2023-08-16 10:34:46
by Health Editor
While on vacation, it can happen that you get cuts or grazes. To cure them, however, we often rely on solutions that are usually ineffective or that can do more harm than good
A slip on the rock, a thorn underfoot, a tumble in beach volleyball. While on vacation it often happens that you suffer some small injury: a graze, a cut, a peeling and so on. And just as often we let ourselves be deceived by fake remedies which, instead of helping, can make these small wounds worse.
The two most common are those according to which sea water disinfects wounds and the sun accelerates healing. The truth, however, is another: the sea and the sun’s rays have no healing effect – explains Giovanni Papa, president of the Italian skin ulcers association ETS (AIUC), director of the Plastic Surgery Department of the Cattinara Hospital (Trieste) —. In fact, they are just old clichés that, at best, do neither good nor bad. At worst, however, they can complicate minor injuries, ruining the holidays.
Because salt water and sunlight do not cure
While salt water has been used as a remedy for skin lesions for centuries, actually today, immersing an open wound in the sea increases the risk of infection. Sea water, which very often is anything but “clean”, increases the probability that a lesion will be infected by various microorganisms, thus giving rise to more or less serious complications: from the formation of abscesses to rare forms of bacterial infections , up to bone and joint infections – explains Pope -. Frail people, such as those with liver disease or diabetes, or who are immunosuppressed, have an even greater risk of infection.
Even exposing a small wound to the sun can have a number of unpleasant consequences. The sun’s rays do not heal wounds, nor accelerate their healing nor reduce the risk of infections – underlines the expert – In reality, exposure to the sun can induce hyperpigmentation of the skin, or a spot on the part of the skin where wounds are found. The stain that is created in this way after the wounds are exposed to the sun can remain for a long time even after the healing process has taken place. Therefore wounds should be covered and protected rather than exposed to the sun.
How to handle wounds properly
Wounds, even small ones, must therefore be managed following conventional medical advice. Disinfectant, plasters or sterile gauze: these are the only “do-it-yourself” remedies allowed – recommends the Pope -. Furthermore, to accelerate wound healing, specific over-the-counter products can be used, such as ointments, sprays or gauzes based on wheat extract which are particularly effective in promoting the healing process.
Therefore, if we do not want a small wound to ruin our holidays, it is advisable to rely on the only remedies that have been scientifically proven to be valid for disinfection and healing – concludes Pope -. Even if small, the lesions should be suitably protected from sea water and the sun, avoiding direct exposure to both for a few days, based on the depth of the wound.
August 16, 2023 (change August 16, 2023 | 10:27 am)
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