Is it possible to do without iodine and brilliant green?

Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Khloponin proposed making prescription drugs containing alcohol available. Among other things, he talked about brilliant green and iodine - however, he later refuted his own words. However, this is still a good opportunity to talk about how to live without these antiseptics.

Certainly. The most popular antiseptics in the West are chlorhexidine, povidone-iodine, hydrogen peroxide and ethanol (you can buy ethanol here, for example, as part of hand gel). There is also octenidine, polyhexanide, silver compounds and many other agents.

Iodine is used less and less abroad: it irritates the skin too much, and strong staining is also considered a disadvantage. Therefore, instead of iodine solutions, in the West they use products with iodophors - compounds containing iodine. This is, for example, povidone-iodine, and you can also buy it in Russia.

Zelenka is practically not used abroad. You can find some recent studies where “diamond green” is included in antiseptics along with other substances.

Yes, even with chickenpox. Zelenka is a rather weak antiseptic, and with chickenpox the main thing is to relieve the itching so that the person does not tear the blisters and infect them. This is easier to achieve with antihistamines like loratadine and diphenhydramine.

The only practical benefit of brilliant green for chickenpox: you can find out exactly on what day there were no new rashes - and since when a person has not been contagious. That is, brilliant green is used exclusively as a dye. However, there is another way to understand when a person has ceased to be dangerous to others - all rashes should crust over.

It is better not to use everyone’s favorite potassium permanganate at home, because the risk of preparing the wrong solution and causing a burn is too high.

There are other antiseptics that people like to use in Russia: miramistin, methylene blue , ichthyol , protargol . The first two have not proven their effectiveness in well-conducted studies, the latter actually pose a threat to health.

Finally, dermatologists sincerely hate dyes (green and methylene blue) because they change the appearance of the rash, and it is generally impossible to see the color.

You can do without antiseptic . First you need to wash the wound - plain tap water will do. Doctors recommend using a povidone-iodine solution (a 10 percent solution diluted in saline 1:10), but it is quite difficult to quickly make it at home. Other antiseptics cause irritation and cause the wound to heal more slowly. If there is bleeding, you need to apply a clean bandage to the wound for 20-30 minutes. And then, if the wound is more significant than a scratch, apply an antibacterial ointment or cream (for example, with bacitracin/mupirocin) - this can reduce the risk of developing an infection. After this, it is better to apply a bandage.

If you have a sunburn, you also don’t have to use antiseptics, but if the matter is more serious, it is better to apply such a product. There is no one that is definitely better: it is now believed that silver sulfadiazine should be used (but not for pregnant women, nursing, children under two months and not near the eyes) or chlorhexidine (for superficial burns).

Yes, if you have any infection in your mouth, your doctor may prescribe a mouthwash or other chlorhexidine product. But using an antiseptic on a regular basis is a bad idea. Firstly, there is no evidence that it prevents the development of caries. Secondly, chlorhexidine, when used for a long time, can harm teeth , which is why in the United States such mouthwashes are sold only by prescription.

No. There are studies with only a small number of participants that have shown that antiseptic sprays in adults reduce pain (but not the duration of the disease). And therefore it is not recommended to use them, especially since simple painkillers, lollipops and ice cream are usually enough . In the West, Lugol's solution, popular in Russia, is used mainly for colposcopy (examination of the cervix for precancerous changes) and for overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism). Iodine from Lugol's solution, entering the blood, reduces the function of this organ, so too active use of such a solution for a sore throat can suppress the functioning of the thyroid gland.

Yes . It is better that it is a product with an alcohol concentration of at least 60 percent. Of course, when there is visible dirt, it will not help: soap, water and, possibly, a lot of effort are needed. But in all other cases, with the help of antiseptics you can protect yourself from acute respiratory viral infections and intestinal infections.