How long should you apply wound care ointment before you need to apply it

In fact, there is no unified "maximum period of use". 1 to 2 weeks is sufficient for most ordinary wounds. Even for chronic small wounds that heal slowly, it is not recommended to exceed 4 weeks at most. If it has not healed within the time limit, don't apply it forcefully. See a doctor first to check the problem.

Speaking of this time difference, it actually all depends on the type of wound and recovery status. There is no one-size-fits-all standard. For example, small cuts on the hands caused by cooking or superficial abrasions caused by falling while running are not deep enough to reach the dermal layer and there is no infection. Basically, you can stop when there is no obvious exudation and thin scabs begin to form on the wound, which only takes 3 to 7 days. I used to treat my niece's knee scrape after she fell while running. I disinfected it every day for the first three days and applied a thin layer of nursing cream to moisturize and prevent infection. On the fourth day, the scab was hard to the touch, and she felt it was too boring to apply the dressing and stopped immediately. In less than 10 days, the scab was gone and nothing happened, not even a mark was left.

Many people have tried to argue with me about this before. One group said that it must be applied until the scabs are completely gone and even the red marks are gone. The other group said that it should be stopped as soon as the scabs form. In fact, there is no big problem with both of these opinions. They are the ones who score points. If you have a scarring constitution and are afraid of leaving hypertrophic scars, you can switch to a specialized scar removal product after using ordinary care cream to remove the scab, and then applying ordinary care cream will not have the effect of lightening the scars; if you have an ordinary constitution, after the scabs form, the area around the wound will not be red or swollen, and it will not hurt when you press it, and it will be no problem if you stop. On the contrary, if you apply it thickly every day, it will easily soften the newly formed scabs, which will give bacteria a chance to take advantage of the opportunity. A colleague of mine had a two-centimeter gash cut while cutting vegetables. It healed quite well. However, I heard someone tell me to apply it more frequently to prevent scarring. After applying it for more than 20 days, the surrounding good skin became covered in eczema. It was extremely itchy, which delayed recovery.

Of course, there are also things that need to be applied for a longer period of time, such as shallow bed sores on long-term bedridden elderly people and small ulcers on the feet of people with diabetes. The blood circulation is poor and the healing speed is much slower than ordinary people. As long as there is no discomfort when applying it, it can be used for up to 4 weeks. However, if the wound has not grown well by 4 weeks, do not continue to apply it hard. There is a high probability that the wound is latent or the underlying disease is not well controlled. If it is delayed, it will easily aggravate the infection, so you need to seek medical treatment quickly. By the way, there is an exception. If after applying the care ointment, you feel that the wound is itching severely, exuding more, and the surrounding area is red and rashy, no matter if you have used it for 1 day or 3 days, stop immediately. There is a high probability that you are allergic to the ingredients. Don't hold on to it for a long time.