Diabetics know that more precautions have to be taken when they have to care for open wounds. Since diabetes can affect the healing process, making a wound more difficult to heal, it is necessary to give attention to the added risk of infection and take measures to give wound a longer time to heal.
An area which can get wounds easily is the lower part of the legs and the feet. Foot ulcers which can develop from cuts in the skin is a problem that occurs very often. This type of foot wound can easily be infected if the wound is not properly cleaned, medicated and covered with dressing all the time. A number of different ways to care for diabetic wounds are needed to avoid getting further problems arising from the wound.
Ensuring that no infection will take place is the first precaution in caring for a foot wound. Although not all foot wounds will be infected, it is necessary to seek a professional's attention. Should there be an infection, the professional may have to resort to antibiotics to counter the infection and assist the healing process.
Normally, antibiotics are insufficient to make healing possible when it comes to diabetic wounds. A number of ways are necessary in the healing of diabetic wounds, like not applying pressure on the wound, cleaning it, covering it with medicated dressing, and removing dead skin during a change in the dressing. During this period, more attention must be given to the foods consumed to make sure none of them can result in raised levels of blood glucose.
Sometimes, diabetic wound care may require surgery. Without surgery, some infected diabetic wounds cannot be healed. Only when scar tissues or some kind of skin deformities have been removed by surgery, can the wound close properly. Even when surgery has been performed, it is the type and location of the wound that will determine the period of the healing process which can be as soon as a few days or as long as several months.
All diabetics understand the importance of having at home, a first aid kit which have particular items essential to the use of the various ways to care for diabetic wounds. In the kit, there should be a moisturizer to avoid having the skin dry out and crack, hydrogen peroxide for wound cleaning, some kind of cream with antifungal properties to be applied on dressings, as well as surgical tape and lots of gauze pads for getting fresh bandages ready each day. Your podiatrist or family doctor may recommend certain other items to add to your basic kit