Treating a cut, scratch, or scrape is simple enough, but many people find that they forget the exact steps as soon as it comes time to remember them. If you need a refresher course on how to heal cuts fast, this is the article for you! We’ll take a look at how to heal a scrape fast and everything you’ll need to keep in mind while you’re doing it and after you’re done in order to ensure the easiest and most effective healing process possible!
How to Treat Cuts
Step 1: Be Sure to Wash Your Hands!
First, you’re going to need to sanitize your hands. Open wounds and cuts create a pathway directly into your body, and any germs on your hands will be able to get a head-start into your bloodstream as soon as your hands make contact with the wound. In order to avoid serious infections and other problems that can pose a much bigger issue than a simple cut or scrape, be sure to wash your hands first thing before handling any open wounds!
Step 2: Stop Any Bleeding
This step seems simple enough. However, many people don’t quite know how to stop bleeding cuts. Although minor cuts and scrapes will generally stop bleeding on their own long before loss of blood becomes a serious issue, those looking to heal cuts fast have several options when it comes to stopping the bleeding themselves. Generally, people will apply a slight amount of pressure to the cut or scrape with a bandage, a piece of gauze, or some kind of clean cloth. This pressure will decrease the amount of blood flowing through the wound, as well as the amount of blood that is able to escape from it. You can also try elevating the wound, as that can help keep the flow of blood away from it, too.
Step 3: Sanitize Your Cut or Scrape
Just as in the first step, it’s important that you take any steps necessary in order to remove germs from the area of the cut or scrape, that way they aren’t able to get inside the newly-opened entrance to your body! This step entails not only removing germs from the wound, but also removing any debris from the wound. In order to clean your cut or scrape, run some light water over it in order to remove any blood, dirt, and other debris. If you have soap available, lightly use soap around the cut or scrape, but make sure it doesn’t touch the wound itself! Finally, after you’ve thoroughly washed the area around your cut or scrape, rinse it off.
Step 4: Apply Antibiotic Ointment
After the cut or scrape is cleaned, people will generally apply some antibiotic ointment in order to prevent infection and scarring. There are many ointments for cuts, and some people may have a preference depending on how their body reacts to the ingredients in some ointments versus others. Some people may eschew this step entirely, but the right kind of ointment can make a pretty big difference when treating abrasions.
Step 5: Dress the Cut or Scrape
The final step to either heal a cut or heal a scrape is to dress the wound. Be sure to do this step as soon after cleaning your wound as possible in order to minimize the time that your wound is exposed to the outside world. The faster your wound is cleaned and sealed up, the faster it will heal, and the less chance that anything will happen that will make the wound worse.
Many Kinds of Bandages to Choose From
Depending on your personal preference, you may choose to use gauze, a simple cloth, or a store-bought bandage with it’s own adhesive. Depending on your environment, one or more of these options may hold up better against the elements. If you’re in an area where you may get wet, make sure that whatever adhesive holding your bandage to your wound is waterproof, otherwise it may fall off without you even knowing. Once your wound is dressed, be sure to change the dressing at least once a day, or whenever the dressing becomes wet or dirty. Keeping the dressing fresh gives the wound the best environment possible to heal and will, once again, help prevent any infections.
Other Things to Consider
Watch Out for Infection!
If you properly cleaned your wound before dressing it, and make sure to keep up on maintaining a fresh dressing, you will greatly minimize the risk of infection. Still, in all cases, there is always a chance that infection will occur anyways. For this reason, keeping careful eye on all your wounds is a must, and going to the doctor as soon as the first signs of infection start occurring is always the most proactive way to ensure that a small cut or scrape never becomes a gigantic issue. Signs that an infection are beginning to occur can include an increased amount of pain in or around the wound, unsightly drainage that won’t stop even after the wound is dressed, and unusual amounts of swelling.
Consider Getting a Tetanus Shot
Finally, if the wound was exceptionally dirty, or caused by an object that was rusty or unkempt, you may need to get a tetanus shot. If you haven’t had a tetanus shot in the past couple of years and your wound is exceptionally deep or dirty, you may want to call the doctor and ask about getting one. Tetanus is an illness that can cause serious problems, and the bacteria that cause it are commonly found in soil, dust, manure, and pieces of old metal.
Treating Minor Cuts and Scrapes Is Simple When Done Right!
So, hopefully this article gave you all the information you need in regards to how to heal a scratch fast. All you really need to do is wash your hands, stop the bleeding, clean the wound, apply antibiotic ointment, dress the wound, and then watch for infection! As well, if the wound was exceptionally deep or nasty, you may also consider getting a tetanus shot.
By Admin –
