Wound Care Question - Stop dressing sticking to cuts?

VirtueOrSin · 22-10-2011, 12:31 AM

I can't seem to find any way of dressing a wound without the bandages/gauze/whatever I use sticking to the cut. Even if I wait for the cut to stop bleeding (which I'm not very good at, I know it's really bad but I just have to keep looking, or it soaks though and I freak out) It still at some point re-opens and the blood dries to the bandage so when I move it rips open (In turn causing me to yelp rather like a puppy). At the moment I'm using gauze with lint cloth wrapped around it and a tubi grip on top to keep it in place, so nothing adhesive. I've tried spraying the gauze with anti-bacterial spray to keep it wet but I've heard conflicting advice on whether you should keep wounds wet. Also (I don't know if this will make a difference) the cuts are on my leg, so are constantly moving and are covered by my jeans that rub.

Sorry if this has been covered, I just couldn't find anything in the first aid advice page!

Leo Pard · 22-10-2011, 04:34 PM

When you take the dressing off, I would recommend soaking it in saline (Teaspoon of sea salt in a mug of boiling water, obviously wait until the water is luke warm.) and then it should be easier to take off.

brackish · 23-10-2011, 09:48 AM

At the pharmacies I've been to, they often sell nonstick pads that don't stick even to a fresh wound. They seem to work well. It might be the safest bet since every time you reopen a wound you increase your chance of infecting it.

talaiporia · 23-10-2011, 01:34 PM

Use Melonin, which is also called "low adherent dressing". You can buy it in Boots, Superdrug, and some big Tesco.

VirtueOrSin · 23-10-2011, 03:44 PM

I'll have to re-visit boots then, thank you. I didn't see them last time I was there but they have them online. Thanks again =]

fragile as glass · 23-10-2011, 07:08 PM

Gauze will always stick. It's not meant as a dressing, it's meant to soak up blood or clean your wound or act as padding.

I agree with talaiporia, go to any pharmacy - they stock non-adherant dressings too and use them. Melolin can also stick but as already said, if something sticks don't pull it. Soak it in warm water.

The one dressing I know not to stick is called ''Robinsons Skintact Dressings'' but remember to get the large (10x10cm) size which is the same size as melolin dressings. Its just that Robinsons do 5x5cm baby size dressings too!

TEAPARTY · 23-10-2011, 07:40 PM

Vaseline, I cannot remember who taught me this but it works a treat. If you don't want to rip off a scab when you change the dressing, then stick a nice dollop of vaseline on top of the cut when you dress it and it doesn't stick.

VirtueOrSin · 23-10-2011, 07:49 PM

Thank you for your help guys, I can see my next visit to boots is going to be an expensive one...

Animad · 23-10-2011, 09:31 PM

Vaseline isn't the best idea as that will stop the cells in the cut from breathing and therefore reduce the speed of healing. Yes, it will stop it from sticking, no doubt about that, but the length of time needed for wounds to heal would be much increased.

Also, I wanted to point out that Melolin and Skintact are the same type of dressings, all that is different is that skintact has 2 shiny sides instead of just the one that melolin has. They are both the same type of dressing- low/ non-adherant dressings which means the chances of them sticking are reduced but between the 2 the chances really are the same as they are just different tradenames with nothing to pick between them.

As said, neither lint or gauze is designed to be in contact with the wound as a dressing and will stick and spraying them with antiseptic won't keep them moist for long at all, they'll soon dry out.

One thing you could use so long as you are certain they are not infected, is hydrogel and the only one I have seen on shelves in the UK is Savlon Advanced Healing Gel though some places may have their own home brand now. This keeps the wound in a moist environment, will stop and dressings sticking and will help the wound to heal quicker. However, if the wound shows any signs of infection you need to stop using it straight away as it can worsen it but otherwise hydrogels are great products to use, heal wounds quickly and also minimise the scarring at the end of it (as well as the pain).

Also, a dressing can be soaked in any warm (pre-boiled) water, it does not have to be salt water which if used on wounds can cause more harm than good as often it has too much salt on it which dries the all of the cells out, killing them, and therefore reducing the speed of healing.

fragile as glass · 24-10-2011, 01:07 PM

I know you are more qualified than me in medicine but I became allergic to melolin which is why they use skintact on me. Yes they are both types of non-adherant dressings but the ''shiny sides'' on skintact are made of different ''materials'' than on melolin. Hence why melolin gives me blisters and skintact does not. I ended up pleased to have to use skintact due to hating the way melolin often sticks and skintact never does.

This was all researched and tried and tested while I was in hospital when we were trying to find something that I wasn't allergic to. So I'm gonna stick my neck out here and say that yes they are similar but not ''really are'' the same.

To the OP, I get my dressings, bandages and tape from my GP. It's on my repeat prescription list. So if you are exempt from paying for your prescriptions then I would go to my GP if I was you and try and get them on prescription. If you don't ask you don't know or get! It just may help you save a lot of money.

VirtueOrSin · 24-10-2011, 02:23 PM

That sounds like a plan, however how would I explain why I needed them? I've never been to the doctor about anything SH related and I really would like to avoid anything of the sorts going on my record. I don't mind paying for it, but is it worth lying about it?

fragile as glass · 24-10-2011, 03:25 PM

Well, you're 18 so nothing would be disclosed to your parents or anyone else unless you gave your doctor permission to do so.

If you have the money then buying dressings etc would be the most anonymous way to go about things but don't go to your local chemist or they will start recognising you and put two and two together. Go into your local town/city and vary your chemists.

If you don't SH much then buying first aid items shouldn't dent your pocket too much but if you don't have much money I would personally grit your teeth, tell your doctor you self harm and that's why you would like them on prescription. Add in that you are struggling to pay for the dressings etc yourself being only 18. You can say that you're not ready to go into it but that you want to be responsible and dress your wounds properly.

Good luck xx

Animad · 24-10-2011, 07:57 PM

You don't have to see the doctor to get any dressings, pharmacies or most supermarkets nowadays actually sell them. Whichever non/low-adherant dressing you get is fine. Yes, the plastic in them will have a very slightly different make up between different products but to all intents and purposes, if you're not allergic then they're going to do pretty much the same thing as they are designed to do the same job so buy whichever make you can find which may not even be a brand name. Also, really there is not that much difference between sticking with them but if you are allergic to one product then the fluid your body would produce would make it more likely that they stick. At the end of the day it mainly comes down to cost and personal preferance over which products you have along with what's in stock. I'm not going to say that x is better than y or vice versa as that can be seen as advertising and to all intents and purposes, to the vast majority of people they make no difference.

You MAY be able to get them on prescription but a lot of doctors/ nurses would probably be quite reluctant to do this if you haven't got the need to keep re-dressing one wound at home and then usually they'd give you the number you'd need and maybe an extra one or two. Yep, some may prescribe them more often so if you feel up to going to your doctor about your SH then feel free to ask. In the UK the doctors can't break confidentiality unless you are a harm to yourself (which tends to mean you have plans to kill yourself and are intent on carrying them out) or to other people. The only exception to this is if where you work/ study has an occ health department and they want to see your notes about something, say if you've got an underlying health condition, they can do but ONLY if you sign something and then they only see the ones related to that and I imagine it comes to them in the form of a letter anyway. Remember as well that unless you fit into very strict criteria (ie. if you're under 19 AND in further education/ if you've filled in forms to say you've got a low income (and I think they take any savings you have into account), I think if you're on job seekers allowance but I'm not sure of that, if you're pregnant or if you've got a life-threatening condition where you are likely to be on lifelong meds (hyper/hypothyroidism, epilepsy, diabetes are a few examples)) you do have to pay for prescriptions at least in England and I *think* the cost of them is £7.40 now too so it's weighing up the cost but often a pharmacist will tell you if it's cheaper to buy them not on prescription as you don't need them prescribed.

One thing I would say is if you are SHing a lot then I would definitely advise you to talk to your doctor. It is REALLY hard to do, I'm not going to lie about that (and it may be easier if you write something down saying what you want to say if you're unsure you'll be able to say everything) but at the end of the day it can be advantageous as they can get you help in the form of a therapist/ psychologist/ counsellor or even a psychiatrist if they feel that is needed along with putting you on anti-depressants too if you are depressed and they feel that is warranted in your individual circumstances so it may be worth it. But no, for dressings alone you don't have to go to the doctor.

VirtueOrSin · 24-10-2011, 08:13 PM

Thanks for your advice guys, fragile as glass, it's not that I'm worried about the confidentiality or my parents finding out about my SH but I want to join the police. I've done a lot of reading about it and talked to different constabularies about it and most of them say that it wont harm my application if it is in the past and that I have a doctor's say so that I am well (physically and mentally) and I can't be on anti-depressants for 2 years prior to my application. Which is okay now but in a few years time I'm not sure how much harm it will do to me getting a job. It's what I've wanted to do for years and really the only reason I have never sought long term help. I know how it sounds but I can't just find something different to do with my life, it's what I study at uni and it's what I love.

Back to the first aid topic, I got some melolin today so I'll see how that goes.

Thanks again =]

Animad · 24-10-2011, 08:33 PM

Glad you got some.

Seeing a therapist/ counsellor now may really help you, not just whilst you see them but also in the future as they will give you tools to cope with your problems when they arise. If this is on your records it shouldn't affect your prospects too much especially if you start asap. If you don't then it could end up you really struggle to get out of this cycle and then also will struggle to get a job for the police (and even if you do the job is extremely stressful and some things out there are likely to trigger you so you're less likely to be able to keep the job) so I personally think it would be worth you giving it a chance. If nothing else it shows to them that you're trying to help yourself rather than just leaving it and letting things take their own course.