Content

• Steps

Most minor injuries, like cuts and abrasions, can be easily treated at home. However, if you have a more serious injury or infection, you'll need medical attention to make sure the wound heals properly.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Treating Small Wounds at Home

1. 

   Use pressure on the wound to stop bleeding. Wash your hands, then use a clean bandage or towel to press firmly on the wound. Washing your hands will prevent bacteria from moving your hands to the wound. The pressure will help reduce bleeding and stop bleeding.
   • If the wound is in an arm, hand, leg, or foot, you can also limit bleeding by bringing it above your heart. With the arm or hand, you can raise it up high. With the legs and feet, you need to lie on the bed and rest your feet on a stack of pillows.

2. 

   
   
   Clean the wound. Wash it with clean water. This will remove dirt and dust that could cause infection. Wash the skin around the wound with soap and a clean towel. Gently dry the wound and surrounding tissue.
   • If the running water does not remove all the debris from the wound, you can remove them with tweezers. Wash and disinfect the tweezers with alcohol before touching the wound. Then gently remove any debris stuck in the wound. If you can't remove them all, go to the emergency room and get help from your doctor.
   • If the wound has foreign objects attached to it, don't take it out. Instead, see a doctor so that it can be safely removed without causing additional damage.
   • Do not use a cotton ball to clean the wound, as it may become sticky. This increases your risk of infection and difficulty healing.

3. 

   
   
   Prevent infection by applying antibiotics. After you stop bleeding and clean the wound, apply an antibiotic cream to protect the wound from infection. You can buy an over-the-counter antibiotic cream or cream like Neosporin or Polysporin at your local pharmacy. Use these topicals for 1-2 days.
   • Always read and follow the instructions on the packaging. If you are pregnant, or breast-feeding, consult your doctor before taking any medicine.
   • Do not use disinfectants such as alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. They can damage tissue and make it take longer to heal.

4. 

   
   
   Cover the wound with a bandage. This will prevent bacteria and dirt from sticking to the wound. Depending on where the wound is located, a piece of duct tape is sufficient. If the wound is larger than or near a joint, you may need to cover it so that the dressing is in place.
   • Do not bandage too tight to interfere with blood circulation.
   • Regular dressing changes prevent infection. If it becomes damp and dirty, change it immediately.
   • Use a waterproof bandage or wrap a thin plastic wrap over when you take a shower to keep it dry.

5. 

   Keep an eye on the wound to make sure it is free of infection. If there are signs of infection, go to the emergency department immediately. Signs to watch for include:
   • The pain gradually increased
   • Heat
   • Swelling
   • Floating red
   • The wound is draining pus
   • Fever
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Method 2 of 2: Medical Treatment

1. 

   Go to the emergency room if you have a serious injury. Do not drive yourself if you have been seriously injured. Have someone else drive or call the ambulance. You need specialist medical attention if the wound is bleeding too much, or it could make you permanently disabled if it does not heal properly.These include:
   • Arterial rupture. If bright red blood is flushed with each heart rate, call emergency personnel. It is important that you get medical attention before losing too much blood.
   • The bleeding doesn't stop after bleeding for a few minutes. This can happen with deep and severe cuts. This can also happen if you have a blood disorder or are taking anticoagulants.
   • Have an injury where you cannot move or feel. This could be a wound deep to the bone or tendon.
   • The wound has a foreign object stuck inside. Common objects such as glass, shrapnel, or rocks. In this case, your doctor will help remove the foreign body and prevent infection.
   • Long tears are difficult to heal. If the cut is wider than 5 cm, you will need stitches to close the wound.
   • The wound is on the face. Facial wounds require specialist care to prevent scarring.
   • The wound has a high risk of infection. These include wounds contaminated with feces, body fluids (such as saliva from animal or human bites), or soil.

2. 

   Get medical treatment for the wound. Depending on whether the wound has an infection or not, your doctor will give you different care. If it is not infected, the wound is cleaned and closed. Closing the wound early will prevent scarring. There are several methods your doctor can use to close the wound:
   • Sew. Wounds longer than 6 cm can be stitched with sterile thread. The doctor will remove it after only 5-7 days for small wounds, 7-14 days for larger wounds. Or, if appropriate, the doctor may use the thread where the stitches break down on their own after a few weeks as the wound heals. Do not remove the thread yourself. You can injure or infect the wound.
   • Tissue adhesive. This is applied to the wound mouth while it is closed together. When it dries, the glue will seal the wound. The glue will come off on its own after about a week.
   • Butterfly stitching. They are not really stitches. It's the strips of glue that keep the wound closed. The doctor will remove them after the wound heals. Don't take them out on your own.

3. 

   Have your doctor treat the infected wound. If your wound becomes infected, your doctor will treat the infection before closing the wound. If the wound closes while the infection remains, it closes the infection and may spread. Your doctor can:
   • Wipe the wound so that the pathogen can be studied and identified. This can help determine the best treatment direction.
   • Clean the wound and apply a bandage to prevent it from closing.
   • Give you antibiotics to clear the infection.
   • Ask you to come back in a few days so the doctor can check to see if the infection is gone. If so, the doctor will close the wound.

4. 

   Get a tetanus vaccine. Your doctor may ask you to get a tetanus vaccine if the wound is deep or has dirt in it and you haven't had it in the past 5 years.
   • Tetanus is a bacterial infection. It is also known as "jaw shutdown" because it can cause the muscles of the jaw and neck to stiffen. It also causes breathing problems and can be fatal.
   • There is no cure for this disease, so the best prevention is to get vaccinated promptly.

5. 

   See a wound care center if your wound doesn't heal. A wound that does not heal will not begin to heal after two weeks and does not heal completely after six weeks. Commonly difficult to heal wounds such as pulp ulcers, surgical wounds, radiotherapy, and those caused by diabetes, anemia, or edema of the legs, often appear on the legs. At a wound care center you will receive treatment for:
   • Nurses, doctors, and physical therapists will guide you through proper cleaning of the wound and perform exercises to maintain blood circulation.
   • Specialized treatments help to remove dead tissue. This includes removing the part of the infection, using a vortex or douche to wash it, using chemicals that break down dead tissue, and using wet and dry gauze to dry the wound and suck dead tissue.
   • Specialized methods of promoting the healing process include: medical socks to increase blood circulation, artificial skin protecting the wound when it heals, removing fluid from the wound with vacuum pressure therapy, providing You growth factors promote wound healing, and use high-pressure oxygen therapy to increase blood flow to the tissues.
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