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Road Rash cures?

koribeyer

Speeding Up
May 29, 2008
409
5
Had a bit of a spill on Saturday, luckily the bike was fine :D and I suffered no worse than roadrash on elbows and one knee/calf/hip.
I consider myself lucky and only need to replace handle bar tape and my tights that got torn to shreds. I finished the ride yesterday and rode today with no real problems.

But man does it sting!

How to I make it heal faster? Bandage/no bandage? Anti-biotic cream thing? Scrub it with a toothbrush? (there are only small bits or road still stuck in there...:confused:)

I"ll post more about the weekend later when I upload pictures. I was beautiful! (and only mildly marred by wiping out :eek:)
 
How big is it?
Those big transparent band-aids made out of like plastic skin work really fast.
Another trick is to use vaseline on it and not let a hard scab form.

My friend had his largish hip graze disappear within a week with the transparent bandages and he was praising how fast it was..
 
Spray on skin! The stuff is awesome and I've seen it used lots this season! I think it's called Novectan Spray and made by 3M
 
Kori, sorry to hear! I know what it feels like - had my own very first slip at speed (ever! hard to believe I survived without one for all these years) the other day, with bruises all over my body, but nothing serious. Moss is slippery!!

I never put anything on open skin, just let it heal. I will cover it when there is need to protect it from being touched. Covering wounds may result in them staying moist, which is not good for the healing process.

Generally I find doing nothing and letting the body do what it is meant to do works best and fastest. Everything else tends to be for mental support, and may actually do harm.
 
itching is good, it's a sign of healing, just put up with it. Dry wounds heal fastest, scabs cause scars. Soften them soaking in a bath and wipe them off with a clean cloth before spraying them with an antiseptic spray. If the wound is weeping then stick on a bandage but as much as possible let the air dry it out. Hope you shout yourself to something extra besides bar tape and shorts.
 
Ouch! Don't forget to take care of what's under the rash! Oftentimes you'll have some soft tissue damage - so, suggest take some aspirin or NSAID for a few days to keep the internal swelling and contusions to a minimum. This will allow you to recover a little faster and keep training, assuming nothing is too seriously bumped.
 
Covering wounds may result in them staying moist, which is not good for the healing process.
That's almost precisely incorrect (although widely believed). Letting a wound dry out kills the dermal and epidermal cells just as surely as soaking them in a concentrated alcohol.

Have a long hot bath to let the bits soak out. Tease/brush any that seem accessible. Others will eventually come out on their own.

If the wounded area is too big for a Band-Aid or a pack of Band-Aids, wrap it in cling-film (Saran Wrap) to keep the moisture in... until you can get your hands on a can of that spray-on stuff James mentioned. Keep the sun off it as much as possible, too, as the damaged cells will be more vulnerable to damaging UV light.

CoolPacks are really good for easing itchiness, especially if it's keeping you awake at night.

My Kyushu trip in Golden Week 09' got me some serious road rash and a broken frame. The cling-film treatment helped heal the former, and welding (yay steel!) the latter.

Hope you mend quickly, Kori.

--HF Mike--
 
Mike nice one on the Cling film, Wife says they use cling-film (Saran Wrap) on big ones when the patient is bed ridden. Good advice but unpractical if you are working. :(
 
I got some of this over the counter in US last Christmas. Thought it worked really well and use it now occasionally for saddle sores. It has cortisone in it though so probably not strictly legal if you are racing elite races. Not sure of its availability in Japan either.

http://www.amazon.com/Cortizone-10-Creme-Total/dp/B000O84A9K

Andy

I wouldn't think to use hydrocortisone cream on this kind of injury, but this cream is available and reasonably priced:
http://www.456.com/pages/detail.php4?serial=20246&id=5-14-31
I've used this outfit twice now, for that item and some other stuff, they seem prompt/good. You pay via furi-komi after the goods arrive. Scroll down to the bottom for related items & different sizes.
 
That's almost precisely incorrect (although widely believed). Letting a wound dry out kills the dermal and epidermal cells just as surely as soaking them in a concentrated alcohol.

I guess it's a matter of how dry it gets and it probably depends also on the type of skin you have. I haven't reviewed the academic literature and was speaking only from personal experience, but for me keeping a wound wet and unventilated has never produced good results.
 
I guess it's a matter of how dry it gets and it probably depends also on the type of skin you have. I haven't reviewed the academic literature and was speaking only from personal experience, but for me keeping a wound wet and unventilated has never produced good results.

As long as there is no bacteria, the wound will heal faster if the bodily fluids can get to work. A dry scab can't heal. It is dead.
The cling wrap is great and that's why these cling wrappy band-aids have come out.

I actually like picking off the dry scabs...:eek::eek::cool:

But the wrapping procedures with vaseline, cling on wrap, spray on skin or skin bandages heal faster and leave a less severe scar.
 
+ 1

There is a difference between a moist wound and a wet wound. A moist wound heals in half the time with reduction in scar tissue. A wet wound on the other hand has a tendency to smell and become infected.
 
yeah, the leg's much too big for a band-aid, and the elbows are good credit card sized scrape...

Thanks for the advice! so far, I have put anti-biotic cream (the consistency of Vaseline) and light bandage over the top. The search for spray on skin is ON!

Thank you for the help!
 
After crash testing my lycra at Oifuto (it failed) I used the antiseptic cream and regular dressing method.
Result: Took over a month, went septic, left a big scar!:mad:

Tegaderm is the way to go!
 
Wow - Kori - that looks painful. How's your knee? Did you visit your doctor? I think they can get you- or refer you to specialist who can supply you with all the dressings very cheaply. When I have an accident or sports issue I just ask my local Doc. He's been awesome to either prescribe or refer. Japanese health care is amazing, in my opinion, the stuff they are giving me would cost a bloody fortune in the states!
 
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