Road Rash Update: Road Rash Repair Kit First Impressions
Well lucky me. I was the first to take a bad spill on the team, so I have the pleasure of putting the Road Rash Repair Kit to the test. I know, I know, I am always taking one for the team!!! HA! If you haven’t already read, I took at bad spill at the Bonelli XC race this past sunday.
I think this might scar, whadya think?
We received this Kit a few months ago. Here’s the contents:
Kit Contents:
Items:
Advantages/Use:
2 4X4 Reliamed ® beveled edge hydrocolloid dressings
Superior fluid absorption when compared to competitive dressings.
Hibiclens ® antiseptic antimicrobial skin cleanser
Hospital-grade disinfectant soap.
4 4X4 Reliamed ® sterile, non-woven surgical sponges
Hospital-grade sponges for wound cleaning and absorbing wound exudate.
8 inches (relaxed) Surgilast ® size 4 tubular elastic bandage
Secures dressings on arm without use of adhesive tape.
8 inches (relaxed) Surgilast ® size 5 tubular elastic bandage
Secures dressings on leg without use of adhesive tape. Can also be used on arm.
10 yards X 1-inch Reliamed ® hypoallergenic plastic tape
Prevents skin reactions in most people.
Road rash treatment instructions
The Road Rash Repair Kit revolutionizes treatment of road rash with hydrocolloid dressings for moist wound healing. Hydrocolloids are wound dressings that contain gel-forming agents. These agents are combined with elastomers (synthetic rubber) and applied to a carrier, such as polyurethane foam or film, to form an absorbent, self-adhesive, water resistant wafer. For most people, hydrocolloid dressings produce healthy, pink skin in days instead of weeks, reduce risk of infection, and bypass the pain and scabbing stage. Used as directed, they change your road rash experience from misery to a mere nuisance.
The patch before I remove it. Can you see the oozing at the bottom? Yep, lots of oozing.
Well I had never heard of this moist wound healing, so I am really excited to see how this is going to work. I am on day 4 of healing and I have to say I was rather surprised at the healing thus far. I had to remove the hydrocolloid dressing last night and replace it with a fresh one. Here is a snap shot of the removal process. Ouch is all I gots to say! Warning. These pictures are not for the squeamish! I highly advise against eating as you view these!
This was as painful as it looks! I don’t know what was worse. The ripping out of my arm hair as I pulled off the dressing or the separation from the wound! Yikes!
All cleaned up and not too bad. All that pink skin is good. The little puss filled nodule has me a little concerned though. We’ll have to see. But I love that this may bypass the scabbing stage. Oh how I hate scabbing. It’s itchy, and rough, and if you’re a picker you’ll make it scar!
And here is a shot of my leg. I am not using the Road Rash Kit on my leg. Right now the leg is scabbing up and is itchy. 🙁
Upper leg boo boo. More itchy scabbing.
I am not sure how this will turn out but I am optimistic so far about the results of the Road Rash Healing on my arm. I am impressed with the new skin growth and I like that the boo boo is protected. I am even able to shower with the bandage on. I didn’t really care for all the oozing out of the bandage the first few days, which is to be expected. It sure was messy and gross. But I haven’t experienced that since I changed out the bandage last night. Stay tuned for more updates and photos as the days go on. 🙂 Lovely, eh?
Never heard of this stuff, pretty cool. That moist bandage is pretty nasty lookin’ though. Hope yor feling back to your old self soon (not that you old, but, well. uuhhh.., you know) lol
I wish I would have had some hydro-dressings that size when i boogered my calf up a few months ago. The only good ones I could find were 2×3″ from Johnson & Johnson. They worked really well and look almost identical to the Reliamed ones in the review except for the size. I had the same oozing thing going on. That’s actually blood plasma.
The Hydrocolloid dressings work by absorbing water from the blood that comes from the wound. The gel that forms provides padding to protect the wound from further damage and serves little other purpose. Anything that keeps the wound moist will provide similar results. For example, the non-padded Tegaderm film and various second-skin coverage sprays will have a similar effect of reducing the scabbing and painful cracking phases of an abrasion. The blood plasma itself is what provides most of the healing. Keeping the wound moist provides the wound with a fresh supply of plasma and all the proteins and nutrients within.
As these wound coverings do tend to leak around the edges, I recommend wearing one of the tubular bandages over it, or using a large gauze pad taped over the hydrocolloid or second-skin dressings. Change that out twice a day or more often if it gets loaded with plasma.
Great write-up!
Yow-zah! Man I wish I had that when I fell that one time…the way my skin scars…sheez. Now I have darker skin where my skin was sanded off by the trail…
Yup, keeping the wound moist is one of the best ways to encourage healing. That’s about the only reason I keep antibiotic ointments in my backpacking and biking med kits. Well, that, and it hurts a lot less to remove the bandage if you slathered ointment over it first so you don’t have to pull a scab stuck to the bandage. I tend to go low-tech though, some 4x4s (gauze pads) and duct tape, good for just about anything AND waterproof.
i wreaked a motorcycle going 120mp with no gear on…. only got road rash on both forarms and it looks like its going to scar but if so what will happen if i tann with it???
That last comment was a lie. You cant wreck a bike at 120mph without gear and only suffer minor roadrash on your forearms. You were either going much slower, or wearing alot of gear.
I slid out at 20 mph and got road rash on my leg, both arms, and both hands. I truly was wearing no gear. I will never ride without gear again.
Just to clarify, the previous comment was from another Joe. NOT the staff member. 🙂
Although I had a motorcycle and have pushed it to that speed, I’ve been fortunate to not have any mishaps. Glad I sold everything.
Always wear protective gear!
Excelent posts and comments. I wish good luck from Kredit
I love the comment about not eating before viewing the pictures. I should have taken pictures of my road rash! The valve stem on my front tire ripped completely off going down Interstate 95 75mph. It was real hot so lacking intelligence, Me and my Wife wore tank tops and no helmets. I did pretty good sliding on my wallet and wrapping myself around her to keep her safe for a short while till the guardrail fractured my skull and left me unconscious.
ill spend the extra money on good gear for warm weather now ha! 23 years old and only a handful of lives left!