CUTS ABRASIONS BLISTERS PUNCTURES Products Available OnLine

FIRST AID

Cuts and scrapes, bumps and blisters, strains and sprains - we all experience these types of hurts one time or another. When they occur, do we know exactly how to treat them? Well, now there's no more guessing involved.

Keep in mind that not all hurts can be healed at home. For example, if you puncture yourself with a rusty nail, barbed wire, heavy equipment or anything involving animal manure, a tetanus shot is required right away and then repeated every 7 to 10 years thereafter.

CUTS:

The following steps should be taken:

1. Stop any bleeding. All you need do is apply pressure by holding your hand or finger tip against the cut until it stops bleeding.
2. Clean the wound. Cleaning the wound does more than clear the bacteria, it also cleans the grit and dirt out of the wound. A good steady stream of water or soap can help irrigate the cut or scrape, and got the wound clean.
3. Apply an antibiotic. Once the scrape or cut has been irrigated with soap and water, apply an antibiotic spray or ointment. This is useful to further clean the wound and help prevent infection.
4. Choose the right bandage. The bandage that you choose depends on the type of cut. A basic bandage will do for most small cuts.

   Do not apply the bandage too tightly - it's there to protect the wound, not seal it off, and air should be able to flow through it.

   For cuts that require stitches, a butterfly bandage can temporarily hold the skin together. Rules for cleaning the wound apply before putting on the bandage. To protect the cut, a gauze pad can be placed on top before going to the emergency room.

5. Emergency assistance. If there is loss of function in the joint, or vicinity of cut or scrape, if bleeding persists, or if the cut is completely through the skin so you can see into it, these are all cases requiring emergency assistance. Know when to seek professional help.

ABRASIONS:

An abrasion is a wound in which only the top level of skin is removed. This may occur during such mishaps as falling off a bike or sliding into first base. When this happens, you want to make sure that all dirt is removed by irrigating the area with soap and water.

Road rash (when you fall off your bicycle and remnants of dirt are embedded in a cut or scrape) is the worst type of abrasion as the area must be totally scrubbed until all of the debris is removed from the affected area. Anesthetics are not recommended for abrasions as the wounded area is usually larger and the ingredients may be absorbed into the bloodstream.

Gauze Pads: Gauze pads come in a number of sizes and are also available in rolls. Pads are great for smaller abrasions, whereas gauze rolls are convenient when wrapping is involved. Again, the gauze should be applied loosely, allowing the wound to breathe.

Coated Sponges: These dressings are generally used for more severe wounds. This open mesh dressing is coated with petroleum, which acts like a layer between the wound and the absorbent dressing. Once the dressing is on, you should wrap a gauze bandage around to keep the dressing in place. The mesh in the gauze allows exudate (fluid) to drain while keeping the scab from sticking to the sponge.

BLISTERS:

Blisters are usually very uncomfortable and painful. Blister treatment depends on the size, location and whether or not it has burst.

Blisters should not be burst voluntarily if it's smaller than a nickel: This opens the skin to infection. If the blister breaks on its own, clear the skin around the area and cover with an antibiotic spray or ointment.

When to seek help: Get medical attention when pus begins to form inside a blister that is still intact, or when a popped blister becomes reddened and shows signs of infection (swelling, redness, etc.).

PUNCTURES:

With puncture wounds you usually get deep tissue damage, thus irrigating extremely well under running water is very important. Punctures should be watched carefully as there is deep tissue that may have been affected that you can't get at. It is crucial to keep punctures from infection or dirt particles.

When to seek help: When a sharp object has penetrated deeply and was dirty, rusty, etc., when the puncture is located on the bottom of your foot, when there is question about a piece of the object breaking off, or if you notice any kind of swelling or redness at the point of puncture.

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