Magic cures for fast healing?

Dozer

Heavy machinery.
Staff member
The ocean. I'm coming to Canberra in October, I can bring a bucket of salt water your way? ;)
 

thecat

NSWMTB, Central Tableland MBC
The ocean. I'm coming to Canberra in October, I can bring a bucket of salt water your way? ;)
Ocean is good for grazes and gravel rash if you're near by... If not, vinegar. Dries the wound out promotes a fast scab and act as a antiseptic. Note this is in no way scientifically proven but it works for me and stings like a bitch.
 

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
My partner is a nurse so she knows all the best ways to treat wounds and apply dressings.

The number one rule to heal quicker is to keep the wound moist and prevent it from scabbing. The best product on the market is Jelonet which is a Paraffin Gauze Dressing. You apply the gauze to the wound and then put a bandage over the top to hold it in place. This dressing is used for burns and increases healing immensely.

I recently had a big crash on my local trail and removed allot of skin from my elbow. After applying Jelonet Gauze daily and covering it with a dressing it has almost completely healed in 3-4 days. Its witchcraft!!

Some links to the product:

http://www.smith-nephew.com/austral.../product-types/tulle-gras-dressings/jelonet-/
There it is.

Nothing beats this - sterile Jelonet, cover it with waterproof sterile covering and leave it for around 4 days, maybe more depending on the wound.

You wont believe how quickly and painlessly it willheal.
 

driftking

Wheel size expert
Ocean is good for grazes and gravel rash if you're near by... If not, vinegar. Dries the wound out promotes a fast scab and act as a antiseptic. Note this is in no way scientifically proven but it works for me and stings like a bitch.
why the ocean just use salt water that's the entire point of it isn't it?
Its also good for pimples and breakouts at least when I was young it definitely made a difference when I spent lots of time in the ocean. Saline solution after all.
 

John U

MTB Precision
Pure vitamin E cream will help reduce scarring and keep the scarring flexible too. Applied from when the skin has healed over.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Being a diabetic (type 1, 30 odd years) I need to look after my grazes. They heal a bit slower for me because of this. I've found that with the average bit of gravel rash, give it a good clean when you get home, let it scab up, and then wack a bit of sorbolene cream or vitamin e cream on it before you get into the shower, every time. This waterproofs it a bit for the sower, possibly cleans it (I believe some folks use sorbolene cream instead of soap), and moistens the scab to give it a bit of flexibility for the day. When you get out of the shower dry it carefully.

I try to keep the original scab on there until the wound is healed. The scab gradually gets smaller and I think because you're not knocking the scab off all the time the scarring is reduced.

It's worked well for me on many occasions and it's a pretty easy process.
 

Beej1

Senior Member
There it is.

Nothing beats this - sterile Jelonet, cover it with waterproof sterile covering and leave it for around 4 days, maybe more depending on the wound.

You wont believe how quickly and painlessly it willheal.
This sounds like the non-ghetto version of my solution. After a quick shave of the surrounding area (cos the would is usually on my legs which are hairy of missing-link proportions) then a clean & disinfect (usually Betadine) I generously cover the wound some kind of antiseptic wound gel (Solosite and one other that I can't remember) or saline gel, cover it with a non-stick dressing, then tape over it with some of that white, flexible, super-sticky tape. Change it every day after a shower and unless it's super deep it'll be healed in the aforementioned 4 days or so. Basically keeping it moist 24/7 during that time. A few times I've used more expensive breathable 'second skin' cover over the dressing instead of white tape, and I change it every second day then.

The 1st time I did the Scott 24hr I cased a landing during a recce the day before and got the worst gravel rash I've ever had. Raced on it, got infected and full of pus, got sick etc. I was advised by a GP to let it scab up. Took 3 months to heal and stop hurting. The second-worst gravel rash I ever got years later (about 80% of the size but similar depth) I followed my technique and it was healed in 5 days - with a few rides in there to boot.

Wont ever go back to letting stuff scab. Which is a shame ... picking scabs was one of my favourite disgusting habits (along with pulling brain-ticklers).
 

Shadow Puppet

Likes Dirt
Yoghurt. Right. :whistle:
Wifey nurse tells me that current best practice is to let wounds dry out, not stay moist, as I had always been told :noidea:
My partner is a nurse so she knows all the best ways to treat wounds and apply dressings. The number one rule to heal quicker is to keep the wound moist and prevent it from scabbing. Snip
Don't you love modern medicine?
 

jawry

Likes Dirt
Silverzine!!

Silversine is a prescription only antibiotic that is made specially for burns. It works an absolute treat on nasty gravel rash and deep wounds.

Have been using it for nearly 20 years - it will literally suck the dirt etc out of the wound (kind of like a poultice)

I have a high pain threshold and dont mind taking the medical scrubbing brush to myself to clean deep wounds well. Get it nice and clean, apply fresh wound cover/silverzine every 24 hours - bobs your uncle.
 

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
They gave pigs skin lesions to test wet and dry healing theories?

If that's the case they can go get ebola and bleed out, the fuckers.
 

schwing

Likes Dirt
This sounds like the non-ghetto version of my solution. After a quick shave of the surrounding area (cos the would is usually on my legs which are hairy of missing-link proportions) then a clean & disinfect (usually Betadine) I generously cover the wound some kind of antiseptic wound gel (Solosite and one other that I can't remember) or saline gel, cover it with a non-stick dressing, then tape over it with some of that white, flexible, super-sticky tape. Change it every day after a shower and unless it's super deep it'll be healed in the aforementioned 4 days or so. Basically keeping it moist 24/7 during that time. A few times I've used more expensive breathable 'second skin' cover over the dressing instead of white tape, and I change it every second day then.

The 1st time I did the Scott 24hr I cased a landing during a recce the day before and got the worst gravel rash I've ever had. Raced on it, got infected and full of pus, got sick etc. I was advised by a GP to let it scab up. Took 3 months to heal and stop hurting. The second-worst gravel rash I ever got years later (about 80% of the size but similar depth) I followed my technique and it was healed in 5 days - with a few rides in there to boot.

Wont ever go back to letting stuff scab. Which is a shame ... picking scabs was one of my favourite disgusting habits (along with pulling brain-ticklers).
Either way - pro or ghetto - cleaning it is the hard bit (ouchies) - but do it the best you can - then sterilise with betadine or anticeptic 'cream' not powder. BEYOND this, try to eat right, hydrate, even vitamins ACE. Your wounds heal from the inside out!
 

wombat

Lives in a hole
So because I'm a crumb (and ran out of jelonet*) the wounds on my knees have just scabbed over after 2 days. Its a thin scab and I know it would have been better to keep it moist, but now that I'm here is there anything I can do to help keep the scab softer or heal faster, or am I just boned now?

* That shit is fucking expensive from the chemist! They only have like 10x10cm packs too. Is there anywhere I can buy the stuff cheaper, and bigger?
 

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
Dettol antiseptic cream and elastoplast strips work just as well as jelonet.

I'd chuck that on regardless of how many days you are gone.
 

poita

Likes Dirt
So because I'm a crumb (and ran out of jelonet*) the wounds on my knees have just scabbed over after 2 days. Its a thin scab and I know it would have been better to keep it moist, but now that I'm here is there anything I can do to help keep the scab softer or heal faster, or am I just boned now?

* That shit is fucking expensive from the chemist! They only have like 10x10cm packs too. Is there anywhere I can buy the stuff cheaper, and bigger?
Cheap option, slap pawpaw cream all over it regularly.
Jelonet does come bigger but I doubt any chemist would carry it. Dressings don't actually need to be done every day. 3 days or even longer? Works out cheaper too
 

swaz

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Yoghurt. Right. :whistle:
Wifey nurse tells me that current best practice is to let wounds dry out, not stay moist, as I had always been told :noidea:
Makes sense as that is how the body does things. Funny how the bodies natural response to things tend to be the correct way until some researcher at a uni decides to come up with another way to keep their job OR a company convinces us otherwise.
 

swaz

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Cheap option, slap pawpaw cream all over it regularly.
Jelonet does come bigger but I doubt any chemist would carry it. Dressings don't actually need to be done every day. 3 days or even longer? Works out cheaper too
It's not so great though. Unless you get the organic one it has a petroleum base which isn't so great to put on open wounds.
 

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
Makes sense as that is how the body does things. Funny how the bodies natural response to things tend to be the correct way until some researcher at a uni decides to come up with another way to keep their job OR a company convinces us otherwise.
The body has everything right, huh?

Cancer, allergies, tooth decay, multiple sclerosis, etc. etc.

I'm pretty happy to influence the way my body does things. Tell you what, next time you cop a nice graze on your knee or elbow grab some detol antiseptic cream and a good size covering. Cover that shit up watertight and leave it for four days. Then compare it with letting a graze scab up.

Honestly, the difference is so big that nobody could ignore it and think "nah, body says dry it out so I'll do that, make it take 3 times as long to heal, increase the risk of infection and end up with a scar...., all of which won't happen if I moisten and cover".

Think about how quickly your mouth heals when you bite your tongue or cheek.
 

takai

Eats Squid
The body has everything right, huh?

Cancer, allergies, tooth decay, multiple sclerosis, etc. etc.

I'm pretty happy to influence the way my body does things. Tell you what, next time you cop a nice graze on your knee or elbow grab some detol antiseptic cream and a good size covering. Cover that shit up watertight and leave it for four days. Then compare it with letting a graze scab up.

Honestly, the difference is so big that nobody could ignore it and think "nah, body says dry it out so I'll do that, make it take 3 times as long to heal, increase the risk of infection and end up with a scar...., all of which won't happen if I moisten and cover".

Think about how quickly your mouth heals when you bite your tongue or cheek.
Mouth/tongue is a type of epithelial cell though, rather than an epidermal cell. A lot of the moist/dry stuff depends on the blood flow to the affected area, and the chance of reinjury from having it exposed etc.
 

pharmaboy

Eats Squid
Mouth/tongue is a type of epithelial cell though, rather than an epidermal cell. A lot of the moist/dry stuff depends on the blood flow to the affected area, and the chance of reinjury from having it exposed etc.
Fair enough, the logic leaves something to be desired, but we do know wet and covered has quicker healing times.

On whether the body knows better, well, the body most certainly does know best in the natural environment - but evolution hasn't exactly come to terms with the modern world yet. I do love the way the word "natural" is used - it seems to be code for no scientific evidence. Fortunately when it comes to serious disease and injury, even the most ardent alternative therapies person goes and seeks scientific medical care - although frequently they still get their water drops from the naturopath so when their cancer in cured by the surgery and or chemo, they can tell all their friends it was the naturopath that cued them - that scientific stuff just made them feel worse.......

;)
 
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