A cut can be a scary injury. Depending on the severity, you have to be concerned with blood loss, nerve damage, and loss of function. Also, there’s the time you need to heal the wound that could force you to stay home from work, stay out of pools, or stop doing whatever it is you like to do in your spare time. With an open wound, it’s hard to play basketball with friends, cook dinner for the family, or even use the TV remote.
How can you heal an open wound quickly? Anyone with a wound wants it to seal up so they can start getting back to normal. Some wounds are so persistent that they can take weeks or months to heal up properly.
The good news is that you don’t have to solely wait on Mother Nature to do her part. There are things you can do to heal an open wound faster and get back to your normal life. Here are some of the best and fastest ways to heal an open wound.
R.I.C.E
If you’ve ever sprained an ankle, odds are you’ve heard of R.I.C.E. It stands for:
Rest – You shouldn’t stress the open wound because it makes it harder for skin to grow and scabs to form. Rest the injury and let your body heal.
Ice – Ice helps with pain management but it also reduces inflammation that makes it harder for wounds to heal. Depending on how much it hurts and how big the wound is, you should ice it regularly for best results. Make the area numb and then take the ice off. You don’t want it there for too long.
Compression – This is something else that helps with inflammation and swelling. Swelling is your body’s way of protecting the affected area, but it makes it harder to heal. You can use bandages or something like an elastic wrap as a compression wrap on the wound area. If it hurts, though, take it off.
Elevate – Raise the wounded area up to reduce swelling and inflammation. Don’t put it so high that it’s uncomfortable, but elevate it on the couch or top of a pillow when you go to bed at night. This is all about isolating the area and making it comfortable so your open wound will heal faster.
Keep the Area Clean
The last thing you want is an infection. It will prolong the healing process and can make things very painful. Keep the wound area clean and change any bandages frequently to stop any germs from getting in. Don’t touch it with your hands and make sure no jewelry or anything can come in contact with it.
If you need to clean the area, use only soap and clean water before putting on a new dressing. Make sure to use clean gauze and sterile tweezers if necessary.
Talk to Your Doctor
If you have a serious wound and you haven’t seen a doctor yet, you should go see one. It may need stitches or more serious medical intervention. If you’ve already seen a doctor and you want it to heal faster, then you can go for a follow-up visit and they can make some recommendations on ways you can speed things up. You may be exercising too vigorously or not cleaning it often enough. A medical professional can give you the advice that you need to heal things up.
They’ll also tell you what sort of antiseptic cream solutions you should be using if any. Don’t use things like rubbing alcohol and other creams or ointments on an open wound unless your doctor tells you to. You could damage tissue in the area and leave permanent damage there.
Peptides & Open Wounds
Peptides are another thing you may want to try if you have an open wound. IGF1 DES is a truncated, natural version of insulin-like growth factor-1. Researchers are looking into ways that IGF1 DES can treat inflammation and promote muscle repair and connective tissue growth. By administering peptides, researchers have circumvented the effects of inflammation and improved growth. It’s believed that it may be possible to use IGF1 DES to accelerate wound healing. IGF1-DES is not yet approved by the FDA. Much more research needs to be done to access future medical possibilities.
Keep the Wound Covered
Dry air, bumping into things, and other factors can kill the fresh cells that are working to heal your wound. Keep it covered with gauze or some other dressing so the cells can complete their work and get it to seal up much faster.
