Revealing some effective and safe ways to take care of wounds at home

Steps to take care of wounds at home

Step 1: Wash your hands with soap/sanitizer

Wound care at home: Hand washing is an extremely important step that cannot be forgotten before proceeding with wound treatment. Hand washing will help limit the infection from hands entering the wound or scratch of the patient.

Before starting to treat your own/other people’s wounds, wash your hands with warm water and soap or suitable antiseptic solutions. Medical gloves can be used to limit direct contact with secretions from the wound.

Step 2: Stop bleeding, minimize blood loss

Wound care at home: stopping bleeding, limiting bleeding is a top priority when there are open wounds. Heavy bleeding can lead to a feeling of lightheadedness and shock. More severe can cause fainting, cardiovascular collapse or even death.

  • Use a clean cloth to gently apply over cuts/scratches to promote faster blood clotting.
  • If there is a lot of bleeding and there is no clean cloth / bandage, you can use your hand to squeeze the wound to help limit the bleeding.
  • Raise the wound site higher than the heart to limit blood pressure when coming to this area.

If you feel that the wound is deep and cannot be stopped by normal measures, you should immediately go to the nearest medical facility for timely and proper treatment.

Step 3: Clean open wounds and scratches

  • Wound care at home: wash the wound with physiological saline / suitable antiseptic solution for about 5-10 minutes to help remove dust and dirt from the wound.
  • Gently wipe the wound with a clean towel.
  • Use tweezers to remove dirt or debris. If it is not possible to remove it all, you need to immediately go to medical facilities for support.

Note: if the injury is caused by a deep foreign body, do not arbitrarily pull it out because it may cause blood to bleed more profusely. In this case, it is necessary to go to medical facilities as soon as possible to receive the safest wound care.

Step 4: Disinfect the open wound properly

Wound care at home is indispensable for disinfecting – the most important step in the process of wound care at home. Choosing to use a specialized and appropriate wound antiseptic solution will help prevent the attack of pathogens: bacteria, fungi, spores into the wound.

The criteria for choosing a wound antiseptic product are as follows:

  • Broad antibacterial spectrum: will kill all kinds of pathogens including: bacteria, spores, fungi.
  • Do not cause stinging and irritation to the wound
  • Without damaging and affecting the formation of granulosa cells, fibroblasts – are important factors in the wound healing process.
  • Fast effect: guaranteed to kill bacteria in a short contact time.

Wound care at home: Do not use hydrogen peroxide, alcohol-containing solutions for wounds because these solutions will be able to kill bacteria but cause stinging and further damage to granulosa cells. , fibroblasts, killing white blood cells – platelets… making the wound heal much slower.

Note:

  • With some ointments, there may be a slight rash depending on the location of each person. If there are signs of rash-redness, stop using the drug and consult a doctor.
  • Only use antibiotics when prescribed by a doctor, do not abuse or arbitrarily use antibiotics because it may increase the risk of drug resistance in the future.

Step 5: Bandage the wound

Wound care at home: bandage carefully to keep the wound clean. Use sterile dressings to minimize infection.

Note:

  • If the wound is a minor cut/abrasion, no dressing is required. Keeping the wound open will help it heal faster.
  • Avoid dressing too tight, reducing blood flow to the wound site. This will make the patient feel uncomfortable and reduce the body’s ability to heal itself.

Step 6: Change the bandage regularly

  • The dressing should be changed at least twice a day or when the dressing is wet or dirty. Each dressing change requires rinsing the wound as above, using antibiotic ointment on the wound at each dressing change.
  • If the wound has healed, there is no need to bandage the wound.

Step 7: Watch for signs of infection

  • During home wound care, special attention should be paid to signs of infection. If you have any unusual symptoms, you should immediately seek medical attention.
  • Some mild signs of infection may appear around the wound such as: redness, swelling, pus discharge or the wound is getting more and more painful, the wound feels a little warm.
  • Severe infections can affect breathing and circulation.

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