I’m doing well so far this new year – my foot hasn’t turned green and fallen off or anything. I did some online reading on road rash and similar abrasions (lots of interesting information and new terms, like “avulsion” and “exudation”!) and patched myself up as well as I could the first night.
In Kuah town, Langkawi’s main city, I went to a local pharmacy recommended by my SCUBA instructor (I’m not going in the water until I heal more) and picked up more advanced supplies. I was surprised to see that they carried DuoDERM, which I had read on biking sites as having a magical ointment that promotes faster skin regrowth without scabbing. I also picked up some more tape and some Fobancort, a potent anti-everything ointment (I already had Neosporin, but the pharmacist said that Fobancort was even better). I also got INTRASITE Gel to help clean out the foot wound, which by this time had filled in nicely with clotted blood. Pretty expensive stuff (but still less than what it would be in the ‘States), but I’ll take everything I can get!
The DuoDERM is really interesting. Each sheet comes in a sterile pack. Open the pack and you have basically a skin-colored fruit roll-up (no, I didn’t taste it). I’m thinking that this is what Data’s synthetic skin was actually made of. Peel off the adhesive (cut to fit if desired), slap it on the abrasion (without any other ointments to get in the way), and tape down the edges.
It’s pretty cool stuff. The adhesive turns into an ointment where it contacts your moist wound, and sticks wherever it’s dry. I found after the first night that if the taping around the edges isn’t very good, then the ointment can leak out and leaves a stain on the bedsheets similar to, well, I won’t say what. 
Ahem.
Anyway, I’ve been improving my technique with each application, and I’m learning more about this kind of treatment. Every little bit helps!
