system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: how does saline mix (salt and water) helps with healing sores such as wisdom tooth extractions or episiotomy?

I have had wisdom tooth extraction, navel piercing and episiotomy. In all instances my doctor/administrators said to soak the area with a saline mix. What's the benifit of doing that?
gpt
At the cellular level, concentration gradients are critical for cellular function. Saline is isotonic with human blood, meaning that it has roughly the same concentration of salt and water in solution as blood does- so there is effectively no difference between the two.

This means saline doesn't disrupt those concentration gradients by sucking water or electrolytes out of your cells or forcing them in. This is great for wound irrigation, since you can wash away dirt and bacteria without damaging your cells as they heal.