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My Mom Got A Small Burn Around Her Elbow A

Posted on Sat, 18 Apr 2020

Question: My mom got a small burn around her elbow a week back and didn't notice much about it. A couple of days back she noticed some kind of layer forming on it which looked infected to her. So she cleaned it out with dettol. The first day it looked clean but the second day, that is today, it looks like some kind of thicket dark skin is forming on it. I also noticed some white kind of particle around it. She thinks its infected and has been cleaning it 2-3 times a day with dettol. Do you think its infected(pictures attached). Looking for ways to take care of it at home as don't want to go to hospital right now with all this corona thing going on.

Follow up: Dr. R.G. Joshi (7 minutes later)

Day-1.jpeg,Day-1-2ndpic.jpeg are the pics of first day

Day-2.jpeg,Day-2-2nd.jpeg are the pics of the second day

Answered by Dr. R.G. Joshi (22 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Topical cream like silverex,avoid dettol,oral antibiotics may b required

Detailed Answer:
Hello,thanks for writing to ask a doctor.

I can understand your concern .
As shown in images and other details provided by you ,burn wound seems to be superficial .

However there is a chance for little infection.Frequent washing with dettol can irritate her skin and this can cause infection.

Treatment of any burn wounds is based on type of burn.Since this type of burn is somewhat superficial oral antibiotic and local creams will ensure healing .

As per my experience creams containing silver sulfadaiazine are good in burn wounds.One such easily available brand is silverex .

You need to apply two to three times daily.please ask to avoid dettol for cleaning purpose ,she can just clean with plane water.

I usually precribe oral antibiotic containing cefuroxime and vitamin c tablets for early healing . However,a prescription is needed for this.

I hope this will help you.Free feel to ask in case of any concern

.Thanks.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Kampana

Follow up: Dr. R.G. Joshi (13 minutes later)

Thanks for your response. A couple of times she has bumped into some objects like door knob etc into the wound and a couple of times things like fly sat on the wound before flying away. Now she is taking precaution, but in such incidents, is cleaning with plain water enough and applying silverex after enough? Also, there is a lump of skin in the center of the wound. Does she need to clean that skin away or let it be there and let it come off on its own?

Follow up: Dr. R.G. Joshi (5 minutes later)

Also, is it okay to let soap and water run over the wound and she can just clean it up with water after and apply silverex as well?

Answered by Dr. R.G. Joshi (17 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Proper wound care, hydrogen peroxide,oral antibiotic

Detailed Answer:
Hello,thanks for follow up.

Repeted truama as mentioned by you is a definite cause for wound infection.

Proper wound care is recommended for proper wound healing.

It will be better to check her blood sugar levels if not done previously.

Instead of direct application of dettol ,you can dilute in water and then apply over wound.A clean cotton cloth can be used for this purpose. Hydrogen peroxide can also be used for this purpose.

Removal of dead skin as much as possible is recommended for better wound healing.

At last ,a course of oral antibiotic along with silverex cream will be better for early healing.

I hope this will be helpful for you.

Thanks.

Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Nagamani Ng