04/10/2025
🤕
Top 4 mistakes I see people make when it comes to cuts and scrapes of the skin:
1. Applying Neosporin 🚫
Allergic reactions to the ingredient neomycin found in Neosporin are common. It can cause a cut or scrape to develop an inflamed, weepy rash. Neosporin does not speed up wound healing compared to good old Vaseline jelly. If you really want to prevent or treat a minor skin infection without a prescription, reach for bacitracin zinc ointment instead.
2. Letting the wound dry out 🤦♀️
I recommend keeping open wounds moist with plain Vaseline jelly or Aquaphor healing ointment, preferably covered with a clean bandage or gauze. This will help avoid scab formation and prevent scars from getting too wide, deep, or itchy.
3. Exposure to the sun 👎
Keep cuts, scrapes, bruises, and scars out of direct sunlight. The UV rays can delay the healing process and worsen the look of scars.
4. Using hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol 😳
These chemicals can kill healthy skin and immune cells, again impairing the healing process. Cleaning cuts and scrapes with warm water and mild soap is best!
And yes, this applies at any age. 🥰
