bikebasket

Asking this for someone else.

Like most things related to health matters the awnsers on the internet seem pretty divided.

So is it a good thing to put petroleum jelly on an abrasion?

If so when should you apply it? Straight away? After the wound has dried out abit? Or not all?

Any thoughts in general?

Thanks

pdlamb

First thing to do is to clean out the road rash using soap and water. Get all the dirt and grit out of the skin. If you've got an unused scrubby in the kitchen, try that. (Yes, it hurts like h***!) Dry it carefully with a clean towel.

Petroleum jelly might help, but an antibiotic ointment on the rash is even better. Then cover the area with something like Tegaderm; you'll want to make sure the ointment doesn't extend to where the adhesive holds the bandage on the skin. My suggestion would be to leave it for a couple days, take it off to shower, and re-apply fresh ointment and Tegaderm. Repeat until you've kept it covered 5-7 days.

If there's evidence of pus (not just the clear yellow lymph-like stuff) when you change it, give it another good scrubbing and/or go see a medical professional.

caloso

Tegaderm.

Korina

What pdlamb said.

puma1552

Neosporin.

livedarklions

Scars are sexy.

79pmooney

I know this won't change anybody's habits but ... the first trick is to shave BEFORE you crash! Smaller area abraded because the road isn't trying to pull your skin off by the hairs. Area around will be a lot less sore and far more pleasant under tape (especially at removal time). And only if you shave ahead of time will you hear those magic words "thank you for shaving so I don't have to" from the ER nurse. She also won't be digging around with tools to find and remove those hairs.

Shaving won't prevent scars, but they will be a little smaller. And you will be VERY grateful you did.

Ben

indyfabz

I shave from the waist down.

And here is a free tip: If you ever have open heart surgery, you will like be shaved from the neck down, except for you arms. If that happened, tell them to finish the jobs and do you arms too. Why? Because when you wake up, your arms are where a lot of things will be taped to. Ask me how I know.

TrojanHorse

tegaderm after a thorough cleaning. Stuff's magic.

veloz

Scars are like tattoos but with better stories. Respect. Tegaderm helps if you don't like that particular story.

tyrion

+1. I haven't used this on myself, but I've seen it work. I applied it on a friend who had a big abrasion and it healed up very quickly and avoided that fragile brittle scab phase. Like magic.

(of course, scrub the wound out good before applying this stuff.)

bikebasket

Thanks people.

Can i ask what is particular about the Tegaderm bandages?

Does the bandage actually stick to the wound rather than just the outside like conventional plasters?

Any particular ones i should be looking for?

Cheers

JanMM

Waterproof and breathable is key. And nonstick.

JohnDThompson 

Tegaderm is good. A newer product that can removed and re-placed if it shifts is Mepilex. We used it in the hospital for treating bed sores.

bikebasket

The phamacies where we are in Laos didnt have Neosporin, but had Beprosalic, an anti-biotic ointment made in Malaysia. So we bought that.
It's like a jelly in a tube.

I notice that on the web some sites are saying dont use a bandage with Beprosalic. What do you think?

Gutted about this. It's on her face.

drlogik 

Vaseline, Neosporin and Bacitracin are "ok" but there are much better treatments in my opinion. If you have a doctor friend ask them to prescribe you Silvadene cream. It's a special cream used for burn patients and is wonderful for road rash. It's designed to keep the burn/wound moist and bacteria-free to allow fast healing without scabs and scarring. Curad makes a decent over-the-counter silver creme called "GermShield Silver Solution Antimicrobial Gel". It too keeps the wound moist as it heals thereby allowing faster healing time and reduces the chance for infection.

Years ago a doctor friend of mine gave me a tube of Silvadene after a really bad spill. Seriously bad road rash on my hip and elbow. Within about 6 days the wounds had almost healed. A week after that and they were gone-gone...like nothing happened type gone. I was stunned. Rashes like that used to take weeks to heal.


--

ggoytia1

One or the othee after following #2 direction.

Apply

1. Bag Balm (feed store square green metal tin)

2. Aquaphor

jim p

A body without scars lead a boring life.

KraneXL

Petroleum jelly is so old school. I just use a disinfectant spray.

50PlusCycling

Most scars from abrasions go away within a few years. I used to have a nasty on my leg which was caused by the chain ring digging into my leg in a crash. It looked like I had been bitten by a shark. The scar was pretty impressive for a few years, and a great conversation starter, but it's no longer visible now.

KraneXL

You're lucky. Not everyone has your unique mutant healing factors. I still have my scars from when I first learned how to ride. Back in the day we learned how to ride a bike the hard way -- no training wheels.

Patriot1

Clyde1820

Anecdotal, but ... Decades ago, I had a bad abrasion (concrete+sand road rash) on a limb. Deep-cleaned it and sanitized, then treated over the following month with Neosporin. About 3yrs later, it was hard to see any scarring at all. Bad abrasion, at the time. Probably, the docs should have recommended something different, but it was properly cleaned and they felt Neosporin would be sufficient. (Which it was, in my case.)

The Silvadene+Tagaderm approach seems more suitable, following a deep-cleaning of the wound site. At least, for an abrasion of the sort I'd experienced.

CycleryNorth81

This is from the Mayo Clinic: These guidelines can help you care for minor cuts and scrapes:

1. Wash your hands. This helps avoid infection.
2. Stop the bleeding. Minor cuts and scrapes usually stop bleeding on their own. If needed, apply gentle pressure with a clean bandage or cloth and elevate the wound until bleeding stops.
3. Clean the wound. Rinse the wound with water. Keeping the wound under running tap water will reduce the risk of infection. Wash around the wound with soap. But don't get soap in the wound. And don't use hydrogen peroxide or iodine, which can be irritating. Remove any dirt or debris with a tweezers cleaned with alcohol. See a doctor if you can't remove all debris.
4. Apply an antibiotic or petroleum jelly. Apply a thin layer of an antibiotic ointment or petroleum jelly to keep the surface moist and help prevent scarring. Certain ingredients in some ointments can cause a mild rash in some people. If a rash appears, stop using the ointment.
5. Cover the wound. Apply a bandage, rolled gauze or gauze held in place with paper tape. Covering the wound keeps it clean. If the injury is just a minor scrape or scratch, leave it uncovered.
6. Change the dressing. Do this at least once a day or whenever the bandage becomes wet or dirty.
7. Get a tetanus shot. Get a tetanus shot if you haven't had one in the past five years and the wound is deep or dirty.
8. Watch for signs of infection. See a doctor if you see signs of infection on the skin or near the wound, such as redness, increasing pain, drainage, warmth or swelling. https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid...T-20056711?p=1

I would not use Beprosalic. The ointment contains Betamethasone Dipropionate (0.05% w/w) and Salicylic Acid (3%). The Salicylic acid can cause skin irritation on a open wound.
https://www.tabletwise.com/singapore...salic-ointment

leob1

Chicks dig scars.