How come rubbing alcohol burns when applied to open cuts and wounds, but hydrogen peroxide does not?
In: Biology
Don’t put Hydrogen Peroxide on wounds
>Turns out, the classic household remedy for cuts and scraps is a bad one. The idea behind this common cure is that the chemical will fizz up (the result of a chemical reaction between the hydrogen peroxide and bacteria) and kill the bacteria in your cut that could cause infection. That’s not wrong, but key details are missing. Dumping hydrogen peroxide on a cut won’t just kill the bad bacteria; it’ll unleash an army of sizzle that targets the catalase enzyme in all cells it comes in contact with — not just bacteria. That means it will destroy your body’s healthy cells, and slow down the healing process.
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https://curiosity.com/topics/you-should-stop-using-hydrogen-peroxide-on-cuts-curiosity/
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