The Healing Power of Honey

Honey has been used for centuries for it’s healing powers. Research today shows that the healing power of honey isn’t just Old Wives Tales and there is in fact truth to the stories. One such survey showed that unprocessed honey could heal wounds and external ulcers, keeping the wound sterile and removing dead tissue from persistent wounds, helping some of the patients avoid skin grafts or amputations.

Cosmetic surgery often means scarring and whilst plastic surgeons often do their best to hide the scars by hiding incisions in folds of skin, the fact is that there will always be some form of scarring associated with plastic surgery. However there are way to reduce the external scarring left after your cosmetic surgery.

Honey provides a moist, healing environment yet prevents bacterial growth even when would are heavily infected. Thus the use of honey can help make a wound sterile, even against antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. How does it work? Well, the pH of honey is low enough to hinder the growth of many forms of bacteria. When it is diluted, a small amount of hydrogen peroxide may also be released and this is also an antibacterial. Honey can also help reduce inflammation and sooth the pain of deep wounds and burns. And honey won’t stick to wounds – dilute it and it will easily lift off and rinsed away.

So if you have any cuts of wounds, it might be worth applying a little honey to help keep the wound clean and to help reduce the scarring. Honey also softens and moisturises skin so if you want to keep wrinkles at bay, try using a honey face mask.

Try the following steps to help honey reduce your scars after cosmetic surgery:

Wash the wound with soap and water
Allow the are to dry naturally
Prepare a piece of gauze that will cover the scar
Apply a thin layer of honey over the gauze – thick enough so the whole gauze is covered but thing enough so that it doesn’t dry out
Lay the gauze, honey-side down, over your scar, making sure the gauze covers the entire scar
Apply a second layer of gauze over the first. This helps to absorb any excess moisture and stops your clothes getting all sticky!
Apply some tape across the pieces of gauze to hold your makeshift dressing in place
Repeat every 12 hours

You should always try a small test area first to make sure that you aren’t allergic to the honey. This routine should also not be used in place of anything that your cosmetic surgeon has given you. If in doubt, ask your plastic surgeon before trying this dressing.