I'm a little freaked out about all the news and reports of staph infections and all that stuff. They always talk about open cuts being the most dangerous. So as long as you don't have any open cuts or scraps and wash your hands non-stop, your risks are much lower.

However, I am always scraping or getting cuts and nicks on my hands. Just seems to always happen to me. Not from knives very much, but from bumping against objects hard, accidentally scraping against them. I'm just very clumsy I guess.

I wonder though, with these minor cuts, how long are they considered "open". They say to cover "open" cuts and scrapes with bandaides and everything. Problem for me is I really hate bandaides. I prefer to just stop the bleeding, put on a little herbal anti-bacterial and let it air out. Not only do bandaides create all that moisture, they also have that sticky glue stuff that I don't want touching and soaking into my skin. They are fine for when the cut is major and you need to prevent scaring. But not for small cuts.

I just recently scraped my finger and it started bleeding tonight. I'm not sure if I need to bandage it. I had planned on going to the gym soon, which is a hotbed for germs, so that concerns me.

I put cayenne on it cause I heard that stops bleeding. It burned like heck. Also, the top layers of skin that got scraped off did not come all the way off. So I pushed them back the other direction to cover the puncture/bleeding part. Is that the best thing to do, or to tear it off? Seems like a natural barrier/bandaide kind of thing while it is healing. I'm so sick of jacking up my hands non-stop.

Just buy some otc tincture of Iodine or providine Iodine and that will stop any infection in its tracks.

My cousins daughter had staph infection that would spread and not go completely away, but with the Iodine tincture it's gone, she said she's very happy with it.

Love,
Prism

What is povidone Iodine?

Really I'm more concerned with weather I should use a bandaide or not. It's like a quarter of an inch wide. Kind of red under the skin and looks wet around the edges - like a clear fluid. It's right under the knuckle of my left middle finger. I'm more interested in preventing bad bacteria from getting on my skin or in my blood then trying to kill it once it is there. Esp. if I go to the gym.

The drug store will know if you ask them at their counter for either the tincture of Iodine or the Provodine Iodine. Both have Iodine in them, both will work in keeping your cut from getting infected or clear it up if it's infected, and will help heal it faster.

A band-aid may not work since hands get water on them a lot and the band-aid my not stay on anyway. I'd take the Iodine with me to the gym and use it before and after you use the equipment, after your shower, after using the pool or jacuzzi, sauna..or anything. You can put it on each time if you feel like it.

Love,
Prism