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At home, cuts mostly occur as a result of the careless handling of sharp objects such as knives or broken glass.
Smooth wound margins without any injury to the surrounding skin and relatively heavy bleeding are typical.
This often looks dangerous, but washes dirt and pathogens out of the wound. That is why smaller cuts normally heal without any problems. Cuts caused by knives previously used on raw meat are, however, critical, as meat contains a lot of germs.
Just as tricky are deeper cuts in joints and fingers. Here, there is a risk of the nerves being affected or the tendons severed.
Treatment of small superficial cuts:
- Allow to bleed briefly, so that dirt and pathogens are washed out.
- Disinfect wound.
- Cover the wound with a suitable plaster (if using a sterile plaster, wound need not necessarily be disinfected).
- Stop excessive bleeding with external pressure.
To do this, press a folded-up gauze dressing or rolled-up gauze bandage firmly on to the wound and keep in place with pressure.
Treatment of all more extensive and above all deeper and fissured cuts:
- Go and see a physician at all events!
- Cuts to the fingers accompanied by numbness and limited movement also require the attention of a physician. Cuts caused by a knife or other sharp objects previously used on raw meat also require treatment by a physician.
- Cuts to the face should also be treated by a physician, so as to minimize scarring.
As a rule, cuts are able to be treated extremely well. Very often, not even a single stitch is needed. Instead, the physician uses special wound suture strips, which fit the wound margins together.
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