Any person has to deal with household injuries: abrasions, cuts, wounds. Children are most often injured, who, in the process of active play, can fall, hit, scratch. Adults are more likely to injure their hands with sharp objects: knives or scissors. Even if the wound is very small, it must be properly treated at home in order to avoid bad consequences and complications.
General rules
First aid for wounds should include the following:
- seat or lay the victim in such a way that the affected part of the body is at rest;
- bandage with clean hands or use disposable gloves;
- wipe the skin around the wound with a bandage or cotton wool soaked in a disinfectant solution, this will not allow bacteria from the surrounding skin to penetrate into the wound;
- cover the wound with a sterile drape and fix it with a bandage to avoid dust and microbes from the environment;
- if the wound bleeds heavily, then first of all it is necessary to stop the bleeding;
- no need to pour powders on the affected area or apply ointment, this makes it difficult to access the wound and makes its treatment painful;
- when treating a wound in a child, consider the possibility of allergic reactions and increased skin sensitivity, you do not need to use iodine or brilliant green as an antiseptic, use the modern Sulfargin remedy, which is better suited for delicate children's skin.
Remember that after providing primary care at home, the wound should be examined and treated by a doctor. The only exceptions are minor and superficial damage.
Treatment of scratches and abrasions
Scratches and abrasions are formed when the surface layer of the skin is removed and small blood vessels are affected. Extensive injuries are very painful, due to the exposure of a large number of nerve endings.
In the case of small wounds of this nature, it is enough to thoroughly rinse them with water, carry out an antiseptic treatment of the wound and make a plaster bandage. Measures vary depending on the location of the damage. For wounds on the hands, fingers and legs, you can make an antiseptic bath. It is better to apply a wet gauze bandage on damaged elbows or knees and, after it dries, carry out an antiseptic treatment.
For bandaging, it is better to use not ordinary bandages and plasters, but special atraumatic dressings that do not stick to the wound and actively contribute to the healing process.
In the case when the tissue damage is very large (the size of a palm or more), if the abrasion or scratch is heavily contaminated, it is necessary to seek qualified help from a doctor.
Cut treatment
Cuts are most often caused by careless handling of sharp instruments. They are characterized by smooth edges of the wound, when neighboring areas of the skin are not damaged, and heavy bleeding. The most dangerous are cuts with a knife used to cut raw meat, as a lot of pathogenic microorganisms accumulate on the tip of the tool. Also dangerous are deep cuts, as a result of which nerve fibers or tendons may be damaged.
To treat small cuts, you need:
- let the wound bleed for a few minutes so that the remnants of dirt and pathogenic flora are removed from it;
- perform antiseptic treatment;
- slightly squeeze the outer edges of the cut to stop excessive bleeding;
- put a bactericidal plaster on the wound.
More serious and deep cuts should be treated by a doctor. This is especially true for finger cuts, which cause numbness and difficulty moving. If the face is injured by the cut, it is necessary to consult a specialist in order to avoid the formation of scars. Usually cuts respond well to treatment and do not even require stitches. The doctor simply treats the wound and gently tightens the edges of the cut with special adhesive strips.
Treatment of stab wounds
Puncture wounds can be caused by sharp-edged objects such as scissors, needles, nails, or glass shards. It happens that the microparticles of the object that was damaged remain in the wound. Even when a puncture wound looks fairly safe from the outside, such damage cannot be left to chance, as the wound can be deep, tendons and internal organs can be affected.
When receiving a stab wound, it is necessary to: remove foreign objects with tweezers (if any), disinfect the wound and apply a plaster or sterile dressing.
You should not remove foreign objects or splinters from the wound yourself unless you can determine how deeply they have penetrated the skin. Inept actions can damage blood vessels and cause bleeding. In this case, it is better to apply a clean cloth to the damaged area and immediately seek medical help.
Treatment of lacerated, crushed and gaping wounds
These types of lesions usually have ragged jagged edges. At the site of the wound, the skin changes color and a hematoma forms. There is often a risk of infection through torn edges.
If the wound is small and superficial, it is enough to carry out an antiseptic treatment and apply a bactericidal patch.
Deeper and more serious injuries should be treated by a doctor.
Signs of wound inflammation
If pathogenic microbes enter the wound, inflammation can begin. The characteristic signs of this condition are: swelling and thickening of the wound edge, redness of the area around the wound, the formation of a yellow or purulent plaque, increasing pain when pressing on the wound.
We all constantly face such troubles as scratches, abrasions, broken knees, minor cuts and damage to the skin and mucous membranes. And often at the same time we do not attach much importance to how to treat the wound.
We will smear the child in the old fashioned way with iodine or green paint, which not only sting terribly and cause a sea of tears in our child, but also stain sheets and clothes, and in addition, form an airtight film under which an anaerobic infection may well develop. Let's spit on our cuts, literally and figuratively, and okay.
Meanwhile, any even the most insignificant damage to the skin is sometimes fraught with very serious troubles, ranging from inflammation and suppuration to tetanus infection, or blood poisoning. Therefore, do not treat abrasions, scratches and small cuts with a disregard.
So, how to properly treat the wound surface?
1) First you need to stop the bleeding with hydrogen peroxide .
On contact hydrogen peroxide with damaged skin or mucous membranes, active oxygen is released, while mechanical purification and inactivation of organic substances (proteins, blood, pus) occur.
However, it must be remembered that the antiseptic effect hydrogen peroxide is not sterilizing. With its use, only a temporary decrease in the number of microorganisms occurs. Abundant foaming promotes thrombosis and stops bleeding from small vessels.
2) For disinfection, the wound should be treated Chlorhexidine . This is one of the most effective and safe modern means for disinfecting wound surfaces and surgical instruments that cannot be sterilized by boiling.
Chlorhexidine It is colorless and odorless and does not cause any pain when treating a wound (does not pinch), which is especially important for the treatment of children and animals. In addition, the drug is very cheap and easy to use. It does not dry the skin, therefore, it can be used in cosmetology for the treatment of acne and small boils on the face.
Chlorhexidine as a prophylactic and therapeutic agent is used externally and locally. 0.05, 0.2 and 0.5% aqueous solutions are used as irrigations, rinses and applications. 5-10 ml of the solution is applied to the affected surface of the skin or mucous membranes with an exposure of 1-3 minutes 2-3 times a day (on a swab or by irrigation).
Treatment of medical instruments and work surfaces Chlorhexidine carried out with a clean sponge moistened with an antiseptic solution, or by soaking. For the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, the drug is effective if it is used no later than 2 hours after sexual intercourse.
For these purposes, they usually use streptocide sold as a powder in small sachets. From more modern means, you can apply Baneocin also sold in powdered form.
Baneocin is a combined antibacterial drug for external use. Contains two antibiotics that have a bactericidal effect, neomycin And bacitracin .
Bacitracin is a polypeptide antibiotic that inhibits the synthesis of the bacterial cell wall.
Neomycin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic that inhibits bacterial protein synthesis.
Bacitracin active against gram-positive (Streptococcus spp. / including hemolytic streptococcus /, Staphylococcus spp.) and some gram-negative microorganisms. Bacitracin resistance rarely develops. Has good tissue tolerance; inactivation by biological products, blood and tissue components is not observed.
Neomycin active against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.
Through the use of a combination of these two antibiotics, a wide spectrum of action of the drug and synergism of action against a number of microorganisms, such as staphylococci, are achieved.
4) To accelerate the epithelialization of cells and ensure the rapid healing of damaged tissues, it is necessary to apply one of the drugs that activate tissue metabolic processes, for example Solcoseryl , oravailable in the form of a gel and ointment.
Fresh wounds should be treated with gel first. As they heal, you can switch to ointment treatment.
The gel is applied to the damaged surface 1-2 times a day. Freshly formed epithelium at the edge of the wound is treated with ointment. As soon as the epithelialization process captures a large area of \u200b\u200bthe skin and the wound stops getting wet, they completely switch to the use of the ointment. Can be used with semi-closed dressings. Treatment of weeping and deep wounds should begin with the application of the gel. In cases of slowing down the healing process, you should again return to the use of the gel.
5) Fresh wounds should be covered with sterile breathable dressings that provide oxygen access to damaged tissues. Bandages can be moistened with ointment Actovegin to avoid sticking to the wound surface.
However, if the abrasion needs to be bandaged, an aerosol bandage can be used. Akutol .
Akutol-spray is an odorless protective plastic film in an aerosol propellant. Akutol used for quick treatment of scratches and minor superficial wounds.
After application within 2 minutes Akutol -spray dries and forms a waterproof protective film. Plastic protection prevents the penetration of foreign substances from the external environment, but does not interfere with the natural perspiration of the skin. The wound remains closed from adverse effects, however, under the plastic film, the healing process takes place. The protective film does not dissolve in water. The film disappears on its own after 3-4 days due to friction. If the nature of the wound requires it, then after 3 days you can apply the remedy again. Akutol-spray .
6) If unwanted scars or scars occur during the healing process, a special gel can be usedContractubex .
Contractubex - a drug with proteolytic activity that promotes the resorption of keloid scars.
Combined drug, the action of which is due to the properties of its constituent components. It has fibrinolytic, anti-inflammatory (due to the extract of Serae bulbs), antithrombotic (due to heparin), and keratolytic action (due to allantoin). Stimulates cell regeneration without hyperplasia. Inhibits the proliferation of keloid fibroblasts.
When treating fresh scars, ultraviolet radiation, exposure to cold and intense massage should be avoided.
It is impossible to go through life without ever getting even the smallest wound. Cutting yourself while cooking, bruising your finger on the corner of a door, getting a sunburn or a simple scratch is common for every layman. The legs and arms are most often injured, for example, when falling, a person always puts his hands forward, scratching himself and getting abrasions. Young children are practically a walking encyclopedia of all sorts of minor injuries. It is very important to know how to treat the wound, because even the smallest skin puncture can turn into serious problems.
Does it need to be processed?
Injuries of this kind are varied - abrasions, scratches, cuts, burns, bites, bruises and bruises. All of them belong to the mechanical type of injuries and necessarily need proper and timely treatment. Otherwise, an infection can enter the body through an open injury to the skin, then the treatment of wounds will be delayed for a long time. Treatment should be completed within the first two hours, then healing will be an order of magnitude faster.
Treatment is urgently needed if contamination has entered the site of an open injury - soil, saliva of an animal when bitten, dust, etc. Often, infection occurs directly during the cleansing of the wound site - non-sterile bandage or tools, dirty hands. The infection enters the body through any inlet formed from an injury to the skin - this can be an open fracture, abrasion, a splinter, and much more.
Likely consequences
Injury contamination is dangerous due to the penetration of anaerobic microbes. They do not need air, and they multiply very quickly, causing dangerous complications. The danger is not exaggerated - gangrene can become a consequence of suppuration of even the simplest wound.
Wound complications can occur both at the time of injury, and develop much later:
You need to know how to treat wounds in order to avoid all sorts of consequences.
First aid
Wound treatment should take place immediately after injury.
- Cleaning. Be sure to remove all visible dirt. This can be done with a sterile instrument or a twisted bandage. Before the procedure, the tweezers must be dipped in alcohol to protect yourself from possible infection.
Important! In no case should you water an open wound with iodine, alcohol or any other means. In this way, tissue can be burned, causing additional damage.
- Treat with an antiseptic. Treatment with an antiseptic solution should be as accurate as possible in order to avoid complications. At home, popular and simple antiseptics are used - 3% hydrogen peroxide, iodine solution, and the like.
Hydrogen peroxide affects both chemically and mechanically - destroying microbes, it raises them through the formation of bubbles. In other words, while the agent is bubbling, contamination is present.
In the event that there are no medical antiseptics at hand, the primary treatment can be done by the following methods: pour the damage with a 2% solution of soda or salt, tincture of chamomile flowers, or even vodka.
- Dressing. Any wound - household or operational - can fester. It is necessary to bandage the injured area of the skin to protect it from re-infection.
For the dressing, a sterile bandage or the most clean cloth is used. It is necessary to fix with a plaster or even bandage the entire site of the injury in order to achieve maximum protection.
Proper care
Regardless of the type of wound or how it was inflicted, some medical attention is required.
deep damage
In the event that the surface of the injury is large enough both in depth and in length, it is necessary to go to the hospital. Even a simple cut from 1 cm will be dangerous because the healing will be significantly delayed. The resulting discomfort and possible purulent complications are definitely a reason for the doctor to conduct an examination.
During injury, there is a possibility of nerve damage, which will bring pain for a long time. In addition to nerves, you can touch blood vessels or even arteries, and you will not be able to stop the bleeding on your own.
Deep cuts require surgical treatment - the edges are treated, the blood is stopped, and the edges of the wound are stitched together. This entails an acceleration of healing. For long cuts, special sutures are used, which should subsequently resolve themselves.
Important! Often stitches are applied later to prevent inflammation. This is not medical negligence, but a precautionary measure.
Tight bandages to stop bleeding and close the wound in the first 7 days are soaked in antiseptic solutions, after a week, an ointment is applied.
Since it is not so easy to speed up wound healing, antibiotics are used. They are aimed at combating all kinds of bacterial and microbial pathogens in the body. Antibiotics effectively relieve inflammation.
Skin damage
The skin is the primary protective layer of the human body, and therefore it is the first to be injured. Abrasion, minor burns, chafing - all this damages only the top layer of the skin. The treatment of wounds of such a plan consists in careful care and the use of special means.
Such an injury does not always require closure with a bandage, since inflammation can develop under it. And leaving them open only exacerbates the injury. Therefore, agents are used that are applied over such injuries, which simultaneously serve as a protective cover at the same time as the treatment.
Healing booster powder usually covers the entire area of the injury. In addition, various foams and sprays are used, which are sprayed on the surface of the wound, reliably closing it for a certain period. A protective film is formed.
Healing period
There are two types of skin restoration: primary and secondary intention.
- The primary intention is that the edges of a clean wound should be attached to each other, and the cut in this case will quickly close with skin cells.
- Secondary tension is characteristic of infected wounds. In other words, inflammation begins first, and only then does the formation of new cells occur, which subsequently heal the site of injury.
The inflammatory process is one of the most dangerous for any type of damage. Symptoms of inflammation are obvious: the surrounding tissues swell, the temperature rises, and soreness develops. With minor injuries, the body is able to cope on its own, therefore it is highly not recommended to tear off the resulting crust, even if there is an accumulation of pus under it. The scab forms a protective and isolated dome, under which healing takes place effectively, and a granulation layer of the skin appears. The healing of a purulent wound will take place in two weeks.
In the event that even a small injury heals for too long - more than 1 calendar month, an operation is required. The wound is cleaned, after which antibiotic treatment is prescribed. It is as a result of such wounds that tissue necrosis or gangrene can begin.
The smallest injuries must be treated. This will allow for the prevention of consequences, and will also give confidence that the wound will heal without cosmetic defects, or they will be minimal. A visit to a doctor is necessary.
Medicines for treatment
The primary treatment of the wound is carried out with antiseptic solutions. However, even when using such a useful and seemingly harmless remedy as iodine, it is necessary to follow the rules for use. Wound antiseptics can be dangerous.
There is a recommendation that many neglect, relying on the magical properties of an antiseptic. The wound must be washed with running water before using the medicine. Only after that you can start processing, but you do not need to literally pour the antiseptic on the damage. In the case of iodine, for example, this will lead to additional skin burns.
In addition, if you fill a deep wound with an antiseptic, then there is a risk of tissue necrosis. Cleaning the injury, the tool acts aggressively, thereby causing additional damage. That is why it is important to treat only the edge of the wound, and simply rinse it with water.
Important! Do not use antiseptics in the open mucous membranes - eyes, mouth, nose. Plain water is sufficient for flushing in these areas.
Home first aid kit
Damage to the integrity of the skin is a direct path for infection, and improper and untimely treatment can only aggravate the injury. Sometimes there is no way to immediately see a doctor, or the wound seems too trifling. Therefore, it is always recommended to have a “golden” supply of specialized tools at hand.
Currently, there are many ointments, creams, sprays for healing any injury. Many people know about talcum powder, which effectively treats diaper rash. Powder for the treatment of wounds is a very effective remedy if the child has injured himself or rubbed his skin.
For the treatment of festering wounds, dressings with ointments "Levomekol", "Solcoseryl" are ideal. The wound healing agent has a calming effect, besides, it effectively draws pus from the wound, cleansing it. It is often used to treat burrowing boils.
In the treatment of thermal burns, preference has long and firmly been given to Panthenol. It is produced in various forms: ointment, cream, spray. The components included in the composition cool the skin, anesthetize the site of injury and accelerate tissue regeneration. There is also powder for wound healing.
In recent years, silicone gels have been used to treat scars, aimed at the rapid resorption of rough skin. An effective remedy for eliminating a cosmetic defect is Dermatix. Accordingly, high efficiency - high cost. Can only be used on fresh wounds.
Conclusion
It is important to remember that the wound does not heal on its own - for this, the body activates all kinds of resources, including all systems. Therefore, it is worth asking the question of how to speed up wound healing. In this case, it is recommended to take vitamins aimed at maintaining the immune system.
The principle of treatment and healing of various wounds is different, so you can not choose the treatment yourself. Small cuts without bleeding can be healed with simple iodine if you know how to properly treat the wound. But in other cases, it is best to seek help.
