Flapper care

Trying to get a consensis of what people do when they get flappers. I personally keep them clean and covered until they are almost completely healed. I was told that I should let them air out and dry out....

looking for someone who knows about this stuff....

I superglue mine back on, depends on how deep it is though. you might have to do it more than once if there is meat on it still, and if there is and you keep climbing, itl probably die

Duct Tape!

Superglue butterflies/tack welds if the rip is fresh.
Either way:
newskinproducts.com/
That stuff ^ works wonders

Try not to get them in the first place if you can.
Tape and tincture are your friend
brucemedical.com/bentin.html

I took off the entire end of afinger last fall -pooped it like a bottle cap. Quite the flapper...

If it is severe enough that you need to preserve the flesh, pack it with antibiotics and use steri-stiprs over the outside of it keep it down on the edges, and keep it bandaged. This was attended by urgent care, who did not stitch it. Although it bled for almost a week, I had a pretty amazing chunk of a finger reattach.

Coban is great stuff to cover the bandage and still climb and use the finger. You can get it at the local pharmacy.

Superglue works if it is just skin and not flesh.

To answer your other question. I have found that in order for wounds to heal faster they need to air out. It allows your body to do the mending that is required. When you keep it clean and covered all the time it tends to leave it always moist, not allowing you plasma to coagulate and dry, allowing you body to do the permanent mending. Neosporen really helps as well. Usually, I will clean it, bandage it for the work day, and when I get home take it off and let it dry itself out all night. I just due this because it is odd to go into meetings with battle wounds all over your hands. Never tried the super glue trick though.

I agree with letting it air out. Clean it twice a day with antibacterial soap. After a few days get your sharp razor (for shaving your face) and go over the whole edge. This keeps it from ripping further and getting bigger and keeps it from snagging.

I usually cut it off and Neosporin the crap out of it. Maybe use a bandaid at first, but not for more than half a day or so. It needs to air out. I'll wait a couple of days at least before I climb on it, but when I do, I'll tape it up real good.

studies have shown that wounds heal faster when kept in a moist environment. letting them "air out" usually only means drying and cracking.

I have started to keep a very thin layer of triple antibiotic ointment on any skin wound i get. you can reapply 3-4 times a day as needed to maintain moisture. cover it with tape or a bandaid if the ointment will wash or be rubbed off. change dressings every day.

the "goo" that most people want to "dry out" is not necessarily infection. it may also contain factors needed for healing.

FYI: it is called an avulsion when part of the skin or soft tissue is partially torn off.

In my WFR training they said to clean on top and under the avulsion with soap and clean water then dress the wound. Definitely leave the layer of skin on. Even if it is barely holding on there is likely some blood circulation going to it. That makes the "flapping skin" the best band aid in the world.

Unless you are a doctor, in a clean environment, it is very rare that you should consider puncturing the body or cutting something off as a good idea in wound recovery.

Last time I recertified my WFR they mentioned something about triple antibiotic ointment as not being a good idea. Instead they were recommending double antibiotic ointment instead. I can't remember why. Maybe someone else can chime in with that rational.

Don't we have any doctors on this site?

I don't know of any studies except the one's I conduct on myself, and I have found on multiple occasions, from many wounds, from many sports, that when I cover a wound and keep it moist, it becomes a burden to address all the time and takes much longer for it to heal. When I finally gave up the notion, and realized that are bodies are designed to take care of themselves, I found that wounds end up drying faster, mending tissue, and allowing you to function quicker. BTW - any climber that is afraid of drying and cracking, should probably stop climbing.

Via trial and error I have found that cleaning, bandaging them and keeping them covered makes it heal faster. I change the bandage every day. It looks wierd but then all of a sudden it is perfectly healed and I have no loose edges or dips in my finger from where the flapper was!

As a side note this was a discussion I was having with a friend who slammed his finger in a desk drawer and has a flapper! Knock on wood, i havent had one in a long time!

thanks as always for the input.

if it happens in the middle of a trip use superglue and tape...afterwards keep it covered and saturated in neosporin...it will normally heal enough to climb on in 5-7days.

Keep the flapper clean and covered in neosporin and bandaged until you can see white skin over the red meat. Then cut it off and alternate keeping it bandaged with neosporin and letting it air out.

If it happens while you are climbing just tape it up good and keep cranking!

Curious what the tincture of benzoin is for? Seems like I heard you apply it prior to taping and it helps the tape hold. True?

trundlebum wrote:Superglue butterflies/tack welds if the rip is fresh. Either way: newskinproducts.com/ That stuff ^ works wonders Try not to get them in the first place if you can. Tape and tincture are your friend brucemedical.com/bentin.html