Cleaning

Closed Incision: You should avoid getting the area wet for the first 24 hours.  After that, you can wash the area gently once or twice daily.  It is better not to use deodorant soaps or heavily fragranced soaps.  I would also avoid soaps with moisturizers mixed in. Some of the purest, gentlest soaps on the available at most stores are Dove and Cetaphil.  After washing, pat gently dry with a towel. Closed incisions require no further cleaning.

Open Healing: One of the cornerstones of open healing is frequent cleansing out of the wound bed. With the traditional gauze packing method it is critical to flush out the wound with water or saline and change the dressing at least twice a day until only the top 1/4" is left to heal. My doctor recommended 3 times a day for the first month of healing but other doctors have recommended 2 times a day so it's your call. The best way to cleanse your wound is in the shower, using a hand held sprayer to gently flush out the inside. You do not need to use any kind of soap inside the wound.

Another option is to use Saline solution to flush out the wound.  You can take sitz baths with Epsom Salts, but be sure to still flush the wound out afterward.  Some doctors have told the patients not to take baths at all, thinking that soaking in your own germs in not a very good idea...

There are a number of high-tech wound cleaning products out there, these tend to be very expensive (but covered by insurance if your doctor prescribes them) and usually only used by Wound Care Centers. Some of them are listed in our Products database and others you can read about at WoundSource.com.  Products with Zinc in them are reportedly very good for Pilonidal wounds. Don't automatically assume you need a high-tech wound cleanser, these products generally should be used in conjunction with healing problems under the care of a Wound Center.

Some surgeons have had patients clean wounds and wound areas with Chlorhexidine solution (usually found in your local pharmacy under the brand name Hibiclens Chlorhexidine Gluconate).  This product is a well studied antibacterial (your surgeon probably scrubbed with it prior to surgery) but should be used sparingly.

What you should NOT use is alcohol or Hydrogen Peroxide. You can use either of them (diluted at 50%) for an occasional cleaning but both of these products are too harsh for daily use in healing wounds.  Hydrogen Peroxide was once used for these types of wounds for it's debriding ability, however, since about 1996 the course has changed and wound care specialists have come to realize that too much tissue damage occurs to healthy cells that are needed for wound healing when Hydrogen Peroxide is used.  HP is considered "cytotoxic", meaning deadly to cells, thus it actually inhibits wound healing.  Unfortunately, many doctors and nurses and are not informed that HP is no longer recommended for wound healing and they give their patients instructions that actually SLOW DOWN the healing process. 

This page last updated: 03/25/2007