Whats the best way to treat reeef cuts?

SurfDoc

Michael Peterson status
Dec 19, 2002
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Reef cuts:<P>Wash with warm water and antibacterial soap.<BR>Try to remove as much debris as possible.<BR>Place a small amount of antibacterial ointment on the wound. <BR>Leave open to the air.<BR>Only cover it if there is active bleeding and see a doc immediately if there is continuous bleeding.<BR>Watch closely for signs of infection like warmth, redness, swelling, discharge.<BR>Keep out of the water for several days until healed!
 

NEsurfNEtime

OTF status
Jun 3, 2002
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Wash it with Hydrogen Peroxide and dab it with the anti-bacterial cream you can pick up anywhere. The HP will foam it white while it kills bacteria. Using reef booties is a good idea. Uncool, but much better than having cut-up feet I can attest to that.
 
Jan 12, 2003
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San Diego
I was a boatman in Samoa for 4 months and have many scars to prove it. If you are working in a damp enviroment and surfing daily your cuts take forever to heal and usually leave scars. I found that supersticky band-aids on my knees helped with cuts in that location because you are always banging your knees on your board.

You have to be careful of getting sea ulcers. I tried putting band-aids on and leaving the cuts exposed and the result was almost the same. I used betadine and a triple antibiotic ointment afer the first treatment with hydrogen peroxide to kill any reef crap.

Anyway, that's my story.
 

SurfDoc

Michael Peterson status
Dec 19, 2002
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Hydrogen peroxide doesn't actually kill bacteria, but it is a good rinsing and cleansing agent that might inhibit bacterial growth. Leave those wounds clean and open. Mostly dry as in NO SURFING! No bandaids either. Maybe just a tiny bit of antibiotic ointment.