Hydrogen peroxide

Stephania

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My whole life I was taught.. have a cut? Clean it with hydrogen peroxide. (H2O2) So.. I have a cut. Im looking at the bubbles on my skin (destroying bacteria) and decide to google. Now google top links all say yeah, it kills bacteria, but it kills your skin too. Huh? Back searches from scientists say it's safe. FYI- I never died from using peroxide on cuts neither did my skin melt. Why did they change this info?
 
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manama

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Hydrogen Peroxide is bleach. We used to believe its safe, now we know it isn't. The reason for the safety belief was that cells in the body produced hydrogen peroxide too, but now we know that its produced as a toxic byproduct in the body and is immediately removed.
 

Stephania

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Hydrogen Peroxide is bleach. We used to believe its safe, now we know it isn't. The reason for the safety belief was that cells in the body produced hydrogen peroxide too, but now we know that its produced as a toxic byproduct in the body and is immediately removed.
Well, it's not really bleach. Chemically, Hydrogen peroxide is H2O2, and bleach is NaCIO

I just question that since google has changed their search algorithms..now a bunch of articles come up first from pharma related things and ppl saying hydrogen peroxide is dangerous, while the deeper search shows the scientists saying it is safe like before, and why the sudden switch?
 

manama

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Well, it's not really bleach. Chemically, Hydrogen peroxide is H2O2, and bleach is NaCIO
You are thinking of chlorine bleach, it is NOT the only type of bleach. There are many different bleaches and hydrogen peroxide is one of them.

I just question that since google has changed their search algorithms..now a bunch of articles come up first from pharma related things and ppl saying hydrogen peroxide is dangerous, while the deeper search shows the scientists saying it is safe like before, and why the sudden switch?
Because science develops overtime as we do more researches. We thought hydrogen peroxide was safe especially because the body made it as well however, now that more data is available to us we know its not safe and even inside the body, the hydrogen peroxide made by the body is made as a toxic byproduct and is removed by enzymes.

Ofcourse saying that its dangerous to inhale or swallow doesn't mean its unsafe to apply over the skin. Like every acid or bleach, it has different concentrations. The hydrogen peroxide you get as an anti-septic is often very diluted and the side effects are next to none because of that. The most you'll get is dryness and that is a given, it is a bleach. Even then it is always said to not use hydrogen peroxide over wider areas on the body or for prolonged periods of time because it can cause scarring.

Apparently some people also started drinking hydrogen peroxide as cancer treatment because "body makes it too" which again is such a dangerous piece of ignorance. When body produces hydrogen peroxide its a waste product and needs to be removed, when immune system produces it, its to kill pathogens without letting the hydrogen peroxide come in contact with any body cell and is again, immediately removed. Ofcourse, the dangers would be talked about more when you have to tell people that "don't drink bleach".
 

Stephania

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Well, I understand that. However they are not saying it's dangerous to drink, but dangerous to use as an antiseptic now. The diluted kind, that you buy at a pharmacy
 

manama

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Well, I understand that. However they are not saying it's dangerous to drink, but dangerous to use as an antiseptic now. The diluted kind, that you buy at a pharmacy
Its probably because of multiple uses or misuse though i have yet to read an article or alike about it. Its good that they are spreading awareness regarding the dangers. Even if we have safer alternatives now, if youre going to use h2o2 as an antiseptic, you should know what to do and what not to do. I'm pretty sure someone on this forum was also drinking hydrogen peroxide so yeah lol.
Hydrogen peroxide should be used on a wound only once and in a very small quantity. But if we use it every single time we are changing the dressings, the wound will get worse. Also because it destroys newly formed cells, it can actually ruin the healing process. And if you are diabetic, thats even worse.
I guess its easier to say "its dangerous" rather than "only use it once, don't use it twice, dont use it if youre diabetic, don't use it if youre pregnant, don't injest it, don't inhale it, don't use it on a bigger area and don't use the wrong concentration" etc. Honestly, if there are that many things you have to be cautious about, it is pretty dangerous.
 

Mr.Anderson

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Here at my job I specifically recommend H2O2 to clean pus from some types of wounds, but beyond that I don't really recommend it as antiseptic.

The bubbles you see forming actually is the staphylococcus bactéria breaking down H2O2 in H20 and O2, they don't really die that hard.

Get some chlorhexidine instead.
 

Todd

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As with almost anything you have to balance the pros and cons. Yes Hydrogen Peroxide will clean and remove bacteria from an open wound. Yes it will also damage the healthy skin tissue around the wound. To me a little skin tissue damage to prevent infection is worthwhile tradeoff. Again as with most things using in moderation is also smart....just because a little is good, doesn't always mean more is better.
 

r8dr_rider

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Because Google lies. I use it all the time for cuts. I recently had a bad wound on the knee from a bike crash. Like a few mm of skin gone. Cleaned it and poured peroxide on it then wiped it with fresh aloe vera. Healed just fine. Just never use it if bitten by an animal.
 

MP3D

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Hydrogen Peroxide is bleach. We used to believe its safe, now we know it isn't. The reason for the safety belief was that cells in the body produced hydrogen peroxide too, but now we know that its produced as a toxic byproduct in the body and is immediately removed.
no its not.

its a great oral rinse. try that with bleach.
 
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