Dr. Roizen: Sound too sweet to bee true? It’s for real. The Pro: We now have the science to back what many healers have known for centuries: Pure, undiluted, unprocessed honey is a powerful natural skin healer. It does a rather impressive job of warding off wound bacteria that causes infections, sloughing dead tissue, healing skin, and reducing scarring. Thanks to the fact that it’s moist and packed with nutrients, honey outperformed Silvadene — the most commonly used topical burn treatment — on all these things in clinical settings.

For those of us who lack bee-keeping skills, you can actually buy manuka honey (the type that researchers used that’s indigenous to Australia and New Zealand) right off the shelf. Medihoney seems to be the brand that has the most data for treating burns and wounds — it’s been processed to eliminate harmful bacterial spores. That's what you and I want to avoid — those spores.

The Con: Even though you’re equipped with this great gooey stuff, never self-treat a wound or burn if it’s longer than a few inches in diameter or if it involves severe blistering, excessive bleeding, or charring of the skin. For a minor wound, clean the area with warm water and soap. For first- and second-degree burns (when the burn affects the outer layer of skin and both the outer and the lower layers of skin, respectively), cool the burn first with cold water or an ice bath and then, if the wound is open, wash gently with mild soap and water. Gently pat skin dry with a clean cloth, apply a layer of honey, and cover with sterile gauze and a bandage. Change dressing daily or more often if you get the area wet. Watch for signs of infection, including redness, red streaks spreading from the affected area, increased pain, swelling, and oozing from the site, fever, or swollen lymph nodes. If any of these appear, see your doctor right away or head straight to the ER. Also, if it’s been longer than five years since you had a tetanus shot, get one: Burns are more susceptible to the tetanus bacteria.

The next time you get a cut or burn, grab your honey for a kiss (it takes away the pain!) and Medihoney for additional real healing.