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Managing diabetes means always being vigilant, especially when it comes to wound care. If you find a diabetic foot ulcer, the best way to heal it is not to wait around to have it heal on its own. Proper diabetic wound care at home involves understanding the causal factors and finding the best diabetic wound care products.
Diabetes can make wound care complex; hence, different types of diabetic wounds demand meticulous care to prevent any serious complications. To help you learn diabetic wound care at home, here is a list of the best products for diabetic ulcer treatment.
But first things first, let’s see what is a diabetic ulcer and what can cause it.
A diabetic ulcer, also known as diabetic sore or diabetic foot ulcer, is an open sore that develops in people with diabetes. It can develop due to many reasons, such as -
Diabetes can cause abnormally high blood glucose levels, leading to serious complications and hampered diabetic wound care. The elevated blood sugar triggers a high load of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and early inflammatory responses. This, in turn, leads to hypoxia, i.e., insufficient oxygen to the damaged tissues and slows down the healing.
According to the National Library of Medicine research paper, debridement is the first step toward proper wound care. It means removing dead or infected tissue, and there are different ways to do it, such as using a wound cleanser. A gentle cleanser, such as a normal saline or pH-neutral wound cleanser helps minimize wound irritation and discomfort.
FSA Approved
This normal saline solution is used for wound cleansing and to dilute medicines. It is made according to the US Pharmacopeia (USP) standards to ensure quality, purity, and consistency.
The USP Normal Saline has a balanced pH and isotonic, making it gentle on tissues and reducing the chances of tissue damage.
Features of USP Sterile Saline Solution
A diabetic wound healing ointment prevents or treats infection, a common concern in slow-healing wounds. It helps expedite the wound-healing process and reduces inflammation. However, one should always consult their doctor before using a wound ointment for diabetic wound care at home to determine the situation of the ulcer and prescribe the appropriate treatment for better wound healing.
According to another article on treating foot ulcers in people with diabetes by the National Library of Medicine, antibiotic ointments contain agents such as bacitracin, mupirocin, retapamulin, neomycin, or silver sulphadiazine that are considered effective in controlling wound infection.
FSA Approved
It helps prevent infection and provides pain relief from diabetic ulcers. The triple antibiotic ointment contains three powerful antibiotic agents - neomycin, bacitracin, and polymyxin proven to control infection and encourage healing in slow healing wounds.
Features of Neosporin Plus Antibiotic Ointment
Honey is one of the natural remedies for diabetic wound care that works wonders on stubborn wounds. Honey is a natural product that has high nutritional and medicinal value. It is scientifically proven that honey has potent antibacterial properties that help with wound infections and expedite wound healing in diabetic sores, venous leg ulcers, burns, chronic leg ulcers, pressure ulcers, and other chronic wounds.
The antioxidants present in honey fight against microorganisms and decrease wound site infections. Similarly, honey also reduces ROS and inflammations and improves healing. According to a research paper on the effectiveness of honey dressing in treating DFU by the NIH, honey dressings shorten the debridement time and healing time, ultimately increasing the wound healing rate during the first one to two weeks of use.
FSA Approved Latex Free
This medihoney wound dressing maintains a moist environment for optimal wound healing and supports autolytic debridement in acute and chronic wounds. It has a viscous formulation for better stability at the wound site.
MediHoney is made with medical-grade Active Leptospermum Honey (manuka honey) and helps manage hard-to-heal wounds and burns.
Application of MediHoney Gel
Hydrocolloid dressings are made with a combination of polymers such as gelatin, pectin, and cellulose, which form a waterproof adhesive dressing. Hydrocolloids work effectively for exudate-producing diabetic wounds. It absorbs the exudate and forms a gel. It also promotes autolytic debridement of dry, sloughy, or necrotic wounds and maintains a moist wound-healing environment in sloughing wounds.
FSA Approved Made In USA Latex Free
It is a self-adherent sterile hydrocolloid wound dressing. It contains polymers that absorb the wound exudate and form a cohesive gel to provide the wound with a moist environment to heal properly.
Features of ConvaTec DuoDERM Sterile Dressing
Hydrogel dressings keep the wound bed hydrated and promote a moist wound environment. These dressings manage wound exudate to absorb excess fluid while preventing the healthy skin from becoming overly wet. Additionally, hydrogel dressings reduce the risk of complications and infection in diabetic wounds.
FSA Approved Made In USA Latex Free
It is a clear hydrogel used to keep dry or diabetic wounds clean. It helps provide moisture to the wound site and stays in place for up to 3 days.
Features of Skintegrity Hydrogel Dressing
Alginates are highly absorbent dressings, usually used to manage wound exudate. Many research papers have claimed they can absorb 15-20 times their weight. The alginate dressings form a gel when they come in contact with the wound surface and fill the uneven cavities. Hence, used widely in diabetic wound care.
FSA Approved
It is a highly absorbent wound dressing that kills bacteria for up to four days and contains ionic silver and CMC. Melgisorb Ag alginate dressing may absorb up to 18 times its weight in exudate. It is made of soft alginate fibers woven into a non-woven fabric, preventing the dressing from dissolving in the wound bed, and is used in diabetic wound care at home.
Features of Melgisorb Ag Calcium Alginate Dressing
Sterile gauze pads are used to clean and cover diabetic wounds after debridement. Gauze helps maintain cleanliness and protects wounds from contamination. The non-adherent gauze pads do not stick to the wound site or cause trauma during dressing change.
FSA Approved
This petrolatum gauze dressing contains 3% bismuth tribromophenate in a petrolatum blend for bacterial protection. It is a yellow, non-adherent dressing with a soft, smooth texture that helps to keep the wound moist. The gauze also acts as a protective barrier against external contaminants.
Features of Xeroform Petrolatum Dressing
Offloading products such as canes, crutches, diabetic shoes, walking boots, diabetic orthotics, etc., help with diabetic wound care, especially those on the feet and lower extremities.
Offloading devices redistribute the pressure away from the wound site and minimize the stress and irritation on the wound, letting it heal properly. They also help prevent reinjury to the wound site and prevent excessive movement, allowing it to remain stable and undisturbed.
The choice of offloading product depends on various factors, such as the location and severity of the diabetic wound. Your doctor or any health care professional will help you find the right offloading product to ensure effective diabetes wound care.
Nutrition is very important for effective diabetic wound care. Dealing with a wound takes a toll on the body. On the one hand, wounds make the body lose some important nutrients, especially in people with diabetic ulcers, and on the other, the body requires extra nutrients to heal it.
Hence, balancing a person's nutritional needs is quintessential for proper diabetic wound care at home. Diabetic nutritional supplements such as omega-3 PUFA, probiotics, vitamins C, D, E, and magnesium oxide, to name a few, help reduce inflammation, improve tissue repair, and keep infections at bay.
According to an article by Christine Kijek, our in-house WOCN expert, people with diabetes are at a higher risk for infection and dry skin due to decreased blood flow. Keeping the skin moist reduces the risk of breakdown and the chances of developing diabetic ulcers.
However, applying diabetic lotions directly on open wounds can contaminate the wound. Use the cream on healthy skin to prevent dryness and cracking. Go for non-irritating and fragrance-free lotions or consult with your doctor to find the right diabetic foot creams to prevent diabetic ulcers and help in diabetic wound care.
FSA Approved Made In USA
It is a highly concentrated cream for deep moisture and healing dry and damaged diabetic skin. The advanced formula of the cream helps quicker healing and locks the moisture in to reinforce the skin's natural protective barrier.
Features of TriDerma Diabetic Foot Cream
HPFY is an e-commerce website that delivers medical supplies and health products to your doorstep. We offer an array of the best wound care supplies for diabetic wound care at home and more. Explore our catalog today to find the best pick for you and your loved ones.
Disclaimer: All content found on our website, including images, videos, infographics, and text were created solely for informational purposes. Our reviewed content should never be used for the purpose of diagnosis or treatment of any medical conditions. Content shared on our websites is not meant to be used as a substitute for advice from a certified medical professional. Reliance on the information provided on our website as a basis for patient treatment is solely at your own risk. We urge all our customers to always consult a physician or a certified medical professional before trying or using a new medical product.
Shweta Chaubey, has been a Health Products For You contributor since 2021. An advocate-turned-writer, her desire to create meaningful and positive content has brought her to HPFY and what better than writing ...
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