Healing with Honey: The Surprising Benefits of MediHoney® for Wound Care
True or false? You should put honey on your wounds.
Perhaps surprisingly this is actually true, but not just any type of honey. Studies done use a medical grade honey called manuka honey, at our practice we use the brand MediHoney®.
Now, how can honey help in wound healing? The pH of honey stimulates the blood to release oxygen which aids in wound healing. It also helps to reduce swelling and has an antibacterial effect. Placing honey on wounds helps to get rid of slough or necrotic tissue that can form as a wound heals and stimulates granulation cells which are the happy healing wound cells that we want. The honey works best when it is left in place for a number of days.
At Tareen Dermatology we often recommend using honey on ulcerations or even on surgical wounds after procedures.
How To Use:
- Cleanse wound gently with soap and warm water and then pat dry
- Apply vaseline/petrolatum to normal skin edges around the wound
- Apply generous amount of MediHoney to the entire wound
Gel: Use tongue depressor or cotton swab to apply MediHoney Gel directly on to the wound
Patch: Cut MediHoney patch with clean scissors to size of wound and place in wound bed; can get several uses per patch depending on wound size
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- Cover with gauze and bandage
- Cover with the large waterproof film bandage that will keep the wound dry and clean.
- Leave on up to 7 days. After 7 days, remove bandage and repeat steps above.
Watch the video of Dr. Mohiba Tareen below to see how to safely and effectively apply MediHoney gel to wounds.