That satisfying fizz is oxidative damage, and your own cells are part of the target. In a controlled lab study, human skin fibroblasts exposed to 1.5% hydrogen peroxide for just one minute showed significantly reduced viability and proliferation, plus significant increases in both apoptosis and necrosis. Povidone-iodine and chlorhexidine performed no better in the same experiment.

The American Academy of Dermatology's protocol for a minor cut is short and specific: wash your hands, clean the cut with cool or lukewarm water and a mild soap, apply petroleum jelly to keep the wound moist for faster healing, and cover it with a sterile bandage, changing it daily. AAD stresses applying petroleum jelly continuously until the cut heals. Most minor cuts heal in a week or less.

Triple antibiotic ointments feel like insurance, but one of their ingredients is a leading skin allergen. A review of contact allergy to topical antibiotics notes neomycin sensitization rates exceeding 8% in North America — one of the most common contact allergens there. Risk is highest exactly where people use these products: on barrier-damaged skin, under occlusive bandages, applied repeatedly.

Cleveland Clinic's guidance: cold is generally better for fresh injuries, because chilling constricts blood vessels to numb pain, reduce inflammation and limit bruising — heat “may actually make an injury feel worse at first.” Heat increases blood flow, easing chronic stiffness and tension later. For a strain, it isn't ice versus heat — it's ice then heat.

The American Academy of Pediatrics draws clear lines: any cut with visible dark red muscle or yellowish fat should probably be closed even if small, and any open cut longer than about half an inch probably needs stitches. Steri-strips are best for small, shallow cuts that are not under tension and not over a joint. Most cuts can be closed for up to 24 hours after injury.