What’s the best way to help dd6 grazed knee heal please?

[Ohbiscuits28]

My little one fell over on Thursday and grazed her knee. I’ve been making sure the area is kept clean with antiseptic, but she keeps accidentally knocking the scabs off while playing and now it looks so sore again! Will it heal better dressed or undressed?
Many thanks, I really appreciate any advice!

Unless it bleeding leave it uncovered it will go away soon enough.

Don’t bathe it too often, as that might stop it hardening up. If you can get it clean and then try to leave it alone for a good strong scab to form. If it’s still being knocked try leaving it uncovered at night and just loosely covering with something like clean muslin during the day. If you must put something on it, something that lets the air get to it is preferable.

@Oscillating@HobgoblinNorFoulFiend

Thank you both! I left it uncovered originally but it kept weeping. A hard scab formed yesterday, but where it keeps getting knocked it weeps/bleeds again. Will follow this advice and hopefully it heals ☺️

Definitely keep it covered and use savlon/germolene. It will heal much better if it’s kept moist (and protected from bumps).

I had a really nasty leg graze a few weeks ago and went to minor injuries. A lot worse than your DC although that looks painful. You keep it covered at all times until it closes over. This took two weeks. I now have minimal scarring. Get the dressings in boots etc. Hard scabs should be avoided if possible.

ps if dressing stick to graze soak it before peeling off

Apparently it's less likely to scar if the scab is kept soft.

I'd put a good squirt of antiseptic cream on it and keep it covered with a plaster or dressing. That will also help prevent it getting knocked and will keep it clean.

Savlon wound gel, covered by a disc of cotton wool held loosely in place with micropore tape. So it gets some air at it, stays moist, and the wound gel is miraculous.

I would not use cotton wool - it comes apart very easily and can get stuck to the wound / increase infection risk. Just use a normal plaster or adhesive dressing.

Not sure I'd get it just for this, but clinisept spray from a chiropodist can be good for this sort of thing as it's antiseptic but somehow doesn't interfere with wound healing the way some others antiseptic creams do.

I might try to cover it but loosely, like with one of those dressing strips, so you could basically have it open at both ends and not too tight. That way it gets protected from the worst bashes, at least.

Or something breathable like a meropore dressing. While it's open you do want to stop it getting infected.

Sudocrem would work well for this - even if it rubs off it will get in the cracks and the zinc in it will really help speed up healing

I second savlon as a miracle wound healer

I would cover it until it’s a bit further along. Fair enough to air out wounds on adults but in my experience, children will just keep messing with it or knocking it and it never really gets anywhere without some protection.

yep this is the modern advice, “letting it dry out” is not advised any more. I like the sound of the wound gel pp mentioned

You can get larger non stick dressings at the chemist

Definitely hydrocolloid dressing, absolutely don’t leave it exposed, that is a fallacy. It’ll get very wet but leave it, minimal changes of the dressing. It’ll heal beautifully. Google it for further information.

Use a hydrocolloid plaster , you can get them from boots or amazon. Absolute game changer

I’d put silicone wound mesh on that(we use Altrauman) and cover it with a breathable dressing like Cosmopore. Then if the child does bang the wound and it weeps, the mesh stops the scab sticking to the top dressing and being pulled off when you change that. Also keeps the scab kind of soft so it heals faster.