First Aid for Cuts and Scratches

It happens to all of us: tripping over a stone or cutting slices of a finger instead of a cucumber. These are just simple situations, which mostly aren’t given extra attention.

BUT a skin scratching or cutting can cause a serious problem, if you do not take care of it properly.  You may think that it’s no big deal, but it may be the start of an infection!

So what to do?

Normally a scratch, a small cut or scrape heals in a natural way. Here  are some advises, if an injury is more serious:

• Pick up a clean and soft cloth and press it for a few minutes on the wounded area to stop the bleeding. In case the wound is large, it may take up to 15 minutes.
• It’s tempting to look every few seconds if the bleeding has stopped, but constant lifting of the bandage may cause the bleeding to start again.

• Clean the wound: use continuous running water to clean the wound, then wash the dirt around the wound carefully with soap. Remove any dirt from the cut – if present – by using a clean damp cloth. This is important to eliminate infections any bacteria in the wound. If it’s not possible to clean it properly, check with a professional.

When to get professional help?

Call for help (parents, doctor), if the wound continues bleeding. Put a clean, sterile cloth or bandage over the cut. Never remove the first bandage if it is soaked with blood, but put a second one around it and raise the injured hand over your head as high as possible to stop the bleeding.

Large wounds may need to be stitched by a doctor. They first numb the wound or skin, using a local anesthetic cream or an injection. Since stitching feels like having several injections, it’s advisable  to have an anesthesia once!

Within 5-10 days you may need to visit the doctor again to take out the stitches – he will cut them from one end and pull them. It doesn’t hurt you, but it may feel itchy.

These days often they use stitches, who dissolve by themselves. In this case you do not have to return to the doctor.

Straight or small wounds are mostly treated with medical glue or small thin pieces of tape called steri-strips. They dissolve on their own.

How to avoid infections?

If you fall on a dirty or rusty surface and start bleeding or are scraped or bitten by an animal or a person, it is important to tell this to your parents or a grown up.

Medical intrusion and an antibiotic shot are needed if any animal germs or human saliva got into the cut. A doctor always should be caring that the animal that bit doesn’t have rabies!

Tetanus might happen from certain bites or cuts. Therefore you (or your parents) need to make sure that your tetanus shot is recent or you need a shot right away when the cut is fixed.

What are signs of infection?

Some cuts start small, but later they may show to be infected. An infection happens when the white blood cells cannot handle the germs anymore.

If you experience any of the following signs, contact immediately a professional:

• Redness grows around the injury
• Cloudy drainage from the injury or yellowish green pus
• Swelling or pain increasing
• Red streaks are starting from the wound
• Fever

The doctor may give you antibiotics to overcome the infection.

Our bodies’ ability to heal is extraordinaire. Small cuts or wounds usually heal in a natural way. If the wound looks seriously infected, take no risk and ask a professional for advice.