An innovative gel, made from patient’s own blood cells, heals wounds faster and more effectively than antibiotics. Autologous platelet gel, or APG, is made from platelet cells, which naturally work to stop bleeding when blood vessels are punctured.

In your body, platelets form a clump at the wound site, release chemicals to make blood clot and then form a scab to start the healing process. The gel is made by concentrating blood into a rich plasma with high levels of platelets that is thick enough to rub on wounds.

In one small study, wounds treated with APG healed completely in close to 80 percent of cases, compared to just 50 percent of cases treated with antibiotics.

A separate study showed the gel to heal wounds faster than those treated with an antibiotic ointment.

The gel may one day help to prevent infections with hospital superbugs and help people with diabetes who suffer from chronic ulcers.

While APG is being worked out, though, there are already some great options to help wounds heal. One of the best ones out there is the skin dressing Duoderm, which I first learned of in residency about 25 years ago.

Duoderm works amazingly well (especially for burns), and all you have to do is clean the wound with hydrogen peroxide, cut the Duoderm about half an inch larger than the wound, and apply it.

You can also try honey, which is a natural antimicrobial that works wonders for wounds when applied topically, and, if you are not squeamish, maggot therapy (which is particularly useful for infected wounds).

Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery May-June 2007;9:174-183

Daily Mail May 28, 2007