What People Get Wrong About Wound Care
Wound Care: what people commonly get wrong, set against what published UK guidance says.
Most minor wounds heal regardless, and the ones that do not are usually the ones that were cleaned badly or missed a tetanus risk.
Key takeaways
- Cleaning: running tap water is adequate for minor wounds
- Moist healing: covered wounds heal faster than those left to scab in air
- Most useful single change: Wash your hands, then clean the wound under running water.
- Commonest mistake: Using antiseptic solutions repeatedly on healing tissue.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.
What the guidance actually says
Here is what guidance actually publishes. The rest of the page is measured against it.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Cleaning | running tap water is adequate for minor wounds |
| Moist healing | covered wounds heal faster than those left to scab in air |
| Tetanus | check vaccination status for dirty or deep wounds |
| Antiseptic creams | rarely necessary for clean minor wounds |
Where people go wrong
Each of these is common, and each is a mistake in the sense that the guidance says otherwise.
- Using antiseptic solutions repeatedly on healing tissue
- Leaving a wound uncovered to "let the air get to it"
- Ignoring a wound that is becoming more painful after day two
What to do instead
- Wash your hands, then clean the wound under running water
- Cover with a clean dressing and change it when wet or dirty
- Check tetanus cover for anything dirty, deep or from an animal
- Keep it moist rather than letting it dry out
The part that is genuinely uncertain
Guidance changes, and it changes because evidence does. The figures above reflect current UK guidance from the bodies named at the foot of this page; where those bodies revise their position, theirs is the account to follow rather than this one.
Where to go next
- New to Wound Care? Start Here
- Wound Care: Common Questions Answered
- Wound Care — the reference entry
- Fungal Skin Infections: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
- Skin and Ageing: What the Evidence Actually Says
When to speak to a doctor
Seek medical help for a wound that will not stop bleeding, is deep or gaping, involves the face, hands or a joint, contains embedded material, or was caused by an animal or human bite. Signs of infection — increasing pain, spreading redness, swelling, pus, fever or a red streak — need same-day assessment. Check tetanus status for dirty or puncture wounds.
Where this comes from
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.
Spotted something wrong? Report an error on this page. We correct on the page and say what changed.
