Originally published November 4, 2010 at 6 a.m., updated November 4, 2010 at 6 a.m.
Last time you scraped your knee you probably didn’t think twice about grabbing a bottle of hydrogen peroxide to clean the wound. Neither had Sam Bowman before he saw the typical home remedy go wrong for his friend.
Contributed Photo
Feel the burn: The familiar sting of peroxide on a cut may cause you to think the cut is healing, but be wary that repeated use of peroxide doesn't kill bacteria.
“It was a pretty deep cut, so he doused some on almost every day until he thought it started healing,” says Bowman, Maize sophomore. The cut left a scar Bowman’s friend hadn’t expected.
Bowman’s friend may have thought the peroxide was helping, but doctors say it’s better to use hydrogen peroxide just initially. It can help clean a wound of debris, but it’s not the option for killing bacteria.
David J. Leffell, a professor of dermatology and surgery at Yale School of Medicine, says the agent can even delay the healing process. “The bubbles make it look like something good is happening, but hydrogen peroxide is known to destroy the new skin cells that immediately begin to grow,” Leffell says.
Although you may feel like those frothy bubbles are killing germs, there’s a greater chance of forming a scar. To avoid developing scar tissue, clean the wound with hydrogen peroxide initially, but then use rubbing alcohol as an antiseptic to ensure a disinfected healing process.
Verdict: Bad for the regeneration of skin cells.
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