Originally Posted by
ldamelio
Weighing in here as a senior trauma surgeon and someone who has laid the bike down a few times in Cat IV festivities. All of the above solutions work without much difference except how much $$$$ you put into Johnson and Johnson's pocket for stuff like Tegaderm, etc. Why ? Because mother nature is smarter than all of us and the body will heal best if you don't eff with her. A healthy cyclist will heal a wound like that with little intervention other than keeping it clean. On a practical basis, it's good to keep it covered because 1) it's a mess and 2) as others have pointed out, dry scabs around the knee restrict mobility and impair pedaling. I have no problems letting road rash away from the knee just scab over - mother nature's dressing. Mankind survived many millennia without Tegaderm. Antibiotics, counterintuitively, make no difference. Don't shave now, as that statistically is slightly more likely to cause infection. I just rinse twice a day (regular shower fine), pat dry with clean towel, then Vaseline and a dressing sponge and netting dressing. Many ways to skin this cat, pun not intended. Get back on the bike and enjoy.