Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Why scabs form. Plain and Simple

by James Channing Shaw, MD


Here’s what everyone should know about WOUNDS:
1.     Wounds heal only in a humid environment. Dry skin cells, like dry leaves on a tree, are DEAD.
2.     Scabs form as nature's way of preventing the skin from drying out. Scabs CREATE a moist environment UNDER THE SCAB that allows cells to multiply .
3.     That’s why wounds heal best when COVERED.
4.     You can create the healing environment (and AVOID THE SCAB) by NOT exposing the wound to air. Ever. The oxygen comes from the blood that feeds the skin cells, not the air directly.
5.     It takes longer for a wound to heal if allowed to form a scab, vs. a dressing.
6.     To prevent the bandage from sticking, apply an ointment (containing NO water- you have to read the label) before bandaging. ANTIBIOTIC OINTMENT has been shown to be no better than plain petroleum jelly or similar healing ointment. The most familiar products are Vaseline and Aquaphor.
7.     A bandage can be left on a clean wound for several days at a time. There is no need for daily dressing changes unless the bandage gets soaked.
8.     Open wounds (as opposed to sutured surgical wounds) RARELY BECOME INFECTED if they are cleaned before dressing. Signs of infection include SIGNIFICANT increase in pain and redness several days following the injury.

Sincerely yours,


June 16, 2015



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