Everyone gets a cut sometimes, whether it’s an errant piece of paper or a workout accident. Most cuts can be treated with first aid at home.
You can typically prevent infections and complications by quickly cleaning and caring for the cut. But in some cases, bacteria get inside. When this happens, the infected cut will get worse instead of healing. This is when you need to seek medical attention and treatment at your nearest urgent care clinic.
Basic Care for Cuts
Unless a cut is deep or large, the wound itself is not a cause for concern. How you care for a cut, though, can make a big difference in whether it heals properly.
The American Academy of Dermatology outlines basic steps to treat a minor cut. Start by washing your hands, and then wash the cut itself. Use cool or lukewarm water rather than hot or warm water, and gently apply mild soap to remove any debris or dirt. If the cut is bleeding, apply pressure until it stops. If you can’t stop the bleeding, you might need stitches.
Put a sterile bandage over the cut and replace it daily to keep the cut clean as it heals. The American Academic of Dermatology does not recommend using topical antibiotics on minor cuts. Apply petroleum jelly on the cut instead until it heals.
Even if the cut seems minor, there are a couple reasons you may need medical attention. Cuts from a dirty or rusty object may require tetanus shots, and cat scratches that cause you to bleed can introduce bacteria found on cat claws. In either situation, it’s a good idea to see a medical provider.
Signs a Cut May Be Infected
While you can heal most cuts with basic, at-home care, sometimes you will need medical attention. After you’ve bandaged up a cut, make sure to remove the bandage daily and examine the wound.
Look for signs of infection, which can affect both the affected area and the body as a whole. There are five key signs of infection:
- A fever
- A foul odor near the cut
- Blood or yellow pus coming from the cut
- Pain in the affected area
- Warm, red and swollen skin near the cut
As an infection progresses, symptoms may get worse. You might notice new symptoms, including a red streak spreading from the cut toward the heart.
How can you tell if a wound is healing? According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, if a cut is uninfected and healing, it will gradually look better. As your body’s white blood cells go into action, the area around the cut will look a little pink and swollen. You may even see clear fluid coming out, but this is not a cause for alarm. Yellow pus is a sign of infection, but this clear fluid cleans the wound and is part of your body’s healing process.
Within a few days, the cut will scab over. This scab is your body’s natural way of bandaging up the cut. The scab will eventually fall off, and depending on the severity of the cut, you may eventually see a scar after the cut is healed.
