Dear Avalon,

I just saw your new RediHeal Wound Care Ointment and I was intrigued to give it a try. But I’m confused. I have previously tried the RediHeal Wound Care fibers (the ones that look like cotton candy) and I’m not sure how the ointment is different. How do I know which to use? Help!
                                                                                                               – Confused

Dear Confused,

First – thanks for reaching out and asking this important question! We get it, and we’re here to make this easier.

While both the RediHeal Wound Care fibers and the RediHeal Wound Care Ointment share the similarity of promoting and accelerating healing in wounds, they also have some important differences. So how do you know what’s most appropriate?

Here’s what they each ARE…

Let’s start with what they each actually are. The original RediHeal Wound Care fibers are designed to accelerate the treatment and healing of topical soft tissue damage. The fibers can either be used on the surface of a wound or packed sub-dermally into defects, abscesses or undermined areas. The fibers themselves provide a physical scaffold that mimics the microstructure of fibrin, allowing for the rapid formation of a wound cover. Trace elements are embedded into the borate base; as the trace elements are released, they generate new capillary growth. We generally recommend that the fibers are re-applied every 3-7 days. You’ll also need to bandage them into place so they have a chance to dissolve into the wound.

If you’re not familiar with the new ointment yet, here’s the basics. RediHeal Wound Care Ointment is a healing ointment ideal for use in the treatment of topical soft tissue damage. More than just a first aid cream, RediHeal Ointment puts a healing matrix in place, and then promotes capillary growth on it, accelerating soft tissue healing by stimulating the body’s healing processes. The ointment base itself is soothing to wounds, while the trace elements in the ointment do the hard work of actually healing wounds. The ointment does need to be re-applied every day (multiple times a day, if it is being absorbed quickly). It does NOT necessarily need to bandaged into place.

Just a note: both forms of RediHeal will provide antimicrobial protection. There are also NO antibiotics or steroids in any RediHeal product.

Some guidelines on when to apply each…

We tend to see the RediHeal Wound Care fibers used in deeper, more significant injuries: trauma or surgical wounds, deglovings, abscesses, ulcerated tumors, and other challenging wound types. It can be tucked right under a suture line to help speed healing after surgery. We also see the fibers used in dirtier wounds, where the higher concentrations of trace elements inhibit bacterial growth effectively.

Overall, the ointment is appropriate for use in a wide variety of wound types: topical wounds, minor abrasions, skin irritations, skin ulcerations, some pressure sores, burns, and scratches, just to name a few. There are a couple of parameters where the ointment really shines. First – it is ideal for treating dry wounds where healing may have stalled. It is equally appropriate for use with slightly effusive wounds where bandaging may be a challenge.

Perfect. Especially Now.

With situations being what they are, you might be wondering how to make these products workable for your clinic, right now. We totally understand – many pet owners may be remaining under “shelter at home” orders for quite a bit longer. Even in places that are slowly starting to open, there’s a strong desire to make sure we are keeping ourselves and our patients safe.

That’s why it’s important to know that both products can easily be sent home with a pet owner.

While you may be familiar with the RediHeal dry fibers and the packages they come in (a 4.5gm or 10gm package), that may seem like a bit much to send home for a client with a small, but perhaps deep or chronic, injury. That’s where our new RediHeal Flip-Top Containers come in. These small containers (which are FREE at this writing), may be requested with your order. All you have to do is fill the container with an appropriate amount of the dry material, and send it home with your patient. For patients who may need regular bandage changes, consider adding a bit of bandaging material to create a “to-go” kit for owners. This may help reduce the number of times owners need to return for simple bandage changes.

The ointment is sure to be a hit with pet owners, who will find it easy to comply with the simple instructions that can often go with the ointment. Because the ointment is so easy to use with such a wide variety of wounds, we can’t recommend it enough for your patients with chronic wounds that could be effectively treated at home by a pet owner. The material simply needs to be quickly “swiped” across a wound about once a day (more if it melts in quickly, or if you’d prefer). For wounds that don’t need bandaging – that’s it! Apply it just as you would any other topical cream or ointment. The RediHeal will “melt” right into the wound. There are smaller, 1ml syringe sizes perfect for small wounds, or a larger 6ml size for wounds with a bit more area.

One last thing…yes, we made a chart!

Whew! That’s a lot of ground we just covered. Did you catch it all? It’s okay if you didn’t, because there is one more piece that will make this all easier – a handy “Which Version is Correct?” chart that breaks much of this content down for you, along with some additional pointers. May we recommend you print it out and keep it near your RediHeal supply for easy reference?

As always, if you have questions about the RediHeal Wound Care (or any of our other products), we encourage you to reach out. We may be reached via phone, or by email. And, as always – don’t forget to share this with someone you know that may need the info!