A lot of recent medical advice says that hydrogen peroxide in first aid is counterproductive. Of course, what I’m about to say is one person’s anecdote. But I find that if I just leave the occasional cut or scrape alone or wash it with soap and water, it’ll tend to get a bit inflamed (very locally) and hypersensitive, which is very annoying when it’s on my hands. On the other hand, If I just rinse it out and slather some H2O2 on the wound, it kind of chemically “cauterizes” the wound, prevents irritation later on, and heals just as well.
Am I just doing it wrong, or does anyone else find that hydrogen peroxide is good on minor wounds, despite recent medical findings? I don’t mean to cast doubt on legitimate medical research, but I’d like to understand why H2O2 seems to work for me when research says it should be counterproductive.
The reason stuff gets inflamed and sensitive with soap and water is because it’s healing the damage, rather than just destroying everything in the damaged area and hoping it grows back right. Your body will generally do fine if you’re young and healthy, but as you get older it becomes more of a risk.
It’s not guaranteed to do more harm than good, but because it destroys healthy cells too it creates a risk that just doesn’t need to be taken. It’s not more effective at preventing infection than soap and water, and it’s not as effective as medical super glue for stopping bleeding, so there just isn’t a place for it any more.