Minor Cut & Wound Care
For minor cuts and wounds, the best way to treat them is to wash with some gentle soap, then let it form a fibrin scab, before covering the cut with petroleum jelly, like Vaseline. If the wound doesn’t get infected, turn weird colours, swell or get worse, there is usually no need for antibiotic ointments or other creams. As long as the wound is kept clean and moist, it will heal quickly and with little scarring. That is why petroleum jelly works so well, it traps moisture in the skin, while not letting harmful bacteria from the air, enter the wound. Letting it dry and form a hard scab, is the worst thing you can do for minor wounds or cuts.
So the steps again, in order:
- Immediately wash the cut with water and gentle soap
- Let it form a scab, for about 30 mins
- Apply occlusive dressing or cream, like Vaseline or Petroleum Jelly
- Never let it dry out and form a hard scab, it will slow down healing and cause worse scarring.
- Do not stop applying the dressing until its fully healed, may take 2-4 weeks.
For deep but small cuts, you can use this “hack” but the doctor probably won’t like it. If the cut didn’t hit any veins or arteries, you can use Super Glue(yes, the hardware store kind) to seal the wound. Make sure it doesn’t enter the wound, hold the cut skin together well, then apply a thin layer. As it dries, it can heat up, so don’t apply too much and warn the injured person. There is medical grade Super Glue, and I got my inspiration from there, however that is much safer and doesn’t have the heating problem, even though both are made from Cyanoacrylate.
My experience using Super Glue. (click this)
I have used the super glue trick before, and it worked perfectly, but due to the person needing a medical certificate to get time off work, we had to go to the hospital, where the nurse and doctor thought I had messed up and let the glue enter the wound. They went and removed the glue, and reopened the wound for no reason(to supposedly clean it from glue…), and stitched it up. I am very sure it wouldn’t have required stitching, if we hadn’t needed to go to the hospital, as the wound had already sealed itself and wasn’t bleeding, after they removed the superglue.
Simple Burn Care
For minor first-degree burns, the best course of action is to immediately run the burnt area under running water for 20 minutes continuously. If the upper layer of skin has come off, cover it with cling film(yes, the kitchen one), and go to the doctor if need be. DO NOT put ice, butter, oils, toothpaste or any other household “hacks” that people have wrongly learnt. Also, DO NOT pop any blisters or swelling. Your body naturally creates it to assist with the wound healing process. If it does pop accidentally, cover in cling film, or silicon sheets, till it has healed.
Head Injuries
Always bring head injury patients to the hospital, even if there is no bleeding, or the person looks normal otherwise. They might have a concussion, brain haemorrhage or other issues, and they won’t show the symptoms of it till it’s too late. So never brush off any head injuries!
Sprains and Aches
For sprains and aches, get the affected part mobile as fast possible. Do mild exercises, no weight-bearing exercises at the start, but you increase gradually as it gets better.
If you have minor meniscus tears in the knee, it can be treated and heal slowly by itself with time, unless its extreme. If its small tears in the outer side of the meniscus(usually has good supply), you can treat it with ice, compression and elevation. If it’s a tear on the inner meniscus, professional help might be needed, like physical therapy and even surgery.