Does hydrogen peroxide disinfect a wound? Why do you need to treat even small abrasions? Home remedies

This article will talk about a drug that should be in every first aid kit. Hydrogen peroxide is necessary for treating superficial wounds and minor bleeding. Diseases are treated with this remedy oral cavity. In addition, peroxide is widely used in folk medicine.

Release forms

The drug described in this article in our country is available in the form:

• Perhydrol (contains 2.7–3.3% hydrogen peroxide). You can buy it at any pharmacy in 25 ml bottles. Perhydrol is used to treat purulent wounds with cuts and scratches, to prepare rinsing solutions for diseases of the gums and teeth, gynecological diseases and sore throats. Included in products for purifying water in swimming pools, plumbing fixtures, furniture and dishes

How it works: After contact of this product with the skin or mucous membrane, active oxygen is released. As a result of this process, the place of use is cleared of various organic matter: bacteria, microbes, pus.

• Hydroperite (tablets with 35% peroxide content). Used for preparing solutions for washing and rinsing. Used in medicine to treat the surgeon's hands and forehead before surgery. 6% hydrogen peroxide tablets are used in various cosmetics for lightening hair

How it works: A solution prepared from the tablet form of this drug is used in the same way as perhydrol. With its help, wounds are disinfected and used in treatment. inflammatory diseases skin.

Indications for use

Hydrogen peroxide is, first of all, an excellent antiseptic. This liquid can disinfect wounds and prevent pathogenic microorganisms that cause dangerous consequences for good health. For example, tetanus or gangrene.

IMPORTANT: Any wound, even small cut or a scratch must be treated within the first 1-2 hours after its formation. This way you can minimize the risk of complications and achieve faster wound healing. Remember that infection can enter the body even through a small puncture, splinter, abrasion, or through a site of frostbite or burn.

Using the described tool you can stop heavy bleeding from the nose. It is used to treat sore throat, stomatitis and gynecological diseases. To solve these problems, rinses based on this drug are used.

Hydrogen peroxide contraindications

This product should not be used when hypersensitivity to its components.

How to use

For sore throats. You need to gargle with a 3% solution. Subsequently, this drug must be replaced with a slightly pink solution of manganese.

For stomatitis and periodontal disease. One tablespoon of 3% preparation is diluted in a glass of water. You need to rinse your mouth with the resulting solution 5-7 times a day. The course of treatment depends on the effect achieved.

For treating wounds. Peroxide should be applied to damaged skin as a disinfectant.

IMPORTANT: American scientists from Northwestern University (Chicago) discovered that some cancer cells die due to excessive accumulation of hydrogen peroxide in them. There are already positive examples of therapy with this drug not small cell cancer lungs.

Use in folk medicine

Treatment with hydrogen peroxide is widespread in folk medicine. Some “specialists” of such treatment (W. Douglas, C. Farr (USA), Prof. I.P. Neumyvakin) believe that any disease can be overcome with this drug. Moreover, side effects no such treatment is observed.

IMPORTANT: Any treatment is possible only with the help of a certified specialist. You should not self-medicate, especially on the basis of unproven facts. Below are the most “harmless” recipes using the described drug.

• Fungal infection and warts. Lotions based on a 6%-15% hydrogen peroxide solution are used. Course of treatment: 8-10 procedures
• Arthritis and joint pain. Compresses based on a 0.5%–1% solution. Keep on the sore spot for no more than 2 hours. Course of treatment: until pain decreases
• For ear diseases. Mix one teaspoon of water with 1 drop of 3% hydrogen peroxide. The solution is instilled into the ears (2 drops each). Course of treatment: 30 days
• Lightening hair on arms. You need to mix water (30 ml) and hydrogen peroxide in equal proportions. Then you need to add ammonia (10 ml) and ½ teaspoon of soda to the resulting solution. The composition should be applied to the skin of the hand and left for one hour. After which the skin should be washed thoroughly

IMPORTANT: You can use this solution only after making sure that it will not be harmful to your skin. Place a couple of drops of the solution on the crook of your elbow. If the skin does not turn red or itch, then it can be used.

• Baths with a spa effect. To eliminate metabolic products excreted through the skin, you can use baths with the described drug. Such baths not only have a spa effect, but will also help cleanse the skin of various fungi. You can use no more than 200-250 ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide per bath. It needs to be diluted in warm water(37 degrees). You can take such a bath for no longer than 30 minutes. After which you need to take a warm shower

Hydrogen peroxide or brilliant green

The brilliant green, unlike the product described, contains alcohol. Alcohol dries out the skin and causes discomfort. In addition, brilliant green can leave traces that are very difficult to remove. But the effects of hydrogen peroxide are not as long-lasting as those of brilliant green. After treating the damaged surface with this drug, be sure to cover the wound with a bandage.

Hydrogen peroxide analogues

"Betadine" (active substance Povidone-iodine). Used in solution form for treatment and prevention various infections in dentistry, surgery and traumatology. "Betadine" helps to quickly heal wounds from burns, abrasions, ulcers and bedsores. A solution based on this product is applied directly to the wound. Does not leave marks on skin or clothes. Can be used as compresses.

Betadine is used undiluted.

"Chlorhexidine". Antiseptic for disinfection and cleaning of affected skin areas. Used to treat wounds and as a prophylaxis venereal diseases. In dentistry, chlorhexidine is used to treat periodontitis, stomatitis and gum inflammation.

"Brilliant green alcohol solution". Antiseptic for treating wounds after injuries and operations, purulent abscesses and abrasions.

"Miramistin". Antimicrobial, antimicrobial, antiviral agent. Widely used for disinfection various wounds and abrasions. Stimulates the body's protective functions. Does not cause allergies. Used in surgery, traumatology, obstetrics and gynecology. Used for the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.

“Iodine alcohol solution 5%”. Popular antimicrobial agent local action. Used for external use for injuries, wounds, skin inflammation and muscle pain.

IMPORTANT: Iodine, if used frequently, may cause allergic edema on the face, skin rash, runny nose, lacrimation and other reactions.

Castellani liquid or "Fukortsin". Combined medicinal product, which has antiseptic and antimicrobial effects. In addition, with the help of Fukortsin you can disinfect areas of injuries and cuts.

"Streptocide"(active ingredient Sulfanilamide). This powder is used to kill germs and stop bleeding.

A drug from the group of antiseptics, hydrogen peroxide (or peroxide) has a disinfecting and deodorizing effect. In medicine, hydrogen peroxide is used in the form of a 3% solution. They are used for washing and rinsing, stomatitis, gynecological diseases. As a disinfectant, hydrogen peroxide is used to clean fresh wounds.

The liquid is poured around and into the wound, after which a reaction occurs with a characteristic hissing and the release of grayish foam.
You can use peroxide to treat wounds in children. True, its effect causes a not very pleasant, painful tingling sensation in the child. There is a good antiseptic that will not sting, this is chlorhexidine bigluconate. It is used to treat wounds in very young children. Older guys are calm about both hydrogen peroxide and brilliant green, so you can treat wounds with both.

How to treat a child's wound

The first thing to do is wash the wound. And it is not recommended to do this plain water, this can lead to infection, and this is precisely what needs to be avoided. If there is dirt around the wound, try to remove it with boiled water and laundry soap. It is important not to touch the wound itself. The wound itself is treated with an antiseptic - chlorhexidine or hydrogen peroxide. Can also be used to cleanse wounds weak solution potassium permanganate or furatsilin. After rinsing with hydrogen peroxide, you need to carefully remove the resulting grayish foam, and then treat the wound with an antiseptic. This is the most unpleasant moment for a child, because antiseptics can “pinch” a lot, so make sure that the baby will not struggle and try to calm him down.

Alcohol or alcohol can be used as an antiseptic. alcohol solutions brilliant greens and fucorcin. It is not recommended to treat a wound with iodine; it can burn damaged tissue, so it is applied only to the edges of the wound, making sure that it does not get inside.
Such preparations as Eplan and oil provide a good disinfectant effect. tea tree and “Rescuer” balm. In camping conditions, it may also happen that a child gets injured, but there are no antiseptics on hand. In this case, you can make a strong solution table salt(a tablespoon per glass of water), moisten a clean cloth in it and apply to the wound.

Daily toileting of a newborn is not difficult if you have the appropriate experience. However, new parents are so afraid of inadvertently harming the baby that even treatment umbilical wound appears to them challenging task. But a little practice and everything works out.

You will need

• cotton buds,
• hydrogen peroxide,
• brilliant green or chlorophyllipt,
• pipette,
• sterile wipes.

Instructions

How to treat a newborn's navel?

While the baby is in the maternity hospital, the navel is treated by medical staff. They apply antiseptic drugs- this is hydrogen peroxide, alcohol or a solution of potassium permanganate. Most often, the tip of the umbilical cord falls off already on the 5th day. But the wound is treated until it heals.

After discharge, the baby’s mother should handle the treatment. Doctors recommend carrying out procedures after swimming. To prevent infection of the wound, the baby should be bathed in boiled water with addition various decoctions herbs

How to properly treat your belly button

After the bath, gently pat your baby dry with a dry, soft towel. Using a pipette, drop a little hydrogen peroxide. When the solution stops foaming, you need to carefully spread the skin in the navel area and remove the crust using cotton swab or gauze. There is no need to tear off pieces of the crust; over time they will fall off on their own. Then the wound should be dried with a napkin and lubricated with brilliant green. Quite often you can hear from a pediatrician that you can’t use brilliant green, as you can see the inflammation that has begun.

Once the hydrogen peroxide stops foaming after the procedure, this means that the navel has healed.

Hydrogen peroxide is a product that has a bactericidal and antiseptic effect. It is used to treat all kinds of wound surfaces, and it also helps to stop bleeding. Peroxide is used only for external treatment.

Indications for use:

• cut wounds;
• puncture wounds;
• cuts;
• for animal bites;
• purulent-septic wounds;
• gargling for sore throats;
• treatment of the nose for rhinosinusitis;
• destroys old blood residues;
• as an antiseptic, it destroys microorganisms in the wound itself;
• used for rinsing the mouth for diseases of the mucous membranes;
• used for bleeding;
• in gynecological practice for the treatment of various infectious processes.

Treatment of the wound with hydrogen peroxide is done using a napkin or swab. Only 3% H2O2 composition is used, if the wound is 1-2 cm, you cannot pour the drug solution directly onto the wound area, since extensive wounds, where deep layers are affected, the solution may enter directly into the circulatory system.

Contraindications:

1. Individual intolerance to the drug;
2. Having an allergy to peroxide.

Side effects: Slight tingling and burning sensation in the wound area.

Treatment of a wound with hydrogen peroxide:

• First of all, you need to remove the clothing, then rinse the wound thoroughly. warm water and soap.
• We wash the wound from the very center, then move to the edges of the wound surface.
• After treatment, you can fill the affected area with hydrogen peroxide, without using cotton pads, as the villi may remain in the wound and cause a secondary process.
• We treat the edges of the wound with iodine solution. This will not contribute to infection of neighboring parts of the skin.

Signs of secondary infection:

1. The edges of the wound become bright red and the edges of the wound surface become swollen;
2. the skin around the lesion becomes purple;
3. body temperature will be high;
4. with a long process, symptoms of general intoxication.

Wound treatment:

Often victims think that they can treat the wound at home and go to the doctor with the presence of pus in it. If it's a small cut, you'll need to get started first. hygiene procedures and be sure to wash the wound.

It is recommended to fill shallow wounds with a solution of hydrogen peroxide, not only wet it, but treat it generously. The peroxide solution will always foam during processing., while the smallest particles are removed from the affected area. Moreover, this good method disinfection. After treating the wound surface, it is necessary to apply a sterile bandage to the affected area and secure it with an adhesive plaster.

Hydrogen peroxide treatment open wounds should begin with stopping bleeding by any in an accessible way. When the surface of the wound does not require suturing, it is permissible to treat the wound at home. Foreign objects are removed from the surface of the wound: dirt, torn clothing, but under no circumstances should you go deep into the wound.

If medical care Not yet, we start processing by washing our hands.

1. It is necessary to treat the wound with hydrogen peroxide and the edges of the wound with iodine solution. Do not allow the iodine solution to penetrate into the wound surface.. After this, we put napkins or bandages on the surface; if there are none, then just clean linen.
2. If the bleeding is minor, we apply a pressure bandage to the bleeding vessel. If the bleeding intensifies, apply a tight bandage 5-7 cm above the wound site; you can put any soft object under the wound.

During the first few days, blood clots must be removed from the wound area, then thoroughly treated with peroxide, after which it is possible to apply gauze bandage with ointment, for example, “Levomekol” or a pure aloe leaf.
The best option treatment and treatment of open wounds will be the method of suturing. Such wounds always heal faster and there is less risk of secondary infection.
We treat a purulent wound only with gloves.

Treatment of the source of inflammation:

Rinse the wound two or three times in a row with hydrogen peroxide, then you can change to another antiseptic. Purulent surfaces cannot be treated with water, as water causes secondary infection, and the use of alcohol increases the pain.

Cannot be lubricated purulent wounds ointments or creams. Do not apply cotton pads to purulent wound surfaces, as lint from the cotton remains. After treatment, apply a clean sterile napkin (preferably with Vishnevsky, aloe or Levomekol ointment) or a bandage. Next you need to fix everything well.
Wounds 1.5-2 centimeters with pus are subject to mandatory medical supervision.

Specialty: General Practitioner
Education: First Moscow State Medical University named after. Sechenov in 2010

Any wound, even the smallest one, requires mandatory treatment, which begins with the initial treatment of the injury with solutions that prevent infection of the injury. At the same time, it is important that the treatment is constantly adjusted, not only depending on the location of the wound and its etiology, but also on the course of the processes of restoration of injured tissue and the characteristics of healing.

In this section you will learn how to properly treat an open wound and what you can apply to the damaged area. You will also find answers to questions such as how to disinfect abrasions and scratches at home, how to properly treat deep and post-operative wounds.

Rules for treating wounds

When treating any wound, regardless of its location and origin, it is important to follow a number of certain rules.

An open wound is treated by following the following recommendations:

How to treat an open wound

During the initial treatment of the wound, as well as during all subsequent treatments carried out when changing dressings, antibiotic drugs are not used, even those that have sufficient wide range the action being taken.

In most cases antibiotic drugs eliminate different kinds bacteria, but in addition to them, fungi, as well as viruses and other pathogenic microorganisms, against which antibiotics would be powerless, could also enter the wounded area.

To treat wounds, you should use special antiseptic solutions that can destroy almost all types of pathogenic microflora, including the dangerous tuberculosis bacillus.

Of course, antiseptics do not accelerate the healing process, do not stimulate tissue regeneration, their goal is to destroy microbes, which significantly slow down and complicate all these processes, taking them away from tissues useful elements and oxygen for its own development.

But it is important to remember that if antiseptics are used incorrectly, the healing process can be significantly slowed down. At each stage of regeneration of damaged tissues, it is recommended to use suitable products.

What to apply to an open wound to make it heal faster? You will learn about healing in detail in a separate article. Also, to heal deep damaged areas of the skin, special medical glue is used, in particular.

Most often when treating wounds they use:

Similar articles

Treatment of abrasions and scratches

Such damage forms on the skin in cases where there is an impact on any hard surface or blunt object.

Often abrasions and various scratches occur as a result of a fall. As a result, it is usually removed upper layer epidermis and the smallest vessels are damaged, which causes pinpoint bleeding. Such damage also requires mandatory treatment to prevent infection and the development of the inflammatory process.

First of all, the abrasion must be thoroughly washed with running water and soap (laundry or regular baby soap). This treatment allows not only to eliminate contamination, but also to destroy many pathogenic microorganisms.

After washing, the abrasion should be treated antiseptic solution . To do this, you need to moisten a gauze swab in hydrogen peroxide and gently wet the surface of the damage. After this, you can take a cotton pad, soak it in Chlorhexidine solution and apply it to the abrasion, securing it with pieces of plaster. This bandage should be left on for about an hour.

Next, the surface of the injury needs to be dried a little in the air, after which you can sprinkle the injury, for example, Boneacin, or any other, and apply a dry sterile bandage. When a crust (scab) forms on the surface of the abrasion, the bandage is removed and left in the air.

Treatment of deep wounds

If you receive a deep wound, such as a cut, it is not recommended to immediately try to stop the bleeding. The blood coming out of the wound washes out any contaminants that have gotten inside, which helps clean the wound cavity.

It is important to treat the wound with antiseptics, remembering that the use of alcohol is not recommended, as it causes necrosis of damaged tissue. Pouring hydrogen peroxide onto such injuries is strictly prohibited, as this can lead to an embolism.

For correct processing injury, you should soak a cotton pad or gauze swab in peroxide and gently blot the surface of the wound and the skin around it.

After this, apply a sterile bandage using a sterile gauze cloth attached with a bandage or plaster. The bandage must be changed the next day or as it becomes saturated with blood.

It is not advisable to apply the ointment immediately after receiving a wound. Most of these drugs are recommended for use only when granulation processes have already begun at the wound site or suppuration has appeared with active inflammation. It is popular in the treatment of purulent wounds.

If, immediately upon receipt of a wound, there is a serious danger of infection of damaged tissues, for example, in cases where the wound was inflicted by a rusty nail, a piece of rusty iron, glass located in the ground, and in others similar situations, then in order to avoid complications after treating the wound with antiseptics, you should immediately apply antibacterial ointment. Best in similar cases use an ointment that has water base and when heated on the surface of the body, it easily penetrates into the very depths of the wound cavity, killing pathogenic microflora.

If the wound is deep and narrow (from a nail), it is permissible to inject ointment heated to body temperature from a syringe directly into the wound cavity.

You may find information such as an algorithm or (PHO) wounds useful - you will also find detailed information about this in the relevant articles.

When to go to the doctor

It is important to correctly assess the extent of the injury received. Of course, minor abrasions, scratches and cuts can be treated independently at home, using the right means and carrying out the necessary treatments in a timely manner.

If you have minor injuries, you should consult a doctor only if the wound, despite all treatments, begins to inflammatory process, and suppuration appeared.

Cuts should be given special attention Special attention. It is important to remember that only shallow cuts, the length of which does not exceed 2 cm, can be treated independently without contacting a doctor.

When you get a cut bigger size After the initial treatment, you should immediately consult a doctor, as sutures may be required.

If you receive serious and large wounds You should contact a doctor immediately, and it is important to provide the victim with proper first aid before the ambulance arrives.

Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) is a substance that is freely available in pharmacies. The peroxide that we buy is a 3% solution: that is, the bottle with the substance is 97% water. Hydrogen peroxide in this solution accounts for only 3%.

Most people use this substance as an antiseptic. Although few people know that peroxide is not effective enough as an antiseptic. Nevertheless, it does not cause harm when it gets on cuts and scratches; moreover, when it comes into contact with a wound, peroxide forms a spectacular “show”. So why does hydrogen peroxide foam on a wound? What exists scientific explanation this impressive phenomenon? Find out in the article.

Why does hydrogen peroxide foam on a wound?

The reason why foaming occurs is because blood cells and the blood itself contain an enzyme called catalase. Since a cut or scrape is always accompanied by bleeding and damaged cells, a lot of catalase is always formed around the wound. This has been clarified, but still, why does hydrogen peroxide foam on a wound? When catalase comes into contact with it, it converts hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) into water (H 2 O) and oxygen (O 2).

Catalase carries out the process of splitting peroxide into water and oxygen extremely efficiently - up to 200,000 reactions per second. The bubbles we see when hydrogen peroxide foams on a wound are oxygen bubbles produced by the action of catalase.

Entertaining chemistry

If you try to remember your school chemistry lessons, then images will certainly appear in your head: in class, the teacher pours a small amount of hydrogen peroxide onto a cut potato - the same thing happens. The teacher asks, “Why does hydrogen peroxide foam on the skin you cut and on the potatoes?” Without waiting for an answer, the teacher himself answers: “Because in damaged potato cells, like damaged epidermal cells, catalase is released.”

Peroxide does not lather in the bottle or on whole skin because there is no catalase to cause the reaction. Hydrogen peroxide is stable at room temperature.

Have you ever wondered why hydrogen peroxide bubbles on a cut or wound, but it does not bubble on intact skin?

Why hydrogen peroxide foams and fizzes: a scientific explanation

So we found out that hydrogen peroxide turns into bubbles when it comes into contact with an enzyme called catalase. Most cells in the body contain it, so when tissue is damaged, the enzyme is released and becomes available to react with the peroxide.

Catalase allows you to decompose H 2 O 2 into water (H 2 O) and oxygen (O 2). Like other enzymes, it is not used in the reaction, but is recycled to catalyze more reactions. Catalase supports up to 200,000 reactions per second.

The bubbles we see when we pour antiseptic on a cut are bubbles of oxygen gas. Blood, cells and some bacteria (such as staphylococci) contain catalase. While it is not contained on the surface of the skin. Thus, peroxide, in contact with intact skin, does not react and bubbles do not form.

In addition, since hydrogen peroxide has such high level activity, this substance has a certain shelf life after opening. In other words, if no bubbling is observed when hydrogen peroxide is applied to a wound or bloody cut, it is likely that the peroxide is no longer active and has long since expired.

Hydrogen peroxide as an antiseptic

The earliest use of hydrogen peroxide was as a bleach, since oxidation processes are good at changing or destroying pigmented molecules. However, peroxide has been used as a powerful disinfectant since the 1920s. Therefore, the question: “Why does hydrogen peroxide foam on a wound?” - people have been asking this for centuries.

The healing properties of peroxide

The chemical characteristics of peroxide ensure that it can heal wounds in several ways. Firstly, since this water solution, peroxide helps wash away dirt and damaged cells and “loosen” the crust of dried blood. Bubbles in in this case help remove debris from the damage.

Although it is worth noting that the oxygen released by peroxide does not destroy all types of bacteria. In addition, peroxide has strong bacteriostatic properties, which means that using hydrogen peroxide on a wound helps prevent the growth and reproduction of bacteria. Peroxide acts as a sporicide, killing potentially infectious fungal spores.

However, it does not represent an ideal disinfectant, since it also destroys fibroblasts. This is the type connective tissue which body cells use to fast healing wounds and restoration of damaged skin areas.

Therefore, peroxide should not be used as an antiseptic on a routine basis when treating wounds as it may slow down the healing process. So, most doctors and dermatologists advise against using it to disinfect open wounds, because it only makes the situation worse.

Checking whether the peroxide in the bottle is active

After all, hydrogen peroxide is made up of water and oxygen, meaning when you use peroxide on a wound, you're basically using plain water. Luckily, there is a simple test to make sure your bottle of hydrogen peroxide contains active substance: Simply pour a small amount of liquid into the sink. Metals (for example, near a drain) catalyze the conversion of peroxide into oxygen and water - this is why hydrogen peroxide foams on a wound and even on a sink!

If bubbles form, you can rest assured that the peroxide is effective. If you don't see them, it's time to head to the pharmacy for a new bottle of hydrogen peroxide. It is worth remembering that storing the medicine in a container helps extend the shelf life. the right conditions. Make sure it is in a dark container and in a cool place.