[pct-l] cleansing a wound

[Ken Murray]

This will be my last post on the subject of wound treatment, stitches and the like.  I've received a number of emails that have revealed a basic misunderstanding about common antiseptic solutions, such as alcohol, iodine, etc, that bears mention.

These agents have been used for a very long time for disinfection, and in fact, work very well for that purpose.  They are used widely even today.

However, it is important to understand that the appropriate use of such things is on INTACT skin.  If you look at the instructions for usage, you will find that they state such things as "not to be used on open wounds".

http://www.alcoholwipes.org/
(last sentence)

The reason for this difference, is that these agents kill microbes by disrupting their cell walls.  However, they also disrupt OUR cell walls, causing damage to our tissue!  With intact skin, we have a barrier that protects those cells, but with a wound, our cells are defenseless. Those damaged cells of ours then become a perfect growth medium for an infection.

http://dig.pharm.uic.edu/faq/wound_infections.aspx