Surely sometime, when you make a small wound or scrape on your skin, you have ended up pouring hydrogen peroxide in order to disinfect it . Also, if you have ever had a piercing or an earring, you will have heard diverse opinions about whether it is better to cure it with hydrogen peroxide, as is commonly thought, or simply with soap and water . But, in these cases, hydrogen peroxide is not the most convenient.
It is true that hydrogen peroxide contains antiseptic properties, but bleach is also a powerful disinfectant and we do not put it on our skin. Have you noticed the little white bubbles that sprout from your injury the moment you pour hydrogen peroxide on it?
These bubbles are not a symptom of raw or open wound healing and, in fact, are accompanied by a severe stinging . What happens when hydrogen peroxide comes into contact with it is that, in addition to killing bacteria, it also attacks skin cells, which actually ends up hurting the healing process instead of helping. The bubbles are the result of the contact of hydrogen peroxide with a catalase enzyme inside the bacteria, which forms water and oxygen gas, and this is reproduced in relation to the cells of our largest organ.
Still, hydrogen peroxide works against a wide range of microorganisms (bacteria, yeast, fungi, and spores). The one that is for sale to the public in pharmacies, can be used to disinfect inanimate surfaces. And during the COVID-19 crisis, for example, this product – in a concentration between 3% and 6% – has been used to disinfect artificial respirators, fabrics and endoscopes. In fact, it is included in the Environmental Protection Agency’s list of active antimicrobials for use against the pandemic disease.
So the best thing, if you suffer a wound that is not serious, is that you clean it with soap and water – remember to wash your hands before you start doing it – and you can add physiological saline to wash away the dirt. Do not blow either, since this practice is a source of germs.
