Cleaning the wound with soap, is it okay? & bull; hello healthy

One thing you should do before treating a wound is to clean it first. This must be done so that the wound does not become infected. But, is it okay to clean the wound with soap? Check out the explanation as follows.

Soap should not be used to clean wounds directly

When you are injured, you must treat the wound immediately. However, before treating it, you also have to clean the wound first. The reason is, wounds that are not cleaned have the potential to cause infection at a later date.

To clean a wound, there are a number of steps you must take. One of them is cleaning the area around the wound. You can clean the area around the wound with soap, as long as the soap you use doesn't hit the wound directly.

Why? Because the interaction between soap and the wound can cause irritation to the wound. If you persist in cleaning the wound with soap, it will be harder to heal your wound. What's more, open wounds that are exposed to soap may sting and make you uncomfortable.

Instead of using soap, it is best to use saline or clean water to clean the wound. Apart from being safer, they are said to be more effective at healing wounds. So, it can be concluded that basically it should not be cleaned directly with soap.

Then what steps should be taken if you want to clean a wound?

If you already know the reasons why you shouldn't clean a wound with soap, now is the time for you to know what steps you should take when cleaning the wound.

1. Wash your hands

Before you touch the wound or the area around the wound, it is better if you wash your hands. The reason is, you may not realize that the cleanliness of your hands is very influential when cleaning wounds.

If your hands are not clean, the bacteria that can get on your hands can land on the wound and cause an infection. If you are not sure about hand hygiene, it is best to wash your hands with soap until they are completely clean.

2. Stop wound bleeding

When you've finished cleaning your hands with soap, it's time to stop bleeding wounds. Use a clean cloth or towel. Then, stick and press the cloth or towel on the wound until the bleeding stops. Especially if the wound you are experiencing is large enough.

If the bleeding doesn't stop until the cloth or towel you are using is full of blood, use more cloth or towel to stop it. Press harder so that the bleeding can stop.

3. Rinse the wound with water

If you have succeeded in stopping the wound bleeding, now is the time for you to clean the wound. As mentioned above, don't clean the wound with soap. Just rinse your wound with plain water like tap water, for example.

This step is useful for tearing the skin and removing any remaining dirt and debris. After that, use a soft cloth to clean the area around the wound. To clean the area around the wound, you can clean it with soap. Origin, use a safe soap.

Make sure the soap you use does not come into contact with the wound directly to prevent irritation. You can also use tweezers to remove any dirt or debris that remains after cleaning. However, make sure the tweezers have been cleaned using an alcohol solution.

4. Dry the wound that has been cleaned

When the wound is finished cleaning, use a clean cloth to dry the wound. Gently pat the cloth on the wound and the surrounding area which is still wet, until it dries. Avoid using cotton or other materials that could get caught in the wound.

After that, use an antibiotic ointment or cream that can keep the injured skin moist and prevent infection. However, the use of this cream or ointment must be in accordance with the instructions from the doctor.

Wrap the wound with a bandage that has been sterilized so that the wound is protected from various threats that have the potential to make it worse. However, wounds that are not too large or are just scratches do not need to be bandaged.

If you have done the steps above but your wound is not getting better, contact your doctor immediately.