Should alcohol 70 degrees be used to wash the wound? (2024)

70 degree alcohol to disinfect wounds is not a concern of many people when they intend to use alcohol. Especially now that the disinfectants are very diverse and increasingly accessible, it makes many people confused.

Wound cleaning practices are an integral part of wound management of any cause, from acute trauma as well as chronic wounds. Accordingly, “good” wound care means preventing and controlling local microbiological contamination, reducing the likelihood of infection, and preventing harmful effects on wound healing. To ensure this, that is the role of topical antiseptics. These are antibacterial agents that kill, inhibit or reduce the number of microorganisms and are thought to be necessary for wound infection control.
The most familiar, common, and historical topical antiseptic for wound washing is alcohol (or alcohol). Although several types of alcohol have been shown to have effective antibacterial properties, ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, and n-propanol are most commonly used to disinfect hard surfaces and disinfect skin. In general, alcohol is a topical antiseptic classified as Class I, safe and effective not only for wounds but also for medical staff to wash hands or prepare patient skin before surgery.
The above alcohols have been shown to have excellent in vitro bactericidal activity against most gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Alcohol's mechanism of killing bacteria is to cause membrane damage and rapid denaturation of proteins, which then interfere with metabolism and coagulation and denaturation of cytolytic proteins. In addition, alcohol can also kill Mycobacterium tuberculosis, various fungi, and some enveloped viruses. However, alcohol is not spore-killing and has poor activity against some non-enveloped viruses. In addition, the antibacterial activity of alcohol depends on the concentration of the solution. In particular, the effect will become significantly lower at concentrations below 50% and optimally in the range of 60–90%.

Isopropyl alcohol, especially in solutions of 60% to 90% alcohol mixed with 10 - 40% pure water, usually 70 degrees alcohol is chosen to wash the wound based on evidence of rapid antibacterial ability against bacteria, fungi and viruses. When the alcohol concentration drops below 50%, the useful effect for disinfection is drastically reduced. Notably, higher alcohol concentrations, such as over 90% up to pure alcohol, do not produce better bactericidal, virucidal or fungicidal properties, but also cause waste.
On the other hand, the presence of water is also an important factor in killing or inhibiting the growth of pathogenic microorganisms when using 70% alcohol to wash the wound. At this time, water acts as a catalyst and plays a major role in denaturing the protein of the vegetative cell membrane. At a concentration of 70%, the alcohol-based antiseptic solution penetrates the cell wall more completely, permeates the entire cell, coagulates all the proteins, and thus the microorganisms are destroyed. Besides, the additional water content also helps to slow down the evaporation process, thereby increasing surface contact time and improving efficiency. While with an alcohol concentration of over 90% will coagulate proteins immediately, with alcohol 70 degrees of washing the wound, a lower concentration will create a layer to protect other proteins from further coagulation, helping the antiseptic. penetrate deeper into the cell.

Alcohol 70 degrees or general antiseptics should only be used to clean infected skin wounds. In contrast, open or deep wounds should not use antiseptics during care. This is because although antiseptics can kill harmful bacteria, they can also damage surrounding healthy tissue. Indeed, newly sprouted granulosa tissues are always particularly sensitive to strong disinfectants because the cell walls are more sensitive and fragile than mature skin. Therefore, improperly washing the wound with 70 degrees of alcohol will make the wound heal more slowly.
Thus, when it comes to cleaning superficial wounds, diluted soap and clean water are the best when it comes to care. Besides, for newly healed wounds, wash the wound with a large amount of physiological saline, to run through the wound instead of using 70 degree alcohol to wash the wound.

Finally, even on healthy skin, if exposed to alcohol solutions for a long time or with high frequency of use, it will cause dry skin and increase skin irritation. As a result, the skin loses water, reduces elasticity, becomes dry, cracked, itchy, and creates more favorable conditions for bacteria to penetrate, easy to cause inflammation. Therefore, the use of 70-degree alcohol to wash the wound needs to be strictly indicated, avoiding indiscriminate use, which is easy to waste and also has the risk of unwanted effects.
In summary, in the context of many diverse antiseptics on the market, many people wonder whether to use 70 degree alcohol to wash the wound or choose to use a higher concentration. Accordingly, the understanding of the role and mechanism of action of 70-degree alcohol for wound washing will help people use it for the right purpose, both against the bacterial invasion causing local infections, and facilitate injuries heal faster.

XEM THÊM:

• Is 70 degree alcohol in the eyes okay?
• Antiseptic ability of alcohol 70 degrees
• Instructions for first aid for wounds bitten by dogs/cats