Why It's Important to Protect Skin Tears From Infection

From a total of 380 individuals over 65 years, skin tears had a prevalence of 20.8% and an incidence of 18.9%. The study duration was about four weeks, providing us with much-needed data on the consequences of skin tears in the older population.

With age, the skin starts to thin due to dryness and lack of collagen. Friction, pressure, and shear force will cause your delicate skin to peel off with brief light pressure.

Any small injury might cause bruising or skin tear. To some, skin tears are acute wounds that heal in an expected fashion over time, but to others, they can be chronic wounds that take time to heal.

If not treated by your dermatologist early, these chronic wounds are prone to infection.

Keep reading to understand why protecting skin tears from infection is important.

Skin Tear Categories

Skin tears are in three categories and a few subcategories, the difference between them being the skin flap viability.

The skin tear categories include:

1.     Category 1

Here, all the edges of the skin flap can close together. Light skin tear dressing ensures it heals after replacing the skin flap to its normal position.

The subcategories under category 1 depend on the skin flap viability. Under subcategory 1a, the skin flap might be pink but healthy.

But, under subcategory 1b, the skin flap might be pale or purple, meaning it might not heal.

2.     Category 2

Here, the skin flap will not close well due to damage. The skin tear can’t heal properly since the skin flaps can’t reach the wound edges.

And, just like in category 1, the subcategory 2a means the skin flaps are pink while 2b means they are pale or purple.

3.     Category 3

This category takes the longest to heal since the skin flap is completely gone. That emphasizes the need for skin tear preventative measures.

You can’t do much to close skin tears with a missing flap. Once you have torn skin, your skin tear treatment will only keep your wound clean to prevent further damage.

Skin Tears Risk Factors

You’re more likely to see skin tears in older adults. Their skin blood vessels feed less moisture and nutrients to skin tissues.

But, some individuals are at more risk of having skin tears than others. These groups include:

• Older adults, especially those in need of help with their mobility
• People with prior skin tears
• Infants who might fall or experience accidental injuries
• People with dementia or cognitive impairment
• People with chronically dry skin
• Post-menopausal women – having a decrease in estrogen levels causes fragile skin

Ensure you prevent skin tears if you fall in any of the above groups. Consult with a dermatologist in case of a severe skin condition exposing you to skin tears.

Signs of Skin Tear Infection

Keeping your wound clean and covered helps it to heal fast and avoid infection. But, if you notice any signs of skin tear infection, seek medical help quickly.

Some of the infection signs to look out for include:

• Worsening pain
• Pus
• Swelling
• Fever
• Foul odor

Note that skin tears can take up to several weeks to heal fully. Ensure you don’t do anything that will further strain the tear or consider preventing it from happening.

Skin Tear Prevention

Even though skin tears easily, there are few ways to prevent it. Some of the strategies that might help you out include:

·        Keeping Your Skin Moist

Staying hydrated is the best way to prevent skin tears. Also, avoid soaps that might cause your skin to be dry, and apply a moisturizer at least twice daily.

You can also cover any extra fragile part of your skin with creams or barrier films or wrap it with a bandage.

·        Wearing Protective Clothing

Protective clothing will shield any delicate part of your skin. Protective clothing might be a single layer of your regular clothes, but you can choose to wear long sleeves and socks.

But, be careful when changing your clothes. Watch out for zippers, buttons, and things that can pinch your skin.

·        Creating a Safe Environment

We see skin tears in older adults because they happen due to casual accidents. Making simple changes around your home will prevent them from bumping into furniture.

Clear all clutter from walkways to prevent you from bumping into hard objects. Be mindful of wet rugs around your home since you can trip over them.

You can place pads around your home and eliminate rough fabrics that might scrape your delicate skin.

·        Eating a Balanced Diet

Note that weak and dry skin is more likely to tear. As with hydration, ensure you always have a balanced diet.

Drinking a lot of water will promote healing if you experience skin tears. Don’t forget to have more Vitamin C intake – you will find it in fruits and vegetables.

Also, include protein-rich foods to assist with collagen production. You will find more protein in fish, beans, and eggs.

·        Avoiding Adhesives

Unless they are necessary, always avoid the use of medical tapes or adhesive bandages. That’s because sticky bandages will cause your skin to tear when cleaning your wounds.

Always wrap your skin tears in petroleum-based gauze wraps. But, ensure the wrap is non-adhesive before securing it with medical tape.

Find the Best Skin Care Product to Help Heal Your Skin Tears

With proper care, skin tears will heal without incidents in a couple of weeks. Some skin tears are extremely painful, and some will take longer to heal.

The best protection measure is to prevent them from happening. But, if skin tares happen, proper wound care will deal with them without the possibility of infection.

At Theraderm, we have a wide range of skincare products to help treat your skin tears. Our products will also help in skin tear prevention and skin renewal.

Contact us now to know the best skin tear treatment options.