Should you cover an open wound or not for a quick healing? | Healthy

Sander van den Bogert: ,,It used to be customary to allow wounds to heal ‘in the air’ as much as possible, without plaster. Today it is known that a slightly moist wound under a plaster heals faster than a dry wound and hurts less. Covering it stimulates close growth. Sterile gauze, wound wraps and dressings that do not stick to the skin surface are available in pharmacies for this purpose.

To prevent infections, it is important to treat wounds as cleanly as possible. First clean with running water. If dirt or sand has gotten into the wound, it must also be disinfected. For example with chlorhexidine or Betadine. If you touch a wound with objects, such as tweezers or needles – in the case of splinters or blisters – disinfect them beforehand with 70 percent alcohol.

Wounds come in all shapes and sizes. You can usually treat simple wounds yourself, complicated wounds require the expertise of a doctor (assistant) or nurse. If you are unsure about the complexity of your injury, consult your doctor.

How do you treat complicated wounds that are difficult to heal? Doctors from the Institute of Hyperbaric Medicine explain this in this video.

One way to recognize a complex wound is its color. Simple wounds are usually red or have a dry, yellow crust; complex are moist yellow or black. If the edges are apart (give way), the wound may need to be sutured.

If you have a wound that does not heal for more than a week, call your doctor. This also applies to inflamed wounds, wounds with a lot of dirt in them or with a large surface area, stab or bite wounds, bedsores and diabetic wounds. As well as deep burns, burns in the face or on the hands or feet and if your baby or toddler has suffered a burn.