To cover or not?

busiscoming2

DS had a blister near his ankle which popped a couple of days ago. The injury is about the size of a ten pence piece and is part red, part good white bits.

What is the consensus about covering or not covering the wound? I've always been a believer that the air helps it heal whereas DH says it should be covered.

I'm not after medical advice, just peoples personal opinions.

Fire_Fox

Research shows wounds heal better/ faster when appropriately covered and wet, exactly what a scab or a blister does naturally. If you leave it to dry out the surface layers die, the wound needs to heal from a deeper level so it's slower. Plus an open wound is at higher risk of infection, blisters should not be allowed to pop if possible (easier said than done!).

You can purchase semi permeable dressings which you leave in place for days at a a time, I healed a tattoo in five days with one. The modern amateur method for tattoos and for burns is initially cling film and later constant creaming, again it's all designed to keep the wound protected and wet.

Cooper18

A million years ago in the NHS the object was to dry things out, nowadays it's keeping things moist! So I'd go with that, but ask me again in another million years and no doubt the opinions will have changed again!

Waffle_On

Personally I would leave it uncovered at night to allow it to scab over, and cover it during the day to protect it from dirt and further injury. Absolutely no reason why I do that - it's just what seems logical to me!