For individuals who inject their drugs, compassion and acceptance help heal skin infections and increase trust in healthcare

In the past 10 years, injection drug use (IDU) in the U.S. has increased. The uptick follows a shift in the way people use drugs — from taking prescription opioids by mouth to injecting opioids like heroin, or synthetic opioids like fentanyl and sedatives like xylazine (tranq). Synthetic opioids (like fentanyl) are more potent, and don’t last as long as non-synthetic drugs (like heroin). To balance the difference and avoid getting sick, people who engage in IDU are forced to inject synthetic drugs more frequently to avoid feeling sick from withdrawal. Injecting drugs often results in skin infections, wounds, and ulcers. The more frequently you inject, the higher the chance for developing a skin infection. If not treated early, skin infections can get worse and bacteria may enter the bloodstream (sepsis) or spread deeper into the body. Why are skin infections so common among those who inject their drugs? Often when people begin injecting, they don’t learn how to do it in the best ways to avoid infection and injury. What’s more, many lack access to sterile injection equipment, like needles or syringes, as well as alcohol wipes to clean their skin prior to injection. Instead, they share or reuse...