Hi everyone, well my knee has improved a little and some days are better than others, now I have another problem.
While getting some chair cushions out of my shed I managed to knock a gas bottle which decided to fall onto my shin. It removed a layer of my skin ( yes it hurt and yes I did swear 🤬 ) this was a week ago and I put a plaster over, but this kept it from drying and forming a scab. I have tried to keep it dry while showering, but it is still a bit weepy. Any advice for helping to heal ? My skin seems easy to damage - not sure if that is age or steroids.
Jules
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jules1955
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Hi jules1955.Others with more knowledge will be along to advise, but I can tell you from my own experience that steroids definitely make your skin much more fragile and more prone to bruising. Wounds and abrasions also take longer to heal. I have used Melolin dry dressings when required (Boots sell them) These protect the surface damage but also allow the wound to breathe. I also have had some success with Sudocreme aiding the healing process. I'm sure others will also be able to offer you some further alternatives too. Hope that's helped.
Ouch! My first thought is to ask your pharmacist to recommend a dressing that will allow the wound to heal. I don't know how efficient waterproof dressings are but you could possibly use a plastic carrier bag over the covered wound it if you have one squirrelled away. Put your foot in it and secure it at the top to keep water out when you shower. Might work, might not.The main thing is to make sure that the wound doesn't become infected.
Thinning skin is a side effect of steroids; many people notice that they bruise more easily than pre-Pred.
Hi Jules, As Kendrew said others with more knowledge will help. I know, during my two years with prednisone my skin just seems to peel easily and it is important to keep it from getting infected. I've use a Triple Antibiotic cream and a covering that does not stick to the skin. I've been told by my rheumatologist that letting the shower run on it to keep it clean is important. Can you call for medical advice? I've used Manuka honey on the tears on my arms and it promotes healing. The main thing is keeping it clean. Maintaining our bodies occupies lots of our time~! Take good care💖
Agree with Kendrew about Melolin dry plasters... also Mepore. If you have a friendly practice nurse you may get some from surgery - that where mine came from, but it was a little while ago.
Double Base Cream or Gel, will help to protect your skin. It can be prescribed by your GP (if they will do it) if not you can buy it OTC. Use it exactly as it says on the 'Tin'.
Manuka Honey cream as Grammy80 says is very good. Expensive but you do not need a lot.
Hi, I’d recommend hydrocolloid dressings if you’ve scraped your skin. They’re self adhesive, can stay on several days and allow healing to take place under the dressing. Waterproof too. Most pharmacies will sell them. Your practice nurse could do this for you too.
Jules, I have a lot of experience with leg gashes- 5 to be exact. Somewhere deeper than others. One was from a raise kneeler in a church service. I was moving in this narrow pew and the kneeler was raised ripping a deep gash in my right calf. Another time I was climbing into my car and as I shut the door the corner of the door which is pointed ripped open that calf. Another time it was a corner of the open dishwasher door as I walked past. Though I have a medical background I do have a doctor look at it at first. With a very deep gash from the church kneeler I went to the emergency room where they gave me tetanus shot and antibiotic. They recommended a wound specialist who I visited. The hydrogel dressings, which keep the wound moist, soothed the wound. What’s frustrating is the time it takes to heal - months. And I am now left with very ugly scars two years after my last wound.
My skin actually recovered its strength when I got down to about 6 mg of prednisone. Everyone is different. But during the time when your skin is very sensitive you have to take measures to prevent this disaster. You can use kneesocks; I bought light arm coverings which is small enough to use on my forearms; I did a job on those too. Extremity protectors are sold in pharmacies or even Walmart. These are rubber with a type of seal for over your arm or leg when you go into the shower. Early on when the wound is gaping you cannot wet the it in the shower yet-too painful.
We went around the house covering sharp edges with tape:: this includes door jambs, corners of cabinets, metal cabinets, or any other metal protrusion one can scrape the skin on.
If you’re in a cool climate it’s easier to cover up. If you’re in a warm climate you have to be super careful because you don’t want to over dress when it’s 100°.
Some people say the skin never gets better but mine did. I was just thinking because the last few months I am on a very high protein/ low carb diet because of hypoglycemia. And I’m just wondering if that high protein diet is helping my skin. All I can say is is that my skin might bruise but it doesn’t rip open like before.
Diet can definitely help improve skin health. See.....healthline.com > nutrition
Here it talks about some of the best foods and why they're helpful for building strong healthy skin cells. I personally eat a lot of these foods (salmon, nuts, avocados, seeds, broccoli, peppers etc) and when I gashed my shin, it healed slower than normal, but quicker than expected.
I feel quite strongly that eating a healthy diet can relieve so many of the other health issues that can emerge with our condition & the meds associated with it, but no two people will require the same food combinations or the same overall dietary requirements.
I think most of us probably will find a low carb diet useful to help control any potential weight gain or the emergence of other issues like steroid-related diabetes, but the rest will be determined by individual needs.
I definitely believe in the old adage, 'You are what you eat!
Hi, It’s to do with pred, the higher dose you are on the more easily it is cut, knock and bruise yourself, I am supposed to take blood thinners as well, it’s for GCA. I had to stop taking them as my legs were so vulnerable. You will find as you lower your dose of pred things will improve. Try to cover your legs as much as possible as this help.
Thank you for all the advice, it’s good to know that I am not the only one with easily damaged skin. I contacted Doctor this morning and had to send a photo of the wound. I have an appointment this afternoon to have it dressed.I will let you know how it goes.
That is the saving grace of this forum. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I have found that no matter what I am experiencing....it is a shared experience. Makes the load lighter for me💖
I think it is important to get the skin tear back into the exact place that it came from and secure with steristrips, I don’t go anywhere without them, cover and leave to heal for 3 days. Obviously clean and dry the tear beforehand.I am 4 years into this bloomin thing and as a retired nurse pretty good at repair jobs!!!!!
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