road rash cure

christk

As title suggests. Anyone got any recommendations on the best treatments and quickest recovery cures please?

softlad

once it is cleaned up, keep it uncovered and let it air-dry naturally. That was the advice given to me by the secretary of our club, who was also a nurse. I had a huge road burn down my left shin and it worked - for me at least. Interestingly, that advice completely contradicted the advice given to me by the doctors in A&E.

To be honest though, there will be plenty of other advice on this thread that conflicts with that - so you will have to make your own mind up..

TommyEss

Amputation - it's the only way - not only does it provide a 100% cure of the initial road rash symptoms, it is also 100% effective in preventing recurrence.

amaferanga

I went to the minor injuries unit in the hospital where I work and had it dressed properly. They put some cream on it (can't remember its name) that is used for burns. You leave it on for 24 hours then clean it off. They also gave me some non-stick dressings that I used for a few days, but then I left it to dry out. I looked in Boots for dressings, but they had none big enough and what they had were ridiculously expensive.

neeb

Don't pick the scabs! Even when it looks like they are ready to come off, they will still be gooey in the middle...

Sounds like obvious common sense, but personally I find it almost impossible to stick to.

pbt150

Eat lot, especially protein. Skin is essentially all protein, so patching a large area requires a lot of energy.

rolf_f

I've been trying out hydrocolloid dressings. You can get a packet of 5 from boots for a fiver. You put them over the non bleeding, scabless wound (that was fun; peeling the huge scab off!) and a gel forms over the weeping bit. The dressing looks like a clear plastic plaster and where the gel forms, you get a flesh coloured bump. After 3 days you remove or renew the dressing. When I replaced my dressing, the wound was basically red and tender and the gel formed over a smaller area on the second. Hopefully, tonight I'll be able to remove it and leave it - I'll let you know how it comes out but I reckon it has speeded the healing process and I'm pretty sure it will scar less.

cyclingfury

Don't let the wound dry out. The new skin will heal quicker if the wound is kept moist with burns cream (even sudacreme will do) and a clean dressing. Use a waterproof dressing so that you can shower and only change it every 2 or 3 days.

This advice was given to me by a doctor in Australia last year when I had severe road rash on my elbow and arm and had mistakenly applied a dry antiseptic powder and no dressing thinking it was better to keep the wound dry and exposed to the air. It hurt like hell and sleeping was impossible. After a couple of days I went to see a doctor and he gave me the above advice. The improvement was amazing!