Hydrogen Peroxide & Wounds

When learning First Aid in the 1970s, I was taught to use hydrogen peroxide to clean minor wounds, cuts and scrapes. But is that the best advice?

Cuts and scrapes and minor wounds open up your skin and create an opportunity for bacteria to growth and to infect the area. The initial cleaning of a wound is important to flush out unwanted bacteria and to create a healing environment.

Prior to bandaging, most people either use soap and water or hydrogen peroxide to clean a minor wound. But which is better? In other words, which is the most effective cleaner that will do the job, but not disturb the tissue to encourage healing?

Is Hydrogen Peroxide The Best Option?

Hydrogen peroxide has been used since the 1920s as an effective antiseptic to kill bacteria. It bubbles and it burns as it does its job. Hydrogen peroxide is safer and more effective than rubbing alcohol and doesn't stain like iodine. The bubbling action converts hydrogen peroxide into oxygen gas and water.

Hydrogen peroxide works by breaking down the cell membranes of the bacteria and reacting with an enzyme in the bacteria called catalase. The problem is that it can't distinguish between your healthy cells and those of the bacteria in your wound. It also reacts with the catalase in your cells and causes the same bubbling action.

Much lower concentrations of hydrogen peroxide are produced in the human body to promote wound healing. Your cells have that catalase to inactivate the hydrogen peroxide produced inside the cells, but it can't handle the high concentration of hydrogen peroxide in a disinfectant and the cell dies.

This excessive oxidative damage to your cells from external hydrogen peroxide will actually slow down the wound healing process and increase your risk of a scar forming. This is why many clinicians today do not recommend using hydrogen peroxide for wound cleaning.

Using Soap & Water For Minor Wound Cleaning:

Many clinicians now teach that the best way to cleanse a cut, scrape or a minor wound, is with a safe, mild soap and plenty of water. It is best to choose a plain soap, without triclosan, triclocarban or a fragrance.

most antibacterial soaps contain the chemical triclosan. In December 2013, after 40 years of study, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced they would re-evaluate the safety of triclosan, because studies suggesting that it can interfere with hormone levels in laboratory animals and increase the growth of drug-resistant bacteria. In June 2015, the agency responsible for oversight of chemical use in the European Union, announced that triclosan would be phased out of hygiene products, because the risks of using the product outweighed any perceived benefits.

Before washing a cut, scrape or minor wound, wash your hands first. This helps reduce the potential for transferring bacteria from your hands to your wound. Some mild to moderate bleeding may occur while you're cleaning the wound. After cleaning, use direct pressure to stop the bleeding and elevate the area above the level of your heart if you're able to. This helps to reduce the amount of blood to the area to help stop the bleeding.

As part of the cleaning process, rinsing a wound with cool water for five to 10 minutes can help to remove dirt and debris from the area. Then use a mild soap with a clean washcloth or piece of gauze to wash the area, using mild pressure. Cover the area to keep it moist and clean. Wounds that are kept moist, don't scab up, will heal better and are less likely to scar. The bandaging should be changed regularly, being careful that a scab doesn't form growing into the bandaging.

If any burning sensation, fever, pain, itching, redness or oozing occurs, this may mean that the wound is infected and you should seek immediate medical attention.

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