Even a minor injury can cause serious health problems. Open wounds are especially dangerous. Bacteria and viruses can get on the affected area. Purulent infection often leads to blood poisoning, and this is a serious threat to life. Therefore, even the smallest wound must be properly treated with an antiseptic.
How to treat a wound?
In pharmacies, there are a huge number of antiseptic drugs that have antimicrobial and antiviral effects. But before using any medication, you must carefully study the instructions. The same alcohol, if used improperly, can cause a burn. The treatment of wounds is best entrusted to a specialist. What if there is no way to contact the emergency room? You need to remember a few rules.
First of all, an open wound must be treated with soap (preferably household) and running water. Soap solution helps to cope with germs. An antiseptic for the treatment of wounds at the initial stage may not be needed. If the damage is deep enough, you can not do without a medicine. And simple antiseptic treatment will not be enough. After the bleeding is stopped, a gauze dressing should be applied.
You should carefully choose an antiseptic to treat wounds in the eye and mouth. Here is a very delicate skin. Alcohol-based drugs can cause burns. It is recommended to treat the injured area with a weak aqueous solution.
Hydrogen peroxide
This is the most popular wound treatment antiseptic. For minor injuries, a 3% solution is used. 6% hydrogen peroxide can cause severe skin burns. Such a substance is used only for storage and sterilization of medical instruments. The treatment of wounds with peroxide is accompanied by the formation of foam. This removes dirt, as well as dead skin cells. A 3% solution is great for flushing superficial wounds, and for disinfecting the mucosa.
Hydrogen peroxide is most often used to treat a child’s wound. Reviews of parents show that the tool does not cause negative emotions in babies at all. Indeed, during the procedure, pain and itching are not felt. In addition, hydrogen peroxide has a reasonable price. A 40 ml bottle can be purchased for just 10 rubles.
Hydrogen peroxide should not be used to treat already healing abrasions and other skin lesions. Reviews show that wounds heal much longer if this antiseptic is used. The fact is that peroxide negatively affects young scar cells. But for the initial treatment of the wound, this tool is ideal.
An aqueous solution of the drug "Furacilin"
Antiseptic is not sold in pharmacies in finished form. It is produced only by prescription. An alcohol solution can be obtained without problems, but it can only be used to treat purulent diseases of the ear. An aqueous solution of "Furacilin" can be prepared at home independently. To do this, take 10 tablets of the drug and dissolve it in one liter of warm boiled water. The medicine can be used in the form of a spray. If you take much less liquid, you get an antiseptic paste.
An aqueous solution of the drug "Furacilin" is a mild agent. According to reviews, such an antiseptic is ideal for treating mucous membranes. It can also be used to treat wounds on delicate baby skin. The drug "Furacilin" is also used for suppuration of the skin. The tool helps to quickly remove the infection and promotes healing. Antiseptic paste can be used for dressings of postoperative sutures. 10 tablets "Furacilin" in pharmacies cost about 35 rubles.
Ethanol
A one-component alcohol-containing antiseptic is most often used to treat wounds and postoperative sutures. Optimum antimicrobial activity is provided by medical alcohol of 70% concentration. This substance is quite aggressive. Antiseptics for wounds based on alcohol are unacceptable when treating the mucous membrane. It is worth remembering that this substance is rapidly absorbed into the blood. Therefore, for children, such drugs are also not recommended.
The primary treatment of the wound can be carried out with 40% ethyl alcohol. In this case, it is necessary to process not only the injured area itself, but also its outskirts. Next, a sterile dressing is applied to the wound. In the future, you should choose more gentle antiseptics for wounds. Alcohol will only aggravate the healing process.
Chlorhexidine bigluconate
This drug, produced in the form of a solution, has a fairly wide spectrum of action. This antiseptic for wound treatment affects not only viruses and bacteria, but also copes with some types of fungal infections. The drug can be used for the initial treatment of injured areas, as well as to accelerate the healing of purulent wounds. A small amount of chlorhexidine will be enough to kill pathogens in the affected area of the skin.
In pharmacies, you can find various drugs, the main component of which is chlorhexidine. Antiseptic gel can be used to heal wounds on the mucosa. You can also find medicines in the form of tablets and suppositories. According to patient reviews, such drugs are ideal for healing vaginal wounds. The cost of candles "Chlorhexidine" in pharmacies ranges from 150 to 200 rubles.
The drug "Miramistin"
The drug is highly active in the fight against many pathogens. In pharmacies, you can find the drug in the form of an aqueous solution or ointment. Which antiseptic is best suited in a particular case, the doctor will tell. To treat deep purulent wounds, ointment is most often used. It is applied to the affected area once a day. Previously, the wound is treated with hydrogen peroxide or alcohol.
Miramistin does not affect the membranes of human cells. This means that the drug has a mild effect. It does not cause burns or peeling of the skin. In addition, the antiseptic perfectly fights bacteria that have developed immunity to antibiotics. The drug is often used to treat purulent
skin diseases in a hospital.
Miramistin is not toxic. It can be used during pregnancy and lactation. A medication can be prescribed to treat deep wounds in children. Many parents note that the drug speeds up the process of restoring injured areas. In addition, during treatment, children do not complain of pain and burning. The cost of this antiseptic in pharmacies is about 250 rubles.
Manganese solution
Potassium permanganate has pronounced antiseptic properties. Even 20 years ago, potassium permanganate in powder could be obtained without any problems. The solution was prepared quite simply. Only a few powder crystals were enough to prepare a liter of antiseptic. But such a tool had useful properties only the first few hours.
Today, the mentioned tool can be found in pharmacies in the form of a ready-made concentrated solution. Manganese-based antiseptic drugs can be used only in a hospital setting. First of all, because the product is not compatible with all medicines. For example, a combination of potassium permanganate with hydrogen peroxide can cause severe burns. It is not recommended to use this antiseptic for children. The solution affects pathogenic microbes only temporarily. After drying, the antiseptic properties disappear.
Iodine
This is a universal antiseptic that has an antimicrobial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory effect. An iodine alcohol solution is used to treat wounds, as well as purulent rashes. Postoperative sutures can also be treated with this antiseptic.
It is not recommended to apply iodine to an open wound. Only the edges of the damaged skin area are processed. The solution may cause severe chemical burns. As a result, rough scarring occurs, the healing process is prolonged.
Means "Povidone-iodine"
An iodine-based drug that has a less toxic effect on tissues. It is known that an alcoholic solution of iodine is incompatible with other antiseptics. In addition, it can have a negative effect on the thyroid gland. The medication "Povidone-iodine" has a milder effect. Children can also be given this wound antiseptic. The spray is used both for the treatment of small injured areas, and for the treatment of purulent skin diseases. Deep wounds are treated only along the edges.
Brilliant green solution
Without this antiseptic, you cannot imagine a single first-aid kit. Previously, this tool has been used since birth. It was the green that treated the umbilical wound. Today, other, more modern antiseptic drugs have appeared. But the solution of diamond greens has not lost its relevance. First of all, many are happy with the price. You can buy a bottle of greenback in pharmacies for only 8-10 rubles. The tool is also offered in a more convenient form - in the form of a marker. Zelenka can be easily applied to the affected area and not get dirty at the same time.
Like iodine, only the edges of the wounds are predominantly treated with brilliant green. The product can cause intoxication and burns. As soon as fresh scar tissue begins to appear in the wound, the use of the drug is stopped.
Medication "Fukortsin"
An antiseptic for external use, the main components of which are boric acid, as well as acetone. In pharmacies, the drug "Fukortsin" is offered in dosages of 10, 25, as well as 50 ml. The cost of the smallest bottle does not exceed 10 rubles. The medication has many positive reviews. Patients note that an antiseptic promotes rapid scarring of wounds, has antimicrobial, as well as anti-inflammatory effects.
During the application of the drug "Fukortsin" to the wound, you can feel pain and burning. Unpleasant sensations pass after a few minutes. It is not recommended to apply an antiseptic to large areas of the skin. The drug is absorbed into the blood. Overdose may cause dizziness and weakness.
An antiseptic is applied to the affected area of the skin several times a day. After the product has dried, compresses, ointments and pastes can be applied to the wound. As soon as scarring of damaged tissue begins, the use of the drug "Fukortsin" ceases.
The drug can also be used as part of complex therapy in the treatment of fungal skin diseases. The antifungal effect is provided due to the phenol that is part of the drug. The places of inflammation are wiped with a cotton swab dipped in a solution. The duration of treatment may depend on the form of the disease, as well as the individual characteristics of the patient's body.