This summer, I was one of the moms that Fucidin invited to talk about the antibacterial cream. The other moms are pediatrician Dr. Empress Carlos-Villapando (with pearls), Leo Pharma president and CEO Gitte Aabo (in green dress), and last but definitely not the least, Madam Kris Aquino (if you don't know who she is, she's the one in orange!).
At the event, Kris revealed that she's been using Fucidin for a while now and in fact became its brand ambassador because she said on one of her Instagram Stories that she applies Fucidin on her kilay when she gets her eyebrows groomed. Yes, kahit tiny wounds, she applies Fucidin. She said, “I have two boys and when they get a cut or a wound, I clean it with soap and water for 15 seconds. Then I apply Fucidin agad. Fucidin is part of our wound care kit!”
Unlike Kris Aquino, new believer lang ako ng Fucidin. Like most mommies these days, I've turned to natural remedies like coconut gel and kung anu-ano pang mga herbal pahid-pahid diyan to soothe bites and heal scratches and scrapes. Of course I wash my and my sons' wounds with soap and water, but pag malayo sa banyo, I use alcohol. I'm a big believer in alcohol! But if walang alcohol, may mga all-natural antibacterial creams din ako.
This has worked for us so far until last year when my bunso had a scratch on his knee and thigh na hindi gumagaling. In fact, lalong lumalaki at lumalala. As in, it's been MONTHS. Kahit anong pahid ng herbal/essential oil/plant extract balm chorva na recommended ng mga all-natural-no-chemical mommies na kilala ko, walang effect! We finally asked his pedia about it and she prescribed Fucidin. Within two days, healed na yung sugat. Two days! Imagine that—ilang buwan kong pina-suffer ang anak ko?!? Never again. From now on, doctors win any medical argument!
Why is Fucidin so effective? Fusidic acid/sodium fusidate Fucidin is a powerful antibiotic that is clinically proven against wound infection. It is
fast-acting, working on the infection 2 minutes upon application and
deep-penetrating, reaching the skin’s deepest layer 30 minutes after application. It also helps prevent bacteria from spreading.
Like Kris, I have Fucidin in my medicine box because I've seen how effective it is in preventing infection and healing wounds. But after this particular month, I'm even more convinced to join the fight against wound infection. Let me tell you the sad reason why.
So the event was done, I went about my life and thought nothing more of Fucidin unless we have little wounds, but this month, I was very alarmed to learn that
two people died of staph infection. One was a little boy in my sons' school and the other a mommy [GMA News:
Wasp sting blamed for ex-TV anchor's death]. It frightened me because I'm a mommy, I have little boys, and I just learned about staph infection a few weeks ago! In the late TV anchor's Facebook post [
Once there was a wasp], she says a simple wasp sting became a full blown staph infection, which sadly was what killed her.
What scares me is hindi ko siniseryoso ang staph bacteria. Why? Because ALL of us have it on our skin. As in, right now, while you're reading this—you have staphyloccocus bacteria on your skin and nasal passages. When we get wounds, usually our immune system will heal it. No problem. If we don't clean it and magnana yan, staph infection yan. Nursing moms who suffer from mastitis have a staph infection. The worst staph infection I got was from a pedicure and it bled and hindi ko pinansin. Next day, my toe was so swollen with pus, and the veins leading out of my foot were red. That was cellulitis—a painful skin infection. My dermatologist gave me antibiotics and Fucidin and the wound healed within two days.
So in my mind, skin problems lang ang dala ng staph bacteria. But after the two deaths this month, I learned that sometimes the staph bacteria can cause food poisoning or toxic shock syndrome. When the staph infection enters the blood stream, sepsis happens. Sepsis kills.
So if maarte na ako sa sugat before, now I'm taking wounds even more seriously. Here are the tips I found to prevent a staph infection:
1. Always wash hands with soap and water for at least 30 seconds [Tip: Sing the Birthday Song twice]. Rinse thoroughly.
2. In the absence of soap and water, alcohol will do but wash with soap and water as soon as you can.
3. Do not share personal items like razors, soap, towels, etc.
4. Do not use makeup testers at makeup counters [TODAY:
Model warns about makeup brushes after getting infection]. Do not borrow your friends' makeup and makeup tools. If you're having your makeup done for an event, make sure your makeup artist uses clean brushes and disinfected makeup. If you want to be super safe, bring your own!
5. Make sure you clean your own makeup tools and disinfect your makeup!
6. When you have a wound, wash it immediately and thoroughly with soap and water. Dr. Empress said it is still the best first step to fight infection because dirt, blood, and bacteria will be washed away.
7. Do not scratch insect bites. Do not pop pimples. Do not make kutkot scabs.
8. Do not touch other people's wounds or bandages. Tell these to your kids!!! You also, mommies, whenever you care for your family's wounds, wash your hands thoroughly after.
9. When you're working out sa gym, disinfect the equipment before using it.
10. Always apply Fucidin on wounds—big or small! Sometimes nga pag sobrang laki ng pimples ko, I dab a bit of Fucidin on them and they heal so much faster!
Wounds are part of life. From moms and dads to kids of all ages, everyone gets cuts and scrapes when playing, insect bites, puncture wounds, sliced open skin when cooking, paper cuts, mani-pedi sugat, etc etc. So since all of us get wounds, all of us should make sure these don't get infected. At best, when we're healthy, our immune system can take care of our wounds. But if we're not as healthy as we should be, then a simple scratch, a tiny insect bite, or even a silly thing as borrowing a friend's mascara can be fatal.
Okay, masyadong serious. I'll leave you with this anecdote, when Kris asked me about what my sons want to be when they grow up:
Fucidin® comes in two variants. Fucidin® cream is ideal for exposed parts of the body like the face and hands, while Fucidin® ointment is ideal for dry, scaly or cracked lesions. Fusidic acid/sodium fusidate is the generic name of Fucidin®. Fucidin® is available in leading drugstores nationwide.
If symptoms persist, please consult your doctor.
