What are the benefits of washing the glans with salt water?

Balanitis refers to the inflammation of the glans mucosa, which can be caused by various pathogens, local irritation and other factors. Urine scale that is not cleaned up in time in the foreskin cavity can also irritate the foreskin and the glans penis, causing balanitis. Balanitis often causes erythematous papules, small water blisters, etc. on the glans. Sometimes sexual intercourse will be painful, and it can be seen that the skin of the inner plate of the foreskin and the exit of the foreskin are slightly cracked and slightly swollen. More serious cases will cause erosion, pustules, etc. When inflammation is found, many people will think of cleaning with salt water at the first time. So, is it really effective to clean glans inflammation with salt water?

In fact, the saline sterilization in our basic common sense uses the basic principle of plasma osmotic pressure.

If there are two areas with lower concentration and higher concentration in a natural environment, water will flow from the lower concentration to the higher concentration, and finally make the concentration values ​​of the two areas the same. In layman's terms, things with less water will absorb moisture. Of course, this term is too simple and not accurate, it is just a figurative summary. The so-called saline sterilization is also the same principle. If the concentration of salt in salt water is greater than the concentration of bacterial cell fluid, then the water in the bacteria will flow into the salt water. Depending on the degree of water shortage in the cells, the bacteria may shrink and die due to excessive water shortage.

However, there are many types of microorganisms in nature, and different bacteria have different abilities to resist salt, so the ability of saline to sterilize is also different. And the salt water we prepare in our daily life is obviously not suitable for cleaning glans due to its uncertain concentration. However, when there is no serious disinfectant, it should be a basic common sense to use concentrated salt water to sterilize open wounds. It is just a makeshift method, and it cannot be generalized with potassium permanganate solution detergent, iodine tincture and alcohol used in real medical equipment.

Therefore, it is not very effective to clean the glans with salt water. It is recommended to use potassium permanganate solution to clean it. You can buy 1/5000 potassium permanganate solution at the pharmacy and apply anti-inflammatory ointment. If there are pustules, erosions and exudation, use 3% boric acid solution or 0.05% berberine solution to apply on the face. However, generally, when this kind of symptom occurs, the situation is already serious. It is recommended that patients go to the hospital outpatient clinic immediately to prevent delay in treatment.