STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — You’re rushing to get your lunch made and suddenly the knife slips. Wishing you could undo the careless move, you stare for a few seconds at your bleeding finger before running over to the sink. After rinsing the wound, the pain starts. You wrap a paper towel around it and squeeze.
After a few minutes you slowly peel it back to examine the damage. Do you need stitches? How do you know? w
First, before even evaluating the need for further care, control the bleeding. Wrap a clean cloth around the wound, or press directly on the wound and apply pressure until the bleeding stops. It also usually helps to elevate the injured body part to above heart level as well. If this is not practical, then at least keep the wound wound still.
Next, take a look. Initially, cleaning the wound with very gentle soap and water can help wash away debris. Depending on how contaminated the wound is, some professionals simply opt to irrigate the cut with sterile saline or water. Using strong detergents, full strength peroxide, iodine, and other similar preparations actually delays healing because they break down the cells in the area. Unless a wound is heavily contaminated, a simple initial wash should be sufficient. I.
Next, what are some of the factors that suggest you need sutures (stitches ) or further medical evaluation?
¤‡Persistent bleeding: This could be caused by damage through several skin layers or because of foreign matter still in the wound such as glass, gravel, or dirt.
‡¤The wound edges don’t meet or don’t stay together: Sometimes a piece of skin is missing. And sometimes the cut is just in an area where there’s too much tension, such as over a joint or on a surface that pulls when bent.
‡¤Bite injuries: Be cautious of all bites, whether they’re from be dogs, cats, raccoons or even humans. Bites are not usually sutured, but often the victim will need antibiotics.
‡¤Cuts on the eye lid: They need further evaluation.
‡¤Large cuts: Those that are generally greater than an inch in length.
‡¤Facial cuts: This is more often for cosmetic reasons so that scarring is minimal.
‡¤Cuts with associated numbness or inability to move the limb or finger: Numbness could signal nerve damage. Inability to, move the finger, for example, might indicate damage to a tendon.
‡¤Breaks in the skin: If your last tetanus immunization was more than five to 10 years ago, evaluate the cut further.
If you’re fairly certain that you’re going to care for the wound yourself, the main idea is to keep it clean and dry from outside water sources. That means that after the initial cleaning, you may want to apply an ointment such as Bacitracin. Then cover it with gauze and tape or a Band-Aid. These are considered dressings. Keep the first in place for 24 hours and avoid getting it wet.
After that, change it once or twice a day by carefully peeling off the old dressing and applying more ointment if you choose. Examine the healing wound for signs of infection which include increased pain, pus drainage, increased redness, — new skin will be pink and this is normal — warmth, increased swelling, red streaking, and the edges of the wound separating.
Sometimes the wound is very slow to heal. This could be because of diabetes, poor circulation, or if itss infected with a drug-resistant bacteria. If there’s a question about infection or slow healing, seek further medical evaluation.
If sutures or butterfly closures are indicated, the medical staff will give you specific instructions, which will likely include keeping the area dry and clean. Some sutures are absorbable and will dissolve within a week or two. Other sutures need to be removed, but the time frame is determined by the location of the wound and the depth of the injury.
For minimal scarring, avoid direct sunlight for six months after the initial injury by using a high SPF sunscreen. Of course, it’s best to avoid the injuries in the first place.
We’ve all been there — and wanted to undo that last careless move. But when cuts to the skin occur, stop the bleeding, clean the wound, evaluate the need for further care, keep the wound clean and dry and watch for infection.