Moist Wound Healing Reduces Scarring And Promotes Faster Healing

Main Category: Dermatology
Article Date: 09 Jul 2009 - 5:00 PDT

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New consensus has been reached by a panel of leading European experts on the guidelines for the treatment of acute minor wounds which states that healing is accelerated by a moist wound environment.

To address the issue that the majority of existing wound care guidelines discuss the pathology and treatment of chronic wounds, Novartis Consumer Healthcare, the makers of Savlon, the number one antiseptic first aid brand in the UK, convened a panel of leading European experts to review and comment on the guidelines for the treatment of minor wounds. The panel of medical experts included representatives from the UK, Germany, Poland, Italy and Portugal.

"Most of the research and clinical trials available concerned with wound care focus solely on chronic wounds, primarily because the majority of acute minor wounds are not normally treated by healthcare professionals, but at home or at the place where the wound happened," says the dermatology category marketing manager at Novartis Consumer Health in Europe. "We wanted to bring together a panel of experts from different backgrounds related to wound care management to arrive at a consensus of opinion with regard to minor wounds and their treatment."

One of the most interesting outcomes from this initiative was that there is widespread consensus regarding the healing benefits of moist wound environments. The new guidelines highlight that rapid healing of the wound is best achieved by providing a moist environment, which accelerates the rate of wound repair by up to forty per cent, compared to leaving the wound to dry out and allowing a dry scab to form. In addition, as a result of moist healing, there is a reduction in the risk of scarring. While the data showing the benefits of moist wound environments on healing time were first published in the 1960s there is still the continued belief that a dry scab is the best dressing for a wound, particularly among consumers.

Novartis' European dermatology category marketing manager says: "Our goal, by bringing this group of eminent experts together, was to produce a consensus on the optimal guidelines for minor wound care. Helping us to educate healthcare professionals, and ultimately consumers, on the best way to treat acute minor wounds."

The consensus paper2 states that a hydroactive colloid gel, able to both provide and absorb moisture according to the wound's properties, can generally be recommended for both dry and exuding minor wounds. "This conclusion is particularly exciting for us," says Savlon's UK brand manager. "We launched Savlon's award winning3 Advanced Healing Gel into the pharmacy channel last year and have invested time in training pharmacy staff about the advantages of moist healing. It is great to have the added weight of this consensus of opinion and new guidelines to help challenge the common myth that 'scabs are good' which we often encounter."

The new guidelines will be published in MIMS Dermatology magazine and the Novartis Consumer Health award-winning Knowledge Bank resource is being updated to incorporate the panel's advice and strengthen Savlon's four-step ethos: cleanse, treat, heal and protect, heroing Advanced Healing Gel.

For more information on the Savlon range please visit http://www.savlon.co.uk

Source
Savlon