D., director of the pediatric emergency room at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center and associate professor of pediatrics at Cornell Medical Center in New York City.

Rinse, rinse, rinse. "The most important part is to rinse away the dead and injured tissue and the debris that may be in a wound. Bacteria thrive on dead tissue. You want to bring up the fresh, uninjured tissue that heals quickly," says Dr. DiMaio.

Rinsing avoids scarring, says Dr. DiMaio. "If you leave dirt in a wound, not only are you risking infection, you're risking a bad scar. The result is a tattoo effect--a scar pigmented by the dirt or debris left in it."

"The water temperature should be comfortable, but the force should be sufficient to wash the wound clean," says Dr. DiMaio.

Smear on an antibiotic cream. To prevent infection, try using an over-the-counter antibiotic cream like Bacitracin or Neosporin, says Dr. DiMaio.

Skip the heavy-duty antiseptics. "Many women think that the more a medication stings, the more effective it is at germ-killing," says Dr. Edwards. "But that's not the case. Antiseptics containing alcohol or Mercurochrome are irritating--they're caustic, they sting and they kill the good cells in addition to the germs," she says.

Cover it up. Once your wound is well-cleaned, cover it with a bandage and keep it moist with antibiotic cream, says Dr. Edwards. "Many women believe in letting a wound breathe," she says. "But then it will dry out and crack, not heal. Cover it, keep the bandage dry or change it after you bathe."

Immobilize the wound. If you have an extensive wound (like a nasty scrape) over an area that's constantly flexing (like the knee or wrist), "try to keep it immobilized until it heals," says Dr. DiMaio. Repeated flexing will keep the wound open and retard healing, she says.

NUTRITIONAL HEALING

"People who eat well heal faster than people who don't," says Dr. DiMaio. "So when you're recovering from a wound, injury or illness, pay special attention to your diet."

When To See A Doctor Healthy wounds show steady improvement each day, says Libby Edwards, M.D., chief of dermatology in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, and clinical associate professor of dermatology at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. "After about four or five days, a wound should be noticeably smaller, less sore and less red; if it's not, see a doctor." Women with diabetes are especially prone to infection, because the disease impedes circulation, which is essential for healthy healing. So if you have diabetes or any other chronic illness, watch for signs of infection. Call your doctor if the wound is: * Draining pus * Very painful * Extremely red and inflamed Also, be careful about infection if you're on steroid medication, which suppresses the immune system, leaving your body less able to fight infections.

Have a turkey sandwich. To build and repair damaged tissue, your body needs protein--about 45 grams a day. That's the amount provided by seven ounces of lean fish, chicken or turkey.

Supplement with some A. "Vitamin A helps wounds heal," says Katherine Sherif, M.D., instructor of medicine at Allegheny University of the Health Sciences and on staff at the Institute for Women's Health, both in Phildelphia. "Take 10,000 IU a day (with food that contains some fat to make certain the vitamin A is properly absorbed), until the wound is healed."

Add zinc. "When it comes to wounds, zinc has very strong healing power," says Eleanore Young, R.D., Ph.D, a licensed dietitian and professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Sci ence Center at San Antonio. "Women should be certain to get 12 milligrams of zinc a day."