Minor cuts and scrapes are common and don't usually require medical treatment at a clinic or emergency room. Nonetheless, proper care is still important to prevent infections and promote good healing. Other cuts and wounds caused by falls, sports injuries and accidents may be deeper or bigger and do require urgent medical care. Underlying diseases such as diabetes can cause chronic skin wounds, and these wounds need regular care, explains the John Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
Pressure
For larger cuts and wounds, the University of Ottawa Department of Emergency Medicine advises that the person with the wound apply firm pressure to stop hemorrhaging or bleeding. Applying pressure directly onto the wound for minor cuts and a tourniquet for larger, more serious wounds can stop or reduce bleeding. A tourniquet should be applied above the wound, between the cut and the heart, for about 15 minutes at a time.
Cleansing
Wound cleansing with water irrigation or an antiseptic is very important for any scrape or cut wound on the skin. The Mayo Clinic notes that the wound should be washed with large amounts of saline solution or wiped with an antiseptic pad, if a smaller cut or scrape. An antibiotic cream cannot replace wound cleansing to disinfect the skin and help proper healing.
Debridement
Debridement involves a physician or nurse removing skin or dead tissue from the wound when the wound is serious or large to promote proper healing and prevent scarring.
Local Anesthesia
Anesthesia is generally only needed prior to stitches to close serious wounds to reduce further pain. In emergency rooms, a topical anesthetic such as a combination of lidocaine, epinephrine and tetracaine is injected around the wound with a small needle, as outlined by the University of Ottawa Department of Emergency Medicine.
Closure
Minor cuts and scrapes are protected with a bandage to keep away impurities and infection while the wound heals. Chronic wounds such as leg ulcers in diabetics may require several bandage changes with special silicone bandages. Larger trauma wounds may require sutures or stitches to properly close the wound. Health care providers use strong, synthetic non-absorbable material for suturing. A doctor or nurse may also use absorbable sutures in smaller or soft tissue areas such as the mouth. Surgeons use staples to close large wounds on the scalp, trunk or limbs.
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