How effective are first aid pads on killing germs?

Answer 1

In General: First Aid pads are not effective at all when it comes to killing germs.

First Aid pads are normally packed in a sterile environment into sterile "bags" so that they keep sterile and "fresh" even after long term storage.

The thing about using them is that they are sterile to start with. Any bacteria present in a wound will most likely multiply in a First Aid pad. This is why it is important to change them regularly. Bacterias in the pad is not always bad though. Certain bacteria can actually kill off other more humanly dangerous bacteria.

We can use various creams or powders in order to promote the forming of new tissue where we have a wound, . These can have anti bacterial properties, they can have anti fungal properties and even anti viral properties, in addition to promoting the forming of new tissue.

There are of course different pads and some are manufactured with various additives that most likely will kill off a broad spectrum of bacteria. These are quite effective but not what I would expect to find or be given over a counter unless I ask for those in specific.

Exactly how effective they are on killing germs is difficult to give an accurate answer to.

They might be very good on certain common bacteria but not good at all on other not so common bacteria.

Thoughts to bear in mind:

The real killer for most all types of bacteria is good hygiene and "Dryness". Like all living things, bacterias can not live for long in a dry environment. Changing wet/moist pads is a method that can be used in order to slow down growth of bacteria. This is most often a better and safer way in order to heal up a wound rather than applying all sorts of creams in order to kill the germs.

There are considerations here too though. Our skin does not heal well without scarring in a very dry environment. Moist without being wet is good and increases the rate of healing; this unfortunately creates a place where bacteria might thrive.

The art of healing up wounds is indeed an art of its own. We wander in zones of grey, not black, not white. First Aid pads is one answer to many problems, but further in depth knowledge is often the key to a near perfect solution for specific wounds.