Of course, it's the same with iodine. But there's something important that every mother needs to know.
Why shouldn't wounds be treated with iodine?
Treating scratches, abrasions, and cuts with iodine leads to more pronounced scars and scars. In everyone, but especially in children. The areas most at risk: face, knees, and neck.
How does it work?
It is not for nothing that we say: “scald with iodine” – it really instantly oxidizes (burns) the shell and cell membranes of bacteria, viruses and fungi. But there is a nuance: iodine does not know how to distinguish “bad” from “good” – it damages both microbial cells and our own. This is called cytotoxicity.
What happens when iodine is applied to a wound?
👉 Once on a wound, iodine burns everything it touches, making the damage deeper and wider. The more you “pour” iodine and the more often it is, the worse it gets. You notice that the wound gets wet, swells, itches and hurts, the inflammation spreads, then large crusts form, and behind them - noticeable scars.
👉 At the same time, iodine interferes with the restoration of damage: collagen synthesis and normal division of cells involved in healing - which is necessary for the wound to heal evenly, without scars and scars.
Why can iodine be dangerous for diagnostics?
👉 Another point: iodine stains the skin (and purely psychologically it seems to us: "treated"), but under the brown color you can miss redness, suppuration and other signs of infection. However, iodine fades quite quickly in sunlight.
Iodine allergy - truth or myth?
But allergy to iodine itself is a myth: iodine is vital for our body, and antibodies cannot be produced against it. However, allergies can be caused by other components, for example, in Povidone-iodine.
What is better to use instead of iodine?
So, iodine continues to be a weapon against microbes. But its place is in surgery, not in a home medicine cabinet for a child. Feel free to replace it with chlorhexidine or miramistin. And if the wound does not heal for a long time – come to us, we will figure it out and help.