Are you misusing this common item in your medicine cabinet? This emergency room physician assistant tells viewers they’re probably misusing hydrogen peroxide.
Kids of Gen X, millennials, and even Gen Y will likely remember the first time they scraped a knee or got a bad cut and their parents poured a generous amount of hydrogen peroxide on the wound, lathered it up, and then bandaged it.
WebMD states, “Hydrogen peroxide is a gentle disinfectant used on the skin to prevent infection of minor cuts, scrapes, and burns. It can also be used as a mouthwash to help clear mucus and relieve minor mouth irritation.”
But one medical expert is warning viewers to be careful not to overuse the popular treatment over the long term.
Emergency Room Professionals’ Warning
According to Rachel (@rachthepa), who describes herself as an emergency room physician assistant (ERPA), hydrogen peroxide can be harmful under certain circumstances, which she explained in a video posted on August 9.
The video has since garnered over 537,500 viewers and the number continues to grow.
“Do you know how many people are misusing hydrogen peroxide?” Rachel asks viewers in the video, adding the caption, “Stop hurting yourself.”
She goes on to argue that there are three ways people can harm themselves by using disinfectants.
“I did the same thing,” she said of using the solution to treat mouth ulcers.
She says one patient had been using hydrogen peroxide to whiten her teeth after quitting smoking: “She had terrible mouth ulcers that just wouldn’t go away,” she says.
“So she came into the emergency room with these nasty mouth sores and she was like, ‘It’s not going to go away,'” Rachel says. “It turned out to be hydrogen peroxide…because hydrogen peroxide kills good cells and bad cells.”
Rachel then described a diabetic patient who had an ulcerated wound on the bottom of her foot. Diabetes can affect the wound healing process.
“It was now a huge ulcer,” she claims. “She had been putting hydrogen peroxide on it for three weeks.”
Rachel said the hydrogen peroxide had made the ulcer worse and it would take “several months” to heal.
Finally, Rachel describes a patient who claims to have come in for a “suture removal.”
“Her stitches were really crusted over,” says Rachel, who claims that an investigation revealed that the patient’s mother had been applying hydrogen peroxide to the wounds daily.
She claims her mother told her that treating the wound with hydrogen peroxide “basically just reopens the wound. It just makes the scabs keep re-forming,” she said.
“I don’t like to make people feel bad,” she later said, “but people need to know better.”
Is hydrogen peroxide bad for mouth ulcers?
According to an article published by Colgate.com in January 2023, “You can use hydrogen peroxide for mouth sores. A review in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research recommends a solution of half hydrogen peroxide and half water.”
But some scientists disagree. A 1986 summary from the National Institutes of Health states, “Suggestions, however, that the substance may be harmful to oral tissues, especially if the tissues have been previously damaged. The findings suggest that oral hygiene techniques that emphasize the use of 3% hydrogen peroxide in the treatment of periodontal disease may need to be reevaluated.”
Should I use hydrogen peroxide to treat wounds?
WebMD states, “Using hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol to clean a wound can damage tissue and slow healing. The best way to clean minor wounds is with cool running water and mild soap.”
According to City MD, you should be careful when using hydrogen peroxide as a disinfectant: “Hydrogen peroxide has been a popular way to clean cuts and scrapes for years. But while it kills bacteria, it can also harm cells essential for wound healing.”
Our skin and tissues contain cells called fibroblasts that play a key role in healing. When applied to a wound, hydrogen peroxide can damage these fibroblasts and the bacteria in them. This means that while it kills the bacteria, it can also slow down the body’s natural healing process.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Web MD and City MD via email requesting a statement.
@rachthepa Stop hurting yourself. . 😅#emergencyroom #physicianassistant #emergencymedicine ♬ original sound – rach the pa
Viewers’ reactions
In the comments of the video, @missy_tina86 wrote, “I’ve never really trusted hydrogen peroxide.”
Another viewer said they used the solution sparingly: “I’ve only ever used hydrogen peroxide if I got a cut on a potentially dirty surface, outdoors, etc.,” they said. “I had no idea anyone used it daily to clean wounds.”
Regarding canker sores, one viewer commented, “My mom’s a dental hygienist and she says that wounds inside the mouth are the fastest to heal. If you leave it alone, it will heal in a day or two.”
Rachel agreed: “Yes! This is why we rarely need stitches in the mouth anymore.”
And in a totally “awful” moment, one commenter claimed: “A patient inserted it in their eye today.”
Rachel responded: “I’ve had a few complaints about Debrox not being visible.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Latch via email and TikTok Messenger for further comment.
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