1. Firstaid
Presson the woundtostop the bleeding.
Get medical attentionif the bleedingisheavyordoesnotstopsoon.See the separate leafletcalled
DealingwithBleeding.
Cleanthe woundnomatter howsmall itis.Cleaningwill reduce the chance of infection.Justuse
ordinarytap water.Some antisepticsmaydamage skintissue anddelayhealing.
Aftercleaning,coverthe woundwithasterile,non-stickydressing.
Many people deal withminorcutsbythemselves.The followinggivesaguide astowhento consider
gettingmedical help.
•Ideally,adoctoror nurse shouldcleanwoundsthatare large,deep,ordirty,andabrasionscaused
by gravel.There isa riskof infection,andalsoa riskof permanenttattooingof the skinfromgravel,
dirt,grit,etc, whichremainina wound.
•Woundslongerthan5 cm or whichinvolvedeepertissuesthanthe skinmayneedstitches.
•If part of the woundhasdeador damagedskinthenthismay needtobe trimmedor removedto
preventinfectiondevelopinginit.
•If yoususpectthe cut has damageddeepertissuessuchasnerves,tendons,orjoints.
•Woundscausedby penetratingglass,metal,etc,mayneedtobe carefullyexamined,andmayneed
an X-rayto check that there isnothingleftinside.
•Gaping woundsshouldbe closedwithstitches,glue,orstickytape.Evensmall gapingwoundson
the face are bestdealtwithbya doctor tokeepscarringto a minimum.Mostwoundsare closed
straightaway.However,adoctormayadvise waitingfora few daysbefore closingcertainwounds.
For example,if the woundismore thansix hoursold,if itisinfected,orif itisat highriskof
becominginfected,suchasa woundcontaminatedwithmanure.Thisdelayedclosure aimstomake
sure the woundis notinfectedbeforeclosingitup.
•You shouldhave a tetanusboosterif youare not up to date withyourimmunisations.
•Antibioticmedicinesare notneededinmostcases.However,acourse of antibioticsmaybe advised
insome situationswhere there isahighriskof a woundinfectiondeveloping.These
include:•Woundstothe feet(especiallyif youhave poorcirculationtothe feet).
•Woundswithjaggededges.

2. •Woundscontaminatedwithsoil,manure,orfaeces.
•Deeppuncture wounds.
•Woundsin olderpeople.
•If yourresistance toinfection islow.Forexample,if youare onchemotherapyortakingsteroid
tablets;have noworkingspleen;have diabetes;have alcoholdependence;have AIDS,etc.
Afterdealingwithacut
The most commoncomplicationisaninfectionof the wound.See adoctor if the skinsurroundinga
woundbecomesmore tender,painful,swollen,red,orinflamedoverthe followingfew days.
In some cases,as the woundheals,the colourinthe skindarkensaroundthe scar
(hyperpigmentation).Thismaybe preventedif youuse high-factorsunscreenregularlyfor6-12
monthson healingwoundsthatare exposedtosunshine.