The Importance of Cleanliness in Wound Dressing

The Importance of Cleanliness in Wound Dressing

Whether you are recovering some type of injury or a surgical procedure, open wounds must be kept clean at all times. Various approaches to wound dressing are used to accomplish the goal. Along with the right type of dressing supplies, it’s also important to ensure the dressing and other supplies employed are perfectly clean. Here are some of the ways that proper attention to hygiene will make a difference.

Reducing the Risk of Infections

Whatever the nature of the wound, it will take time for it to heal properly. In the meantime, preventing any foreign matter from collecting in or around the wound is crucial. That matter can provide the basis for an infection to develop.

Infections complicate healing in more ways than one. The skin may become inflamed and cause the stitches to pop. If the infection settles into the wound, there may be the need for more painful procedures to clear up the problem.

Before applying fresh dressing, it makes sense to clean the area and ensure there is no foreign matter present. If showering is out of the question right now, buy sponges and use them along with a cleansing product recommended by your doctor. While it may mean using gentle strokes and a blotting action, the result is a clean wound that can now be dressed and continue to heal.

Preventing the Transfer of Bacteria

It’s not just about cleaning the area around the wound. You also want to make sure your hands are washed before and after changing the dressing. Keep cheap medical products around that you can use to properly sterilize your hands before cleaning the wounded area. Remember to wash again once you complete the task. You may find that along with soap and similar products, keeping a supply of surgical gloves around is a good idea.

Don’t forget to invest in a container that you can use to dispose of the old dressing. It should include a lid that is easy to secure. This will prevent others from coming in contact with the leakage and also make it easier to keep your environment clean.

Keeping the Rest of the Body Clean

It’s not unusual for patients who have undergone surgery to experience incontinence for a period of time. Just as the wound should be cleaned and dressed with care, it makes sense to invest in cheap diapers that capture the leakage and make it easier to keep the body and the bedding clean.

Those who are not well enough to step into the shower just yet can make use of sponges to clean themselves as part of the diaper change and prevent irritations to those sensitive areas. Once the sponge bath is over, a fresh diaper makes it easier to relax and know that if another event takes place, the process of getting clean will be less complicated.

Your doctor can provide suggestions that help you to buy wound care products that remove obstacles to healing and help you feel better about your present circumstances. Remember that proper hygiene as your wounds heal coupled with changing the dressing according to the schedule provided by the attending physician, will increase the odds of your recovery progressing without any complications.