How to Treat an Infected Scrape With Sugar
In ancient times, honey was reputed to have healing powers and applied to wounds, says World Wide Wounds. More recently, sugar has been successfully used by doctors to treat infected wounds. One 1980 medical trial in Argentina reported that the use of sugar paste on 120 infected wounds produced a cure rate of 99.2 percent, with all odor and weeping from these wounds vanishing within 96 hours of treatment. According to the U.K. Surgical Materials Testing Laboratory, sugar paste is successful on most types of wounds but is particularly suited to the treatment of infected and malodorous wounds.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Water
- 5 oz. granulated white sugar
- 1/2 oz. Betadine solution
- 1 1/2 oz. Betadine ointment
- Bowl
- Spoon
- Cotton gauze
- Surgical tape
- Scissors
Instructions
-
-
1
Wash the wound gently under running water. Your aim is to rinse out any debris and to dilute the bacteria in the wound, says mothernature.com. Do this as soon as possible after the cut or scrape has occurred.
-
2
Mix the sugar, Betadine solution and Betadine ointment thoroughly together in a bowl using a spoon. Keep mixing until you produce a smooth, well-blended paste.
-
-
3
Check that the wound has stopped bleeding. If it has not, applying the sugar paste could cause it to bleed more. Wait until the cut or scrape is no longer bleeding, says mothernature.com.
-
4
Apply the sugar paste gently to the cleaned cut or scrape. Cover the wound over with cotton gauze, and secure the dressing with surgical tape.
-
5
Change the dressing and wash the wound twice daily, then reapply the sugar paste. According to the U.K. Surgical Materials Testing Laboratory, this gives the optimum antibacterial effect. In clinical trials on severely infected wounds, full healing took between three and six weeks using this approach.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Use ordinary white granulated household sugar for your paste, not brown sugar or icing sugar as they are less suited to the job and might cause the wound to form a crust, says mothernature.com.
Check that your tetanus shots are up to date if you have to treat an infected cut or scrape. If you have not had a tetanus shot in the last five years, you are due a booster. If you're unsure about this, it is best to have the booster anyway, within 24 hours of receiving the wound.
If Betadine is unavailable, some people who have treated wounds with sugar suggest mixing it instead with a little Milk of Magnesia to make a paste, says The People's Pharmacy.
Sugar alone might work on a cut or scrape. According to the U.K. Surgical Materials Testing Laboratory, clinical tests in 1985 using ordinary granulated sugar eradicated wound infections in an average of 7.6 days. In the absence of other treatments, put sugar on the scrape and cover with gauze, but keep a close check for signs of infection.
If the cut or scrape does not respond to the sugar paste treatment, turns red, becomes swollen, leaks pus or begins to smell bad, see a doctor.
Where the wound is large, deep or severe, where you can see deep inside the wound or where the wounded person feels sick or feverish, seek help from a physician. Serious wounds are not suitable for home first aid.
Avoid using sugar paste to treat diabetics' scrapes and cuts.
References
- Surgical Materials Testing Laboratory, "The Dressing Times": Sugar Pastes in Wound Management
- Mother Nature: Cuts and Scrapes
- The People's Pharmacy: Sugar Speeds Wound Healing
- Home Remedies: Treatment of Wounds
- World Wide Wounds: Honey as a Topical Antibacterial Agent for Treatment of Infected Wounds
Resources
- Photo Credit cristal-glass sugar-bowl and white sugar image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
