Overview
- A vital piece of gear in any first aid kit is bindings and other dressings in case you or somebody else experiences any kind of skin problem, such as a cut or scrape.
- A wound dressing is a kind of gauze that you use before you include any bandaging in order to add an additional protective coating against any kind of infection.
- If the casualty who has wounded themselves has only a minor cut or graze, then you should simply be able to treat their wound in this approach.
- If the cut is severe you might not want to try treating it yourself. You should phone the emergency services, particularly if the casualty is bleeding a lot.
- When somebody you know has wounded themselves, or even if you have injured yourself, be sure not to stress.
Protect Yourself
You will need to put a pair of safety gloves in your first aid kit. It is vital to wear gloves as a shield for both you as well as the casualty.
Rinse the Wound
After making sure you are protected you should then proceed to clean the wound. If the casualty is bleeding, you will want to softly rinse away any blood. There might also be mud and other fragments depending on how the wound was sustained. For now, just use some water.
Apply Direct Force To The Wound To End The Bleeding
If you discover that the wound is still bleeding even after being rinsed, then you must try to discontinue that bleeding as much as possible. Make use of soft fabric such as gauze that is folded over and place a gentle yet firm force to the wound. After about 10 minutes, most of the bleeding should stop.
Apply Antiseptic Cream to the Wound
There are a large number of treatment creams and gels that you can put on the wound. Hydrogen peroxide is a well-liked solution that many people include in their first aid kits. Just make sure that the cream or gel has antiseptic qualities to fight viruses.
Examine The Wound Regularly
You should examine the development of your wound every two days. Search for any possible signs of infection. You should also change the bandages every few days to avoid infection. Finally, when the skin has started healing, you can get rid of the bandaging to let the wound breathe.
Tips
Hydrogen peroxide is not required to sufficiently clean a wound. The sparkling action of hydrogen peroxide generates oxygen gas — more than blood can handle. Surgeons making use of hydrogen peroxide to clean deep surgical wounds have unintentionally caused gas bubbles in the bloodstream (referred to as a gas embolism), a possibly lethal condition. Very little proof exists to display the usefulness of hydrogen peroxide and plenty of proof is available on the merits of water.