Wound infections happen when bacteria enter a break in the skin. Since we already have large numbers of bacteria on our skin, a wound simply gives them a place to enter and reproduce. The rapid proliferation of bacteria prevents skin from healing.
Open sores, large burns and bite wounds are more prone to infection than other types of wounds like cuts, tears and punctures (Source: Physicians' Desktop Reference). When infection persists, some wounds become chronic. Treating chronic wounds cost an estimated $5 billion to $10 billion each year, according to a recent JAMA article.
The Medihoney bandage is made from a seaweed-based material full of manuka honey, a potent type of honey that is helpful in killing germs and speeding up the healing process. The dressing speeds up healing because bacteria find it hard to live and replicate within the honey due to honey's ability to suck up water and its high concentration of enzymes.
Manuka honey can be found in Australia and New Zealand in the hives of certain bees that collect nectar from manuka. The Medihoney bandage was created in 2007 and has been shown to be effective in healing leg ulcers, second-degree burns, diabetic foot ulcers as well as wounds from diabetes, metastasis disease and cancer.
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New Bandages
With the help of technology, new bandages are aiding in the healing process of wounds.
 
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One recently developed device called the Procellera is a bioelectric wound dressing that uses radiofrequency energy to stimulate cells back to life. The bandage is useful on chronic injuries caused by surgical incisions or bruising. The electric bandage is activated when moistened. The moisture activates zinc and silver elements which generate a current that encourages healing. The bandage needs to be changed out every two or three days.
"I personally have treated a couple hundred patients with the dressing, and I think for some patients it’s life-changing," Scott Sheftel, M.D., an associate professor of dermatology at the University of Arizona in Tucson, said.
Another skin-healing tool still under investigation is a "band-aid" that turns blue if an infection is present in the wound it is in contact with. The band-aid works by detecting enzymes that are made by infection-causing pathogens. It can detect an impending infection in about 30 minutes.
"The cool thing is, it's really inexpensive as well," Mitchell Sanders, CEO of ECI Biotech, said.
