Tips to help you avoid the need for advanced wound care services:
Don’t leave a wound open to the air. A scab is a roadblock to healing skin cells. Proper moisture content is essential to healing. Keep it covered.
Washing a cut with hydrogen peroxide or alcohol is the surest way to kill delicate skin cells. Add a teaspoon of salt to a quart of warm water and irrigate gently every day.
If you see redness, warmth, and tenderness extending more than an inch from a wound, see your doctor.
Getting a sun tan means getting skin cancer. Wear a sunscreen, any sunscreen. SPF 15 is better than SPF zero. A cotton shirt is SPF 5.
Poor circulation can keep a wound from healing for years. If your leg muscles cramp when you walk and feel fine when you rest, there may be blockages in your arteries. If you smoke, STOP SMOKING.
Varicose veins and leg swelling can keep a leg ulceration growing for years. If you don’t have arterial vascular disease, support hose are a must.
If you are diabetic or have numb feet, don’t wear new shoes all day the first day. Break them in an hour or two a day.
If you have a sore that stays for six months, see your doctor. Skin cancer is the most common cancer and the easiest one to cure, except for melanoma.
Walking on a corn is like walking on a pebble. Trim and pad thick, hard calluses.
