“I’m a dermatologist and here’s the number 1 mistake to avoid if you want to heal well”

“Most people don’t know how to treat cuts and scrapes.” This is the worrying observation made by dermatologist Sam Ellis after learning that her best friend was treating her wounds completely inadequately.

“I just got off the phone with my best friend. The conversation I just had with her made me realize that most people don’t know how to treat cuts and scrapes,” laments Dr Sam Ellis on TikTok where she is followed by nearly 200,000 people. “She fell in her garden and scraped her knees and elbows. She called me to ask what to do. She told me she had cleaned her wounds very well and that she should just let them air out now.”

“We don’t let cuts and scrapes air out. By doing that, you actually delay the healing of the wound and it can make the situation much worse,” warns Dr. Ellis.

“I promise you it will improve the scar considerably.”

For less visible scars and faster healing, the dermatologist recommends cleaning your wounds thoroughly with soap and water. Afterwards, dry them thoroughly and apply a thin layer of ointment such as Vaseline. Then cover with a bandage. To promote healing, repeat this operation every 24 hours. And this, until a new layer of skin forms on the wound.

“This process may seem a little boring to do, you may feel like you are slowing down the healing of the wound because you are not getting that thick, satisfying scab, but I promise you it will improve the scar dramatically,” Ellis insists.

Diet can also help

While these tips seem obvious to many people, some Internet users seem skeptical. “Interesting. My mother was a nurse and we were not allowed to use bandages except to stop active bleeding so they could “air out”,” comments one Internet user.

Like it or not, to promote the healing of a wound, it must be protected from external elements and kept in a moist environment. Covering it is therefore important.

You can also rely on foods rich in vitamin C, such as kiwi, citrus fruits and lentils. The zinc found in chicken will also help, as will vitamin K, which is found in watercress, spinach, green cabbage and broccoli. Finally, canola oil is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, a deficiency of which delays the formation of cell membranes and healing (in addition to promoting dry skin).