Why don't surgeons sterilize their hand next to alcohol?

When surgeons scrub in for the surgery why do they use soap to wash their hands and not a short time ago alcohol? When an injection or a cut is to be made by a doctor they put alcohol (or some liquid with it) on the skin of a patient. Why don't they do that beside their hands?
Answers:
if u wash beside alcohol, your hands wont be 100% bateria free,
if you wash with soap the surface rigidity reduces and the bacterias
< even the most toughest > lose grip and fall.
They do. There is a surgical scrub which is a combination of chlorhexidine and alcohol, and it is commonly used.

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Some surgical patient preps are alcohol based, but many surgeons still use iodine preps on their patients' skin prior to incision. Source(s): I live within OR's.
Interestingly, the first five people who answered this question are adjectives correct but there are two additional reasons why surgeons do not usually use alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) to scrub. First, although the keratin branch of the skin is pretty resistant to alcohols, with regular use of topical alcohol, some may actually enter into the body. Relatedly, you can also hold small amounts of alcohol through the pulmonary system (lungs). Although we are talking about very small amounts of alcohol getting into the circulation through transdermal digestion or pulmonary administration, regular exposure to isopropyl alcohol (which is much more toxic than drinking alcohol [ethyl alcohol] is not a good idea. Second, alcohols wreak dryness which can be irritating and if extreme may even decrease tactile sensitivity which would be a problem if you are a surgeon. So, you now have a complete answer: Exposure to isopropyl alcohol poses some tissue hazard, doesn't kill some bacteria and scrubbing next to antibacterial soaps and water is highly and in some cases more effectual than a mere topical cleaner. Source(s): I am a forensic psychopharmacologist.
The first 2 guys are right. to be more specific, here are certain stubborn bacteria that are NOT killed by alcohol solution. One of these is C-diff, which is rampant contained by hospitals. C-diff is only effectively removed by the mechanical means of soap an river washing it off of your skin and down the drain.
Well, first off, using a detergent (usually with an antibacterial agent) and thoroughly scrubbing is better than using alcohol, and you really want the best possible charge of cleaning done prior to surgery (though it's impossible to clear all bacteria off the skin no thing what you do).
Secondly, some doctors do use an alcohol gel instead of hand washing, it's quicker and more convenient, but there's really no reason to do so prior to surgery.

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