First-Aid Information For Minor Cuts And Burns

It’s festive season, time to rejoice, wear new clothes, have plenty of sweets and savories; overall, it’s an atmosphere of joy. Yes it is, until somebody at home sustains an injury either from a hot pan or fire or while chopping something for the great dinner. The total mood gets spoilt and it’s panic and you’re stunned, unable to act according to the situation.

If you’ve ever faced with such a situation, irrespective of how small the wound is, you probably know the value of first aid. By being aware of those simple first-aid tips, you can react confidently and calmly soothing the victim, and of course, what you do first before getting to an emergency room is very important, hence it is called first aid, the initial assistance given to the victim. First aid can range anywhere from performing a cardiopulmonary resuscitation for a heart attack victim to simply cleaning a simple cut on a finger. If you learn all those first-aid tips thoroughly, you may have the opportunity to save a life one day – may be even your own. In this post, let’s have a quick look at those first-aid tips for minor cuts and burns (less severe) that usually do not need a visit to the emergency room/doctor. (I too ran across such a situation at last weekend get together and hence this post.)

First aid for minor burns/scalds:

• Take off any restrictive clothes, watch or any jewelry around the burned part of the body.
• To stop damage to the tissue under the skin, it is important to cool the burn for at least 20 minutes, as this will conduct the heat away from the skin and reduce swelling. Hence use cold running water to cool the burn for 20 minutes, may be under the shower, but do not use ice, as ice may cause frostbite, further damaging the skin.
• If unable to get under flowing water, immense the burn in cold water or even putting cool wet cloths on is okay so long as the clothes are wet and cool.
• If any blisters come up, do not break them, because once broken, they are vulnerable to infection.
• Apply any burn crème or antiseptic/antibiotic ointment to the wound.
• Apply sterile dressing/gauze but avoid adhesive dressing/adhesive tape as adhesives will peel away the skin at site.
• If the size of the wound is greater than 3 cm (say a big coin), take the victim to the nearest emergency room/doctor.

First Aid: How To Treat Minor Burns & Scalds

First aid for simple wounds like minor cuts, grazes or nicks:

• Minor cuts, nicks and grazes usually do not need a visit to the doctor. Still proper care is essential to avoid infection and complications thereafter due to negligence.
• The first thing to do here is to try stopping the bleed. Small wounds usually stop bleeding on their own, but if they didn’t, put some gentle pressure with a clean cloth or bandage continuously for about 5-20 minutes.
• Rinse the wound with clean water. Soaps and detergents can irritate the wound, hence avoid these getting direct contact with the wound but ensure the wound is clean thoroughly as a clean wound has reduced risk of infection.
• Once you have ensured the wound is clean, wipe it dry.
• If debris remains unable to be cleaned, take the victim to the nearest emergency room/doctor.
• With close inspection if you feel the wound is deep, say more than 5-6 millimeters (1/4 inch), or if any flesh or fat is protruding out, then it requires a stitch. Note that appropriate closure within a few hours of occurrence ensures faster healing and reduces the risk of infection. Hence take the victim to the nearest emergency room/doctor.
• If the wound is shallow, apply a thin film of an antibiotic/antiseptic. Though ointments don’t make the wound heal faster, they discourage infection and allow the body’s healing process to close the wound more efficiently.
• Cover the wound with sterile gauze/bandage to keep the wound clean and keep harmful bacteria out. Change the dressing daily or as often as needed.
• If the wound isn’t healing or if you notice any redness, warmth, increasing pain or swelling, check with your doctor.

In both the cases, over the counter pain killers can help alleviate pain.

It’s always better to keep a wound clean, dry and open to air without any dressings and crèmes, or with loose dressings with good ventilation, from the second day onwards for quick healing and smooth/efficient recuperative process of the body.

Ensure that you had a tetanus booster within the past ten years, even a more frequent tetanus dose isn’t harmful but rather safe.

Remember to keep your first-aid kit always within easy reach (but out of children’s reach) with those first-aid kit essentials such as gauze, antibiotic ointment, pain killers, fever reducers, plasters, medical tapes etc., to come handy next time you need it!