Cuts and scratches happen to everyone, from cutting your finger when you’re chopping vegetables, to your child taking a fall and scratching their knee. Minor injuries like these can usually be treated at home, but you need to treat them properly to prevent infection. It’s also important to know when an injury requires professional medical care.
What Is an Infection?
An infection, when it comes to cuts and scratches, occurs when bacteria enter the wound and multiply. Signs of infection include:
- Redness and swelling
- Pain or tenderness
- Warmth to the touch of the area around the wound
- Pus drainage (yellow, green, or white)
- Odor from the drainage
- Fever
The Importance of Infection Prevention
When a small cut gets infected, it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but a simple infection can lead to serious consequences. Reasons to take measures to prevent infection include:
- Faster healing: When a wound is infected, the body’s resources are used to fight the infection first before they turn to healing the tissue around the wound. This means that wound healing is delayed.
- Reduced scarring: The delay in wound healing from an infection can leave more tissue permanently damaged, which can leave you with a scar.
- Prevention of spreading bacteria: When you have an infection, the bacteria can spread to other parts of your body or to other people.
- Reduced need for antibiotics: Overuse of antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistance, which can make it more difficult to treat other infections that may occur.
- Prevents serious complications: An infection, even from a small wound, can lead to serious complications including osteomyelitis, cellulitis, necrotizing fasciitis, tetanus, and sepsis.
Treating Cuts and Scratches to Prevent Infection
When you have a cut or scratch, you should follow several steps to treat the wound to prevent infection.
- Wash your hands with soap and water before treating it.
- Apply pressure to the wound with a clean cloth to stop the bleeding.
- Rinse the wound with water, then pat it dry.
- Remove any debris from the wound with tweezers.
- Apply an antibiotic ointment or petroleum jelly to the wound.
- Cover the wound with a bandage.
- Change the bandage daily.
What Not to Do with Cuts and Scratches
In addition to knowing how to treat your cuts and scratches, you should also know what not to do.
- Do not use hydrogen peroxide to clean wounds. You may have grown up thinking it was the right way to treat a wound, but it can actually kill healthy tissue, slow wound healing, and increase the risk of scarring.
- Do not skip the bandage. An uncovered wound is exposed to bacteria and irritation, so be sure to keep the bandage on.
- When you’re changing the bandage, do not tear it off quickly. You may tear off a scab if you do so, delaying the healing process. Pull it off carefully and slowly.
- Do not pick or scratch a scab. It can expose the wound to bacteria and slow the healing process.
When to Seek Medical Care
While minor cuts and scratches can usually be treated at home, sometimes medical care is necessary. You should go to your doctor or an urgent care if:
- The wound is deep and you can see muscle, fat, or bone.
- The wound is from an animal or human bite.
- The wound is spurting blood.
- The joints near the wound are not working.
- The cut has jagged edges.
- There is debris or dirt in the wound that you can’t get out.
- The wound becomes inflamed or tender and oozes a thick, grayish substance.
- The area around the wound is numb.
- You develop a fever.
- Red streaks form near the wound.
- The wound is a deep cut or puncture and you have not had a tetanus shot within the last five years.
In Closing
Cuts and scratches happen to the best of us and are usually nothing to worry about. However, you should always treat them properly to prevent infection and avoid serious complications. If you have a wound that needs attention, Health Service Alliance is here to help. We are dedicated to providing compassionate, personalized, and accessible care regardless of your ability to pay. Reach out today to learn more.
