How to treat this bad graze on leg

[rainforestsloth]

Hi any suggestions - it was washed with antiseptic wound wash and covered for school with a large white gauze style plaster but have been leaving it to air this afternoon. Was about to give some ibuprofen to help with the inflammation. Any other suggestions? Thank you 😊

Sudocrem and covered for bed and aired tomorrow.

Ouch! Paracetamol or ibuprofen for pain, if nice and dry then just leave to air and should be fine in no time. If weeping slightly then keep covered with plaster as you have done for a few days then recheck. As long as no signs of infection (heat, redness, increase in pain, pus) then alls good!

Honestly. Just leave it to heal on its own.

Aw that looks sore, poor DC! I think the longer you can leave it uncovered the better, then I'd cover it with a was of gauze held in place at side with tape (and fairly loose over the graze), just so it doesn't rub on bedclothes and start to sting.

Really, don't cover - it needs the air on it to dry and heal.

Don't put sudocream on it - was on a first aid course today listening to the trainer tell horror stories of infection and sepsis...

Leave it alone and keep it clean. Cover with loose trousers when going outside or a loose sterile bandage if it's rubbing and bleeding.

Thank you for all your suggestions will leave to air at the moment! Hopefully it will go down overnight!

DSs have had loads of grazes like that from rugby. We tend to cover them where necessary with a menolin/non stick dressing loosely taped on (so there's still air circulating) otherwise they stick to clothing and bedding and it's really not pleasant. When they can be left to air, we take the dressing off. They can take a while to dry and scan over.

Ahhhh why not sudocreme? This is my go to for cuts and grazes. Terrified now 😱

same as most of the other replies...keep the fluff off it over night with a loose covering, but I'd air it out as much as possible.

Maybe not a grand recommendation but don't the NHS use sudocrem?

The first aid trainer said not to put any kind of cream onto grazes or burns and just to keep them clean and loosely covered and talked about infection and sepsis resulting from putting things into this kind of damaged skin, but it was first aid, not long term treatment or hospital / more qualified medical treatment being discussed... I'm not an expert but wouldn't put creams on this kind of wound now (there was a PowerPoint with photos... not envy)

Thank you for all your advice just checked it the redness has gone down and is dry.

Leave. Uncovered to form a scab.

Dd (ASD) refused to do this and wanted a plaster. After 3 days the plaster smelt and I ripped it off while she slept. It ripped off the scab and was awful! I sprayed dry antiseptic on it (it's really hard to get but a great product for grazes - spray when they sleep). Alas, I was too late and she has s huge scar....

melonin (menolin?) wound dressing + healing gel.
until it's properly scabbed.

Modern dressings such as Mepore let the air through - they are designed to keep the wound clean, dry (but not too dry) and protected slightly.

Scabs in terms of wound healing are Not A Good Thing. Scabbed wounds are potentially more likely to scar, and more tempting to pick leading to infection and scarring.

If a large abrasion is clean and dry then you're ok to leave it bare, but keep an eye on it to ensure it isn't becoming weepy or clothing and bedding aren't sticking to it.

If an abrasion is moist and weepy then cover it - you can ask a pharmacist for advice on a suitable dressing. I hate Melolin (we never use it in practices) and prefer something like Mepore. You can shower or bath daily even with a weepy abrasion but then pat it dry and cover it again once bone dry.

Watch out for skin around it becoming hot, red, more painful or if the graze is mucky or bleeding a lot.

(I'm a practice nurse and wound care is our bread and butter. If you're worried about a wound then make an appointment to see a practice nurse).

Mepore on the shopping list!

Does it need to be changed regularly? As mentioned dd has ASD/OCD tendancies so trying to find a good way of dealing with minor ailments is really helpful.

I'd put a loose bandage over it to help keep it clean for a day or 2, but no creams.

imip Mepore is always good to have in the cupboard - you can get them in different sizes too. They're not waterproof and are usually left on for 1-3 days; I find the best thing is to remove them in the shower or bath as they soak off then.

Oh thanks! I hope they are cheap

LOL you can buy equivalent ones for less I imagine, Mepore is just a brand name. Buy a box (works out cheaper than buying individual dressings but would all be the same size) and ask the pharmacist for the cheapest equivalent.

In our area we dont use sudocreme anymore (nhs) as tends to damage fragile skin further , I wouldnt use it on open areas however I would still use it on myself for sore bits!