On Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:49:15 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:


I had to buy some Betadine surgical scrub (the sudsy version) a few
years ago, and was amazed at the cost for a little 6 oz bottle. Early
this year, I bought a full gallon (of the Betadine brand, no less)
from a veterinary supply place (Kentucky Horse Store, or something
like that) for 25 bucks, shipping included. It's more than a lifetime
supply for me. I prefer it over anything else for cleansing a wound
before dressing it.

With a 2 year shelf life, it's not quite a lifetime supply, unless you
know something we don't, Joe.

I've concluded that *everything* has to have an expiration date, even
if it's just to force you to buy more. After 5+ years, some older
stuff still works well enough to be indistinguishable from new
product. I suppose eventually the povidone iodine breaks down, but I
haven't seen it happen yet. OTOH, just last week we cleaned out an
area of the attic to allow access for installing a new HVAC system and
I found a bottle of iodine xtals that I've had since the late 60s;
nearly all of it was gone - sublimated through the tightly sealed cap
& all. Nothing is forever, I guess - even diamonds revert to regular
carbon after a long enough time.

Joe




Also, an earlier poster mentioned bacitracin. I always used generic
Neosporin, usually to good effect, but it didn't work too well on
burns. Our plant nurse told me that bacitracin by itself is best for
burns, because one of the other antibiotics in Neosporin actually
impedes the healing of burns. Worked for me.

I'll have to remember that. I usually use a triple antibiotic.