Cuts, Scrapes, and Stitches

If you have kids, you're probably more familiar with cuts, scrapes and even stitches than you would like to be. But you don't have to be a child to end up with a wound here and there. What you need to know is when and how to give the proper first-aid -- and when to start calling the medical experts -- both for yourself or a child.

Home Care
While you should always know when to go to the doctor, you can take care of simple first-aid problems without a trip to the hospital.  The trick is knowing when you have a medical problem that's too much for you to handle.  Think about the different elements that come along when you or your child gets a cut or scrape that you can take care of yourself:

Bleeding:

• The blood helps clean out wounds
• Should stop fairly quickly; if not, get to a doctor
• Expect a lot of blood from the face, mouth, and head
• To help stop the flow of blood by applying pressure with a clean cloth or sterile gauze, adding extra layers as necessary
• If wound is on a leg or arm, raise it above the heart to slow bleeding

Cleaning:

• Use soap and water around the wound
• Remove any remaining dirt with tweezers cleaned in isopropyl alcohol
• Avoid hydrogen peroxide, alcohol or iodine solutions on the wound (unless recommended by a doctor or nurse)

Bandages:

• Cover the wound if it will likely get dirty or be rubbed by clothing
• Change adhesive strips or sterile gauze daily and clean the area as needed
• If possible, leave uncovered to keep dry and to aid healing

Antibiotic Ointments:

• Not needed for all wounds
• Can speed healing and reduce scarring

Skin Adhesive:

• Can be used in some cases for small wounds
• The film from the adhesive will fall off on its own
• Avoid putting wound in direct sunlight

When to Seek Care
Learn when you must call for outside help. If your health conditions dictate greater caution or if your wound does not seem to be healing as you expect, then contact your doctor's office. Also, if you think you need stitches, get in as soon as you can.

Complications That May Lengthen Healing Time:

• Diabetes
• Cancer
• Taking medications that compromise your immune system
• Advanced age

Poor Wound Conditions:

• Jagged
• On your face
• Gaping edges
• Dirt or other substances that won't come out
• Very tender and red
• Feeling numb around the wound
• Red streaks forming close to wound

Care for Stitches:

• Follow your doctor's orders
• Rinse and re-bandage as directed
• Keep stitches dry
• Elevate above your heart, when possible, during the first few days to decrease pain and swelling
• Your doctor will give you removal instructions
• Self-dissolving stitches should disappear, as per the doctor's information

Getting a Tetanus Shot
You may need to get a tetanus shot, if you haven't had one in a while, to protect your body from infections caused by wounds.

• For minor, clean cuts, get a shot if you have not had three doses or if 10 years have passed since your last booster
• With serious cuts, get a shot if you have not had three doses or if five years have passed since your last booster

Be Prepared
You never know when a cut or scrape will happen. Keep products on hand at home to care for wounds, but the most important tool in your first aid kit is your knowledge. Know what to do and when to do it, and you or your kids can begin healing right after you get hurt.