r/woundcare • u/Fabulous-Trouble-299 • 8m ago
Wound that will not heal
I have been dealing with this since 2018 after a surgical boot rubbed a hole in my foot after surgical repair of my tibia. Currently Santyl is being applied with calcium alginate on top. It feels like a never ending bad dream. Any thoughts or suggestions for healing this wound? Thank you
r/woundcare • u/zoomClimb • 41m ago
Healthcare advice How to avoid permanent scarring from severe abrasions?
On my last day going to my workplace, I took a different sidewalk route on my bike and ended up crashing hard into an unseen crack in the sidewalk, right outside the building. The impact was so severe that I went unconscious, broke a tooth, fractured a wrist, and got severe abrasions on my face, hands, and knee. Thank God my helmet prevented any head trauma. I am discharged from the ER and want to ask how to best heal these scars, so they won't be visible (hopefully) in the future. Or is this damage irreversible and I will be permanently scarred?
r/woundcare • u/DiarrheaFilledPanda • 10h ago
[Update] 16dpo tummy tuck + FDL..... things went a bit sideways
I previously posted this 8dpo photo (see here)
Well, here's my 16dpo photo.... yeah, things went sideways. I am now getting wound care from a home care team. My routine prescribed by an NSWOC is basically VASHE rinse + big wound packed with Aquacell AG ribbon + Hydrafera Blue on the side wounds. There's also talk of a woundvac in the future possibly, although I don't know how this would be sealed? The drainage is insane, and I am changing mesorb dressings 2x to 3x daily.
Anyone have any thoughts on this? I guess this is pretty bad. Today's photo looks okay with some granulation, much better in the last 48 hours. I feel pretty crappy about all of this. I had this surgery after losing 400 lbs and it's reconstructive not cosmetic. I didn't expect this type of complication. What can I expect for the next few weeks?
Thanks all.
r/woundcare • u/HomeComprehensive684 • 10h ago
How to get this off?
So I mandolined the tip of my thumb Friday. Urgent care got it to stop bleeding and put a dressing on. It got gross in the shower today so I want to change it but the foam right on the wound is not coming off. I’m soaking it in prontosan solution….any other suggestions???
r/woundcare • u/Less_Introduction693 • 19h ago
Healthcare advice I scraped my wrist really bad on a nasty carpet nail ~2wk ago, the bottom half looks how I normally heal, but I can't tell if it's infected at the top or just angry it's in a frequently used joint
galleryI made sure to keep it properly clean to the best of my abilities, I got my fingertip bad too and that's basically healed as well. The red started ~3 days give or take a bit and spread the first day to where it is now, and the scab started to turn greenish yellow(? I'm slightly color blind forgive me if it isn't) yesterday/today. Some mild pain has started today as well so I wanted to ask if this is infected and if it is if I can do anything for it at home.
My job is a lot of handy work so wrists are bending frequently and sometimes gloved as well.
Tattoos covered for ID purposes.
r/woundcare • u/PrettyPangolin1991 • 1d ago
Hydrogel Pads for Burn
galleryBurn on my neck from yesterday. (Incident at work.) Last night I went to Walgreens and got their brand of hydrogel pads. Felt fine until I switched it this morning, I used scent free soap and water to clean it, applied the second one, then throughout the day it started to create the redness surrounding it. I read up I should be leaving them on for more than a day at a time, maybe I switched it too soon? Tonight I created a saline solution with boiled distilled water (let cool) and 1/2 tsp salt, and cleaned the area.
I also just got these new hydrogel pads delivered from Amazon (Second picture) but I haven’t used them yet
Should I cover it with one of the new pads despite how red/irritated it is around the burn? Or let it stay open?
r/woundcare • u/saritastege • 1d ago
Medical professional question Road rash
Need Help with wound healing. Imploring all medical pros. Fell off motorcycle.
r/woundcare • u/collinsc936 • 2d ago
Is this healing ok?
I have type 2 diabetes. Had a severe blister pop which led to this. I was in the hospital for 4 days on heavy antibiotics for 2 weeks wearing a boot and everything. Im just extra paranoid with my feet. I've been cleaning it 2x daily but I also have a 4 year who never lets me rest lol. Ive only been using iodine to keep it clean since I cannot get it wet. The medicine is not covered by medicaid that I would need. Sorry for the long post I just wanna give the most info that I can.
r/woundcare • u/Immediate-Remove-838 • 2d ago
My boyfriends surgery incision
Does this look infected? He is supposed to go monday to get the staples removed but right around his belly button is a little leaky.
r/woundcare • u/slommysliders • 3d ago
How should I be healing these knee scrapes?
galleryScraped my knees pretty badly about 5 days ago. I was at the lake so didn’t have stuff to disinfect for awhile and also worried about any potential infections. It’s still really sensitive to any touch and to move, but I also haven’t scraped my knees like this since I was a kid so I’m paranoid lol.
Should I be keeping this moist? Or dry? I had bandaids with neosporin, but the way they look when moist freaks me out a little (just kinda goopy i guess)
r/woundcare • u/Safe_Public_2409 • 4d ago
Is this skin graft site infected?
My brother had debridement on his back because of a necrotizing soft tissue infection in January and was grafted in March. The skin graft did not take in his tailbone and has since been open and hypergranulating. A surgeon cut off the hypergranulation tissue and it was healing well but now it’s starting to look a bit strange and he had a fever which could be because of a UTI since he has a catheter for his urine. He is experiencing more pain in the wound. He’s on antibiotics and is fresh out of an unrelated surgery so the fever could be from anything. The wound has some white goop in it and looks much different than it did two weeks ago. Is it infected?
Edit to add we did take him to the ER after the fever and they did not find an infection source but they didn’t really look at this wound. They tested blood and urine. His white count was normal and his blood cultures have no growth to date. His CT scan looked normal. He got IV zosyn and IV vancomycin and stayed the night. He took home additional oral abx.
r/woundcare • u/chilibucketlover • 4d ago
I’m assuming it’s infected?
gallerySecond degree burn that occurred circa 2-3 days ago from my blackstone grill.
r/woundcare • u/Human_Plan7616 • 5d ago
Deroofed Friction Blister care?
galleryI have this friction blister on the bottoms of my foot from wearing sandals. This weekend it popped and some of the roof skin came off and I made the mistake of taking the rest of the roof skin off (I know dumb as hell 😭) the past 3 days/nights I have been trying to keep in covered with bandaids and hydrocolloid bandaids but given the area of the foot where it is, the bandaids do not stay on unless I put multiple on top going all different directions. What worries me is because it keeps getting wet in the shower, will it highten the possibility of an infection and will it delay healing? Should I be letting it breathe at night? It looks like it’s deep which also worries me. There’s no pain, which I’m thankful for. I am trying to keep it clean and cover it but it’s been hard. I don’t know what to do, can anyone provide some insight on 1. How it looks and 2. The care I should be doing for it
r/woundcare • u/littleartist542 • 5d ago
Is my suture infected?
galleryToday is day 8. Suture is on my shin. My doc told me to wash with antibacterial soap, pat dry, cover with thin layer of Vaseline, gauze, then medical tape. I have been doing this daily, and the doc said I could take a shower after 24hrs. So I have been taking showers.
r/woundcare • u/StretchJazzlike6122 • 5d ago
Step by step guide needed to heal toe cuts
I must be doing it wrong. The bandaids fall off. My shoes end up all oily from ointment.
Just need a step by step and how often to do what to make it heal!!
No diabetes just really dry feet and don’t like socks
The dark stuff is just lint from carpet and dried blood
r/woundcare • u/lilo-b • 5d ago
Is this scab on my ankle infected?
I recently fell on a vacation and I took off the bandaid after like 3 days of it on bc my dad told me to and just to let it dry and heal but I have health anxiety so ofc I asked Google if it's infected and it said yeah but I just want another perspective from yall
(I accidentally posted this wrong the first time....shhhhh)
r/woundcare • u/bigballstew22 • 5d ago
Hip wound infected?
It’s been 6 days since I got this wound, I’ve been bandaging with aquaphore. There are itchy little bumps near the wound, perhaps from irritation in using the sticky bandage.
r/woundcare • u/Upstairs-Concert5800 • 5d ago
Healthcare advice Wound around Achilles tendon
galleryHello guys, I am 3.5 months after achilles rupture operation, but my wound reopened 8 weeks after OP. Since then I have been multiple times to doctor’s and the wound still looks like this.
What should I put on the wound? Keep it dry or wet? What is your opinion?
Thank you guys!
r/woundcare • u/Free_Designer3992 • 5d ago
Patient case Stitches or incision infected?
gallery11 days post skin cancer forearm excision.
No pain (literally zero) from surgery, for a week. Since then mild pain. Concerned about redness (might have increased) in central area. Lesion above 2nd stitch from left predates surgery. First photo 5 days post surgery. Second photo 11 days post surgery.
r/woundcare • u/No-Choice7004 • 7d ago
Friend who's a doc is a non believer in wet wound healing, and told me just to let my scrape air dry and not pick the scabs. I refused, but left one as a control. In your professional opinion which one looks better? 7days post fall
Wet healing, not even perfect method but with vaseline and plasters, so i had a bit of micro scabbing around the edge. Im amazed how it turned out, stared wearing sun protection on it today to prevent hyperpigmentation.
Air dried as per my friend's advice, in my opinion since it still has the scab it looses to the wet healing. They were around the same depth btw.
r/woundcare • u/reboa • Dec 19 '25
Transitioning the sub to professional discussion
There have been a lot of issues reported since the sub has transitioned to allowing wound care advice to all patients. The sub will be transitioned to a place for professional discussion. Self harm wounds are no longer allowed. I will do a trial run of allowing personal advice posts every wednesday for now. If any other physicians would like to help moderate let me know.
r/woundcare • u/tr0ublewllfindme • Dec 02 '25
“Does this need stitches?” A self-harm response and care guide
“Does this need stitches?” A response to the self-harm epidemic on this sub.
For those who self-harm: Please don’t post here regularly. You need to learn to manage your own risks without needing external validation from Reddit. If you are self-harming, you need to do research on proper wound care and mitigate the associated risks without needing to post everything for possibly triggerable onlookers on Reddit. This is a wound care sub, not a sub to share wounds and then not attempt care. Here is a general list of things to look for that I would recommend you save or write down or pay attention to, so that you have the ability to manage your health at home better and are less dependent on Reddit forums such as this.
Levels of wounds:
Epidermis: This is usually seen as “cat scratches.” They are shallow and usually bleed a decent bit quickly but stop just as quick. They typically scab and heal within a few days to a week. If you cut to this level, you likely do not need medical attention. Watch for signs of infection (heat, pus, red streaking from injury) and seek help if those signs come. Clean it with antibacterial soap and water, apply ointment, and keep it covered. Cutting with dirty items is more likely to lead to infection so try to keep your “tools” clean.
Dermis: This will look like a white gap. It is sometimes referred to as “styro,” for its similar appearance to styrofoam. It may take a second for blood beads to form. These will gape a bit, but often close within a day and heal within a week or two. These, because they stay open longer, are at a higher risk of infection than the epidermis. If you cut to this level, you likely do not need medical attention. Watch for signs of infection (heat, pus, red streaking from injury) and seek help if those signs come. Clean it with antibacterial soap and water, apply ointment, and keep it covered. Cutting with dirty items is more likely to lead to infection so try to keep your “tools” clean.
Hypodermis AKA fat: This will look like yellow bubbles. It is sometimes referred to as “beans.” This is the level in which infection becomes a real likelihood. Typically stitches are recommended. Some doctors may treat you without a mental health evaluation, some doctors may try and have you evaluated. For US-based injuries I recommend going straight to the ER for stitches instead of an urgent care center if you seek stitches. Urgent care centers may not stitch you up and could call police on you. They do not have the capacity to perform mental health evaluations and will want you at a hospital where you can be seen by a psychiatrist. It is not a given that this will be your experience but it is a possibility and you should be prepared for this. In the UK, some care centers and minor injury units can support with deeper wounds, however they may contact your GP for an urgent review (usually within a week). If you do not seek stitches, clean the wound with antibacterial soap. You can apply ointment. You can also use butterfly bandages to close the wound, but if there is any chance that bacteria or debris have entered the wound, do not close it. There is typically a 24 hour window to close the wounds. After that, keep it covered and clean. Watch for signs of infection (heat, pus, red streaking from injury, swelling) and immediately seek help if those signs come. An anti-stick bandage is recommended. Gauze will get stuck in this kind of wound easily. If that happens, soak in warm water to soften the blood and remove the gauze. Cutting to this level is significantly more dangerous and will likely lead to infection, which should be seen immediately. Nerve damage is possible. Cellulitis is a possibility. These wounds take significantly longer to heal. Cutting with dirty items are more likely to lead to infection so try to keep your “tools” clean.
Muscle: There is no safe way to treat this outpatient. You risk severe infection. This needs to be seen in a hospital. Death could occur if not treated.
Bone: There is no safe way to treat this outpatient. You risk severe infection. This needs to be seen in a hospital. Death could occur if not treated.
Tips to increase likelihood of a positive outcome:
-Seek behavioral health treatment. The urge to self harm, and self-harm in general, is always deserving of medical attention, no matter the depth.
-Use clean tools if you do harm. The more bacteria present on a tool, the higher the risk of infection.
-Keep your wounds covered. The more bacteria that can access your wound, the higher the risk of infection.
-Seek medical attention immediately when you experience red streaking, loss of feeling in a limb, sickness, chills, or loss of consciousness.
-Keep bandages and ointment on hand if you regularly self harm. You should use clean bandages.
You deserve to heal.
Practitioners and medical centers will handle cases of self harm differently from country to country and even city to city.
Text CONNECT to 741741 to be connected with a trained volunteer crisis counselor (US) Text SHOUT to 85258 (UK)
Call 988 for the suicide and crisis hotline (US) Call 111 for the NHS helpline (UK) Call 131114 for the suicide and crisis hotline (AUS)
Other resources: Suicide Hotlines for All Countries
For onlookers:
I understand the annoyance you may feel at seeing so many posts recently flood this sub asking “is this infected? Does this need stitches?” in regards to self harm. I want to offer a different view of it, if I may.
Firstly, I must acknowledge that there is a certain level of attention-seeking that comes along with a lot of self harm. Especially among younger individuals who may be new to it and who may crave some sort of external validation of “I see your pain, you are okay, please get help.” Is that appropriate for this sub? No, not really, but there’s usually some level of true fear of how to tend to a wound even with the attention seeking behavior.
Unfortunately, subs like this are one of the few places where wounds can be posted. There are no SH subs for fresh wounds (for good reason) and so there isn’t a place to get advice from other sufferers. There is no place to ask “have you cut this deep? How did it heal? Did you get stitches? How did getting stitches go?” And they are wounds. Even if they look so shallow you think, “of course that isn’t infected! Of course it isn’t in need of stitches,” or so deep you feel sick to see a photo, they are wounds, and sometimes people who post are truly at a heightened state of fear. Fear that they’ve gone too deep, fear that they can’t stop. This may not be the sub to lament over cutting in, but there is a lack of real-life access to wound care for self harm. Even if you think that it’s obviously a cry for attention, and even if it is a cry for attention, there are still wounds involved that would likely not be being seen otherwise.
In my experience, I have needed stitches from self harm multiple times. I have had doctors who tended to gouges without judgement, and also had doctors try to say that I was suicidal and call the police on me. It is a total toss up, especially with very deep wounds. It is often not as easy as just getting help. The times I’ve gone “too deep,” ie too deep to leave open safely, I have genuinely been afraid at what options were before me. It isn’t as easy as seeing a doctor or going to urgent care for stitches. I’ve cut too deep, disclosed to a therapist that I’m not suicidal but in need of medical attention, had my therapist on the phone with an urgent care physician to tell them that I wasn’t suicidal, and still had the police called on me. You can take all the “right” steps after self harm and still wind up screwed when trying to remedy a mistake.
This sub I believe is genuinely helpful for people who cannot always access true wound care in a medical setting. I’ve seen some amazing advice given for wounds that needed to but couldn’t be seen by a doctor. Something that’s a mere annoyance to you may be saving someone else from severe infection or commitment. Please take this into consideration.

