How to Take Care of Cuts and Scrapes
Understanding how to take care of cuts and scrapes is something that comes in handy for all of us. We’re prone to injury at any time, and the most common injuries are small nicks and cuts.
They often seem harmless, but it’s still important to address them when they occur. If you leave cuts and scrapes untreated, they run the risk of getting infected and leading to more severe issues.
We’re going to take a look at how to treat cuts and scrapes today, giving you the fundamentals on what to do when they happen. Let’s get started.
How to Address Cuts and Scrapes
The first thing to understand is when a cut or scrape requires medical attention. There’s a fine line between what requires a doctor and what doesn’t, but there are a few determining factors that might help you make the decision.
For one, the cut shouldn’t expose any muscle, bone, or fat. When the cut is deep enough to expose those things, you need medical attention. Your wound would heal if you wrapped it and protected it while it mended, but there’s no telling whether it would get infected or heal improperly.
You should also seek attention if your scrapes and cuts have jagged edges or pull far apart from one another. In other words, if the cut pulls in a way that leaves a big piece of open tissue, you might need medical attention.
Tending to Small Cuts
When the cut is manageable, the first thing to do is apply pressure with a cloth or gauze to stop the bleeding. Hold the fabric down over the cut for a period of a few minutes before you check the cut.
If you pull the pressure too soon, the blood clot that’s forming to stop bleeding might break. Once the bleeding stops, expose the wound and use cold water to rinse it out.
You can rinse with water straight from the sink. Of course, you can also use a container of water for pouring. The next thing to do is to clean the area around the wound.
Dirt, bacteria, and a number of other contaminants might be sitting around the wound. Use soap and a washcloth to clean the area around the wound, but make sure not to get soap in the cut.
Next, use something like tweezers to get any flecks of dirt or contaminants out of the cut. Leave it to air-dry and heal for a period of around twenty minutes. After that point, you can apply some antibiotic ointment or cream that will protect the cut from bacteria.
After that, apply a bandaid to protect it, and you’ll be all set.
Want to Learn More About Treating Minor Wounds?
Hopefully, our look at treating cuts and scrapes was helpful to you. There’s more to learn, though, as there are millions of potential injuries to treat.
We’re here to help. Explore our site for more ideas on how to take care of injuries, cuts, scrapes, and more.
