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Local Wound Care for Dermatologists pp 35–52Cite as

The Use of Antiseptic and Antibacterial Agents on Wounds and the Skin

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Part of the book series: Updates in Clinical Dermatology ((UCD))

Abstract

As our global population ages, the prevalence and frequency of both acute and chronic wounds will rise, generating increased burden on patients, healthcare professionals, and healthcare systems. Wound-related bacterial damage can be situated on either the surface compartment of the wound or the deep and surrounding compartments. Wounds that are infected on the surface component are said to have local infection and should be treated topically. Wounds infected in the deep and surrounding components should be treated systemically. Topical antimicrobial and antiseptic agents are used to treat superficial critical colonization and not deep and surrounding infection. This chapter will address the use of topical antimicrobials and antiseptics for the treatment of the superficial compartment of the wound. The five broad classes of topical antimicrobial agents currently used in chronic wounds with superficial critical colonization include PHMB, ionized silver, slow-release iodine, methylene blue and gentian violet, and honey.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Khalad Maliyar

  2. Women’s College Hospital, Sunnybrook Hospital, Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Asfandyar Mufti

  3. Public Health & Medicine, Trillium Health Partners & Womens College Hospital, University of Toronto, Mississauga, ON, Canada

    R. Gary Sibbald

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  1. Khalad Maliyar
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  3. R. Gary Sibbald
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Correspondence to R. Gary Sibbald .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Women’s College Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Afsaneh Alavi

  2. Department of Dermatology, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Howard I. Maibach

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Maliyar, K., Mufti, A., Sibbald, R.G. (2020). The Use of Antiseptic and Antibacterial Agents on Wounds and the Skin. In: Alavi, A., Maibach, H. (eds) Local Wound Care for Dermatologists. Updates in Clinical Dermatology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28872-3_5

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