# Does a wound heal quicker without a plaster...? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 10, 2011, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-wound-heal-quicker-without-a-plaster/592180 "2011-08-10T10:21:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-wound-heal-quicker-without-a-plaster/592180/1 "2011-08-10T10:21:12Z")
I cut my finger a day or two ago doing a bit of DIY and have since had a plaster in it, for protection and (it was a deep cut) to help hold it all together until it heals over. But I remember I was always told as a kid that I should always try to do without having a plaster (band aid in US?) on a cut as ‘the air will help heal it quicker’. I never thought to question this before, but today was wondering if this was actually the case, or just another ‘Old Wives’ tale’ that has became _“common knowledge”_ somewhere along the way. So, what’s the dope? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-wound-heal-quicker-without-a-plaster/592180/2 "2011-08-10T10:34:05Z")
Cut another finger and put a plaster over half the cut, then report back to us. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-wound-heal-quicker-without-a-plaster/592180/3 "2011-08-10T11:12:26Z")
In a thread some time ago about this question - whether wounds heal quicker with or without air - someobdy linked to a metastudy where the consensus was: half of the studies said that with air and dry scab wounds heal better; the other of the studies said keeping it moist with a band-aid/ plaster\* made heal wounds quicker/ better. So six of one, half a dozen from the other. Aren’t you glad you asked for real information? 😉 - I think in AE, a plaster is the white stuff you make casts out of ?, which would be a bit overkill on a cut finger… ---
**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-wound-heal-quicker-without-a-plaster/592180/4 "2011-08-10T12:14:09Z")
[QUOTE=constanze] - I think in AE, a plaster is the white stuff you make casts out of ?, which would be a bit overkill on a cut finger… [/QUOTE] For clarity, in the UK we generally call a band-aid a ‘sticking plaster’ (or simply ‘plaster’ for short) but also call plaster-of-paris a ‘plaster cast’ when applied to broken bones etc.. Cheers for the other info though; not a lot of difference to worry about then. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-wound-heal-quicker-without-a-plaster/592180/5 "2011-08-10T12:18:20Z")
> [@Aro](#): > > _\_ having a plaster (band aid in US?)_\_ Yes. And ignorance fought; I’ve just realized that I didn’t really know what the “plaster” people put on wounds in stories set in Britain actually was. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-wound-heal-quicker-without-a-plaster/592180/6 "2011-08-10T16:21:45Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > So six of one, half a dozen from the other. Aren’t you glad you asked for real information? 😉 In keeping with that, the advice I’ve had from my doctor is to keep wounds bandaged, but let them be out in the air for an hour or two each time I need to change the bandage. Since all of my wounds have healed, it must work. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-wound-heal-quicker-without-a-plaster/592180/7 "2011-08-10T16:27:56Z")
Strictly speaking, Band-Aid is a brand name. The generic term (which nobody ever uses except on labels for the generic product) is “adhesive bandage”. “Bandage” is used by itself, too, but generally refers to something like a big piece of gauze which must be attached with separate tape. Or possibly an Ace bandage, which is a long stretchy strip that you wrap around an injured ankle or the like to provide some support. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-wound-heal-quicker-without-a-plaster/592180/8 "2011-08-10T16:32:38Z")
Keep it covered if you’re doing something that might allow dirt into the wound, or allow things to poke it that might tear the scab. Keep it uncovered the rest of the time. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-wound-heal-quicker-without-a-plaster/592180/9 "2011-08-10T17:05:19Z")
depends on the injury and location. it can keep an injury clean, protect a scab, keep a cut injury from opening causing further injury and slow healing. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-wound-heal-quicker-without-a-plaster/592180/10 "2011-08-12T00:50:47Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Keep it covered if you’re doing something that might allow dirt into the wound, or allow things to poke it that might tear the scab. Keep it uncovered the rest of the time. That’s pretty much what I do, and my boo-boos always heal quickly with no infections and minimal scarring. Besides, band-aids get really gross really quickly. Ew.