Self-medication 101: 10 common mistakes
MANILA, Philippines - We’re all guilty of this: self-medicating wounds from injuries.
Sure, some basic first aid and old wives’ tales from grandma never hurt anyone but you might be doing more harm than good.
Whether injuries are from summertime sports activities or wounds from your lunch-break face lift, people have now heavily relied on the Internet for DIY so-called medical remedies.
Dr. Hector Santos Jr., current chief of plastic surgery at DLS Megaclinic, Veterans Memorial Medical Center and East Avenue Medical Center, gives the crucial do’s and don’ts in medicating wounds/injuries:
1. Do not irritate further by scratching. For as long as it’s not red, too painful or oozing with pus or seroma, wounds will be itchy due to sealing and drying up.
2. Do not apply emollients unless prescribed, like Colgate (to dry wounds), cooking oil, Mighty Bond (to seal wounds), etc. If you must, apply herbal leaves, use veggies like tomatoes or cucumbers because they’re homeopathic.
3. Temperature modalities like warm compresses or ice compresses must be done at the right time.
Cold: Within the first 24 to 36 hours after injury to lessen edema formations, a.k.a. swelling. This decreases bruising.
Warm: Preferably second day of post-op or injury. This improves circulation around bruises, dissipating edema.
4. During the healing process, Vitamin C helps collagen formation. This strengthens the wound area, which lets it heal faster. Take 500 mg twice a day. Ideally supervised by a doctor.
No need for collagen injections or added supplements at this time. They don’t give immediate results. Vitamin C will suffice as it encourages collagen formation itself.
5. You don’t need to heavily bandage wounds unless these are placed by a doctor for protective purposes. Too much taping could also damage normal skin surrounding.
6. To prevent further swelling or edema:
Face: Elevate with one or two pillows to prevent too much flow of fluids or blood to the facial area.
Hand: Elevate wounded hand to level of your chest or heart.
Lower extremity: Elevate to level of hip and do not let it dangle to prevent gravitational pulling, which only aggravates the swelling edema.
7. During healing period, don’t take allergy-causing food, supplements like seafood products and shellfish like Omega 3 oils. Also avoid eggs and chicken skin, which are all malalansa.
Perfumed emoluments like creams and oils like lavender lotion are also allergens. It’s best to apply unscented topical products instead.
8. Do not apply crushed supplements or antibiotic tablets to wound. Assuming the powdered form is more potent is only causing more irritation. This introduces irritants, which will prevent further wound healing.
9. Massages, including the Pinoy hilot, are not advised in the immediate seven-day post surgery or wounding. They disrupt wound healing and may even cause opening of fresh wounds — more so, internal wounds since you can’t see what’s happening inside.
10. Steroids are meant to be anti-inflammatory but they can be a double-edged sword because too much of them can also disrupt the normal healing process. So it’s best to leave the use of steroids to the close supervision of your physician.
Steroidal creams like betametasone and dexametasone are common over-the-counter medications for inflammations. Before usage, consult with your doctor.
(For best results, consult your primary physician.)
