Is It Safe to Use Lubricating Jelly in Place of Vaseline to Heal an Open Wound?

Thank you for your question. Typically, surgeons and dermatologists recommend emollient ointments (more oil based) vs lubricating jelly (sometimes water based or with another vehicle) for healing wounds. Skin heals best in a lubricated, emollient environment, and for this reason Vaseline or Aquaphor Healing Ointment tend to be best for healing wounds. I hope this helps.

Unless the wound is dirty or contaminated, Vaseline/petroleum jelly or Aquaphor should be adequate for most Mohs surgery or biopsy wound care. I do not believe much has been studied regarding use of lubricating jelly for wound care. We routine advise against use of bacitracin, Neosporin, or polysporin due to increasing prevalence of contact skin allergy. 

Vaseline or Aquaphor are the best choices by far for a healing scalp wound. They trap in moisture and leave no residue. Definitely stick to the gold standard!

When it comes to open wounds, vaseline does a fantastic job of allowing the skin to heal or re-epithelize.  Because it is thick and occlusive, it prevents the wound from drying up and scabbing.  Numerous studies have shown that it is just as good as antibiotic ointment in healing wounds.  No difference have been found in rates of infection between vaseline and antibiotic ointments.  I only reserve antibiotic ointments if I suspect an active infection. 

 

Lubricant Jelly, on the other hand, is usually water or alcohol based, thus not thick or occlusive enough to help heal wounds.  I would avoid using this.  Scalps are difficult to cover in general because of the hairs around the wound.  I would suggest either using less vaseline so the bandage can stick better OR using a lot of vaseline and avoiding the bandages all together.  The goal is to prevent the wound from drying out!

We typically use a topical antibiotic such as mupiricin to keep wounds from secondary infection. If , however, you have allergy to these, vaseline petroleum is a reasonable alternative.