I know this is really random, but has anyone tried those plasters with the silver in them?

I know theyre supposed to make your skin heal quicker but does it work?

Well, yes they do work.

Not used them myself but silver ions (not silver itself) will attack bacteria on contact (they work as an antiseptic).  Not sure itll make your skin heal faster but it will limit infections.

Theyve been using silver ions on burn victim bandages for a very liong time for this reason.

On a small cut or one where you regularly replace the band aid then a normal elastoplast would be fine.  they have chemical antiseptics in them anyway that do the job.  the silvers just handy because it gradually trickles out of the bandage after the chemical antiseptic has worn off.

you can also get silver lined boxer shorts so you can say go trecking for a few weeks and not need to change your undies  :mrgreen:

Quote from: Dave

you can also get silver lined boxer shorts so you can say go trecking for a few weeks and not need to change your undies  :mrgreen:

wow, I need some of those !


on a side note.... if you cut yourself you should just let it beeld for a while, the blood washes out all the bacteria etc... :-)

(thats what a doctor told me anyway)

Yep. thats a good idea if it isnt on your heel where your shoes keep rubbing you! Eeeeek!

cant see it making much difference on a small plaster.

Then again - I normally dont bother with elastoplasts. If its a big cut I just stick superglue on - anything else I just leave to sort itself out

Id be careful applying super glue to wounds (especially large ones), the glue that is approved for medical use is slightly different than your standard hardware store grade super glue and can end up causing some fairly nasty skin burns if used over a big enough area.

Quote from: Sam

cant see it making much difference on a small plaster.

exactly - and who keeps an elastoplast on long enough that the chemical antiseptic runs out anyway.  I always used to have to have a peak under to check my life threatening wound

Then again - I normally dont bother with elastoplasts.  If its a big cut I just stick superglue on - anything else I just leave to sort itself out

Great idea for serious injuries.  Elastoplasts you put on a blister?  Overkill methinks

Agreed, I dont usually bother with plasters at all unless I am doing work. Then it is only to keep it clean. Usually my cuts stop bleeding in a few seconds and thats with me taking aspirin.

Quote from: knighty

on a side note.... if you cut yourself you should just let it beeld for a while, the blood washes out all the bacteria etc... :-)

(thats what a doctor told me anyway)

would it not be better to just wash the wound? how would you know if its bled enough?  

Not if all you have is dirty water - clean tap water or sterile saline would both be OK in the UK but you may not be able to trust the water abroad. If it isnt bleeding too much then you can let it go for a few minutes without any significant blood loss.

Silver in plasters? how on earth can a metal give more healing powers?!

Have a look on yahoo or Google, though they are not entirely sure why it works.