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AstridOnReddit t1_je4gw30 wrote

Last year my spouse gashed his leg and the urgent care used petroleum jelly both to protect the wound from air, and to keep the dressing from sticking.

They said current standard of care says not to use antibiotic ointment; it’s better to clean thoroughly then use just a barrier cream (like petroleum jelly).

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el-em-en-o t1_je4qftk wrote

I’ve heard that, too. Do you know why antibiotic ointment isn’t being recommended? I can Google it but thought I’d ask.

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ragracha t1_je5ahdj wrote

Not the person who commented, but my guess would be the following:

  1. Especially if the wound is new, bacteria have not had a chance to spread/multiply. Washing it removes majority of them.
  2. We should be careful about using antibiotics all over the place. Last time we found a new antibiotic was in early 2000s (2001 if i remember correctly). Superbugs are out there and by using antibiotics where we don’t need them, we create more of them.
  3. (This one is more of a personal opinion). Antibiotics are really not needed, especially for smaller wounds. I have not used any of them except hydrogen peroxide when i was smaller (and research shows it’s actually counter productive to the wound healing). Human bodies survived for a long time without access to those and it’s not like wounds were rare in the past. I’m also not saying not to use them in any scenario, but rather just when needed and warranted.
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AstridOnReddit t1_je5jzku wrote

I this this is right. The studies that show that antibiotic ointment actually slows healing were the main point the urgent care folks made. Plus thorough washing is usually sufficient.

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