But if you’re exercising and getting sweaty, it won’t hold up as well and should be changed once or twice a day. It’s also waterproof so unless you are due to change it out, leave it on while showering.Ī Tegaderm dressing can go a couple of days without changing. On a knee or elbow with a lot of movement, a piece of mesh stockinette will help keep it in place. On a broad, fairly static area like the side of a hip or a butt cheek, Tegaderm will often stay in place by itself. It does a great job of meeting our goals: moist and clean. Our medical team at the Tour of Utah gives out Tegaderm like candy on Halloween. Unless the wound is very superficial and dry, gauze will just stick to the wound and rip it open when removed. Gauze and road rash don’t play well together. First, apply an antibacterial ointment like Neosporin or Bacitracin. The goals of the dressing are to keep the area moist and clean. If there is still a bit of dirt remaining after washing with water, betadine can help prevent infection. Stay away from hydrogen peroxide as it actually breaks down epithelial tissue. Light scrubbing with a clean brush works well but be prepared for pain and cursing. If there are a lot of gravel bits, you want to remove those as best as possible. Make sure your hands are clean or gloved. Also, contrary to popular belief, treatment should not attempt to dry it out. Contrary to popular belief, it acts much more like a burn than an abrasion. Maybe more annoying than painful, but definitely damaging to the ego, road rash is not necessarily difficult to treat. Whether cycling, rollerskiing, or apparently spring skate skiing, road rash is almost inevitable. (Photo: Axelar / Arild Aarnes / Skifestivalen Blink Facebook) Avoiding the rash – racers crest a hill at the 2018 Blink rollerski festival in Sandnes, Norway.

Road rash healing process