Wound care products
Nearly everyone in the world has had an injury at some point that required wound care products. Cuts, scrapes and other injuries often need different types of treatment and wound care depending on their severity as well as the type of injury. Once an injury occurs, a series of events must take place in order to ensure proper healing of the wound. Caring for a wound properly helps to minimize the risk of infection and helps lessen the risks of scars developing. For proper healing, it is important that the proper steps be taken to cleans and dress the wound.
Scrapes and abrasions typically do not need any specific wound care or product. Simply cleansing the wound thoroughly for two to three days should suffice. If the scrape is painful or severe, it may be necessary to cover the wound with a bandage to keep out infection. More serious wounds may require medical attention. If the bleeding is heavy or does not stop within fifteen minutes after applying direct pressure, you should seek emergency medical attention. If you can stop the bleeding and the wound does not look terribly deep, you can gently cleanse the wound, apply antibacterial ointment and add a sterile bandage or other dressing to ward off infection.
Cleaning the wound can be done with gently running water. Hold the wounded area under a faucet or shower to gently wash. The water temperature should be lukewarm and the pressure should be hard enough to wash the wound but gentle enough so that it does not cause the wound to bleed. Once you have thoroughly cleaned the wound, you can apply an antibacterial cream or gel before adding a sterile bandage.
Medical attention should be sought for wounds that are deep and/or will not stop bleeding after applying direct pressure. It is important to understand that physicians typically will not suture a wound that is more than eight to twelve hours old because the risk of infection increases after a few hours. If you feel that your wound is serious, you should seek medical attention immediately to allow the doctor enough time to properly suture the wound. Open wounds take much longer to heal and typically result in a higher risk of infection as well as scarring. Be certain that you seek medical attention as soon as you can to minimize these risks.
If, when you are cleaning the wound you notice that you cannot get the dirt and debris out of it, you should seek medical attention. Not properly cleaning the wound will significantly raise the risk of infection and your doctor has the tools necessary to properly clean the wound. Open wounds that are not cleaned properly may contain debris such as metals, glass and dirt that will raise the risk of infection. If your wound is more than one-half inches in length, it is also vital that you seek medical attention as quickly as possible. Wounds of this size can affect deeper tissues such as bone and muscle and should be checked by a medical professional. In addition, if you notice that there is a yellow tinged fluid coming from the wound or the area around the wound turns red, this could signal infection and should be checked by your doctor as soon as possible.
Your doctor will examine your wound and clean it to ensure that all foreign debris is cleared from the wound area. He or she will then determine whether or not sutures or stitches are needed to protect and help heal the wound. Once the wound is cleaned and any needed sutures are applied, wound care products will be used to protect the wound while it continues to heal. A sterilized bandage is typically applied for one to two days depending on the severity of the wound. It is important that you keep your wound care products dry and clean in order to minimize the risk of infection. If you do require stitches, a bandage or other product may be applied to the wound even after the stitches are removed to continue to protect your wound from infections.
In addition to using stitches, many physicians also use a glue-like substance or steri-strips which resemble transparent tape to heal and protect wounds. These products work just like stitches but minimize the risk of scarring on the wound site. They are also typically covered by bandages depending on the severity of the wound.
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