Maybe you’ve just got out of surgery, or maybe you’ve taken a nasty fall on unforgiving ground and grazed your elbow. Whatever the underlying cause, now you’ve got a fresh wound to deal with. From start to finish, the steps that you take to clean and care for your wound will play a major role in making the healing process as comfortable and successful as possible; however, some cleaning agents might actually cause more harm than good.

Inappropriate cleaning agents can cause delayed healing, allergic reactions, elevated pain, and increased risk of infection. In the past, powerful antiseptics such as hydrogen peroxide and isopropyl alcohol were thought to be some of the best options for cleaning wounds due to their ability to fend off harmful microorganisms. Over time, however, research has shown that antiseptic use on wounds can actually damage the skin and ultimately lead to slower overall healing times with an increased risk of complications such as infection and scarring. As such, medical professionals now share quite a different perspective. In actuality, rinsing a wound with clean water or a saline solution is thought to be the best option for cleaning a wound without damaging the skin, helping the wound to heal healthily at its own pace.

In this article, we’ll introduce the importance of proper wound care throughout the healing process and explore the dangers of inappropriate cleaning agents for wound healing. 

Roles of wound cleaning agents

Proper wound care is an essential part of the wound-healing process. The way in which a wound is managed throughout the stages of healing can help to minimise pain and discomfort, and significantly affects the likelihood of a positive outcome without complications. 

There are many options available for wound cleansing, and choosing the right methods to suit your particular needs is very important. That’s why it’s always best to consult your healthcare provider if you’re not sure about the best course of action.

Cleaning agents ultimately aim to clear and remove debris and harmful microorganisms from a wound on the body. They are often used immediately following the inception of a wound but play an equally important role in proper wound management throughout the healing process. Some of the most significant purposes of wound cleansing are…

Infection prevention

Wounds create an opening in the skin barrier, your body’s first line of defence. This provides the ideal pathway for opportunistic harmful bacteria and other microorganisms to enter your body, which can lead to your wound becoming infected. In the event of infection, you might see symptoms such as increased pain, swelling, and spreading redness, and could even experience nausea, chills and fever-like symptoms in more severe cases. Over time, the infection of a wound can cause delayed healing and increased pain and can sometimes lead to serious health issues down the line should it go untreated and the harmful bacteria be allowed to spread into other systems of the body, such as bone structures and the bloodstream. Hence, it stands to reason that you’ll want to get that wound healed up as fast as possible.

Faster, better healing

Nobody wants to be out of action for any longer than they need to be, and proper wound care can be the key to getting you back on your feet as soon as possible. By providing an appropriate environment for your wound through proper cleaning, one that promotes healing and minimises additional damage, you can encourage the speedy formation of new cells towards total tissue repair, ultimately leading to a quicker overall recovery time. You might also be worried about unsightly scarring once your wound has fully healed, especially if your wound is located in a particularly sensitive or visible area. The good news is that proper wound management can help minimise over-scarring, helping your body smooth things over nicely.

Pain management

Whatever the cause of your wound, it’s likely that you will have experienced some degree of pain in attaining it. Pain levels are actually an important prognostic indicator during healing and can help you track the progression of your wound through the stages of healing. Fortunately, the healing process doesn’t have to be a painful one, provided the proper care is applied consistently throughout. Of course, medicated pain relief goes a long way in helping to deal with the pain associated with wounds, but wound management and cleansing should not be overlooked and can undoubtedly help you deal with any additional discomfort that you might encounter during the healing process. 

The allure of a ‘quick fix’

It’s understandable that you should want to fix your wound, and fix it as fast as possible. It might therefore be tempting to grab something from the shelf that you’re sure someone told you would do the trick, but that might not always be the brightest idea. Healing takes time and patience; you have to allow your body to go through the stages of healing at its own pace, and you may actually be doing more harm than good.

Dangers of inappropriate wound cleaning agents

The use of inappropriate wound-cleaning agents can be very harmful to a healing wound. Generally, the greatest negative effects revolve around damage to the areas surrounding the wound and delay in overall healing times.

• Delayed Healing - By damaging the new tissues created at the site of the wound, you can slow down the time it takes for the wound to heal. The longer the healing period, the more opportunity for unwanted side effects.
• Irritation/Allergic Reaction - Some cleaning agents contain harsh chemicals that are toxic and can cause painful skin irritation. You should also consider your own personal sensitivity to certain chemicals in wound-cleaning agents.
• Infection Risk - Cleaning agents aim to destroy harmful bacteria, but some can also kill beneficial bacteria that makeup part of the skin microbiome, the diverse community of microorganisms that inhabit the skin. The microbiome contributes to maintaining the health and function of the skin and has been shown to help promote tissue repair for wound healing, contributing to the prevention of infection. In using inappropriate cleaning agents, you might also be inadvertently providing harmful bacteria with the ideal environment for growth.
• Tissue Damage - Harsh, corrosive chemicals found in some cleaning agents can harm healthy tissue alongside damaged tissue, impeding cell regeneration and healing.

Harmful agents to avoid

A note on antiseptics

Antiseptics, also known as skin disinfectants, encompass a wide variety of solutions and can be described as a group of chemicals that are primarily used to clean the skin in an attempt to kill any harmful microorganisms that might exist there. Different antiseptics have been used by medical professionals for centuries, and many are still used in healthcare to help prevent infection and to limit the spread of harmful microorganisms.

Antiseptics have been very popular in the cleansing of wounds, but recent evidence suggests that the negative effects of antiseptic use for cleaning actually outweigh the positives.

Alcohol

Alcohol-based cleaning products are simple, readily available solutions that are famed for their antiseptic qualities, and have been put to use for many years in a number of capacities, including in the operating room, and in the everyday household kitchen.

While the antiseptic benefit of alcohol-based products is somewhat undeniable, their use in cleaning a wound can actually be very harmful. Studies have shown that the harshness of these chemicals can easily damage healthy skin and other tissues and disrupt tissue repair pathways in the healing wound, leading to increased delay in the healing process. 

Hydrogen peroxide

Like alcohol-based solutions, hydrogen peroxide has long been used as a mild antiseptic for the prevention of infection of minor cuts, burns and scrapes. Hydrogen peroxide is a strong oxidising agent, and has been shown to be effective in destroying vital cellular components of most bacteria and viruses. 

Famously, hydrogen peroxide fizzes on contact with a wound, and many people actually take this as a sign that the solution is doing its job and working to disinfect the wound. In reality, fizzing occurs when hydrogen peroxide is broken down into oxygen and water upon interaction with the enzyme catalase found in most of our cells.

This fizzing does help to clear debris from the open wound, helping to clean the site. However, similar to alcohol-based solutions, hydrogen peroxide is indiscriminate, so it destroys not only the cells of harmful microorganisms at the site of the wound but also your own cells that are working to get the healing process underway.

Harsh soaps/detergents

While a soapy water solution can certainly be useful for cleaning wounds, particularly harsh chemicals found in some soaps can also cause irritation and dryness, leading to a delay in healing times. 

Harsh soaps and detergents can also strip your skin of natural oils that keep it healthy, which may dry out your wound and cause further damage. It was previously thought that a dry environment is best suited towards healing, but more recently, research suggests that a more moist and warm environment actually promotes quicker healing.

Safe wound cleaning practices

Saline solution is simply salt diluted in water. Most commonly produced at a concentration of 0.9% sodium chloride (salt), it is often also referred to as a physiological solution, as it is produced as a similar concentration to that of sodium in the body’s blood. 

Flushing a wound with saline solution can be very effective in helping to clear debris and foreign material from the affected area. What’s more, as a sterile isotonic solution, saline solution will not harm the wound or surrounding tissues, and is less likely to cause pain during application. It’s worth noting that tap water can be equally effective in the absence of a saline solution, though considerations must be taken in areas with poorer water quality.

Professional guidelines now suggest the following steps for successful wound cleaning:

1. Wash and dry your hands before cleaning the wound - sterility is important.
2. Rinse the wound with water or saline solution. Sterile wipes can also be used.
3. Clean the area around the wound with soap and water - Antiseptics can be used, but you should avoid getting antiseptic into the wound itself, and should always take care to thoroughly wash away any remaining solution once it’s done its job.
4. Gently pat the area dry with a sterile gauze swab or other clean towel-like material - try to use something that won’t leave debris in the wound.
5. Apply a sterile dressing to protect the wound.

Summary

Wound care is of paramount importance throughout the healing period, helping you to avoid infection, reduce the amount of pain you experience, and get you on your way to successful healing as quickly as possible.

Antiseptics have been a favourite of healthcare professionals for a long time, but the damaging effects of harsh chemicals such as these can do more harm than good if used inappropriately.

Poor wound cleaning techniques can lead to a greater risk of infection, increased tissue damage, and delayed healing periods. Now that we know of the indiscriminate nature of some antiseptics and their damaging interactions with skin and other tissues of the body, it’s probably best to put that bottle of rubbing alcohol back in the cupboard.

Thanks to scientific development in recent times, there are many options at your disposal that are equally effective in wound cleansing, and yet are much less harmful to your wound and the surrounding area. 

Ultimately, If you’re wondering which approach is best for you, it’s always best to consult your healthcare provider before you try to treat your wound.