I accidentally cut myself shaving yesterday-I sliced myself good right on the achilles tendon (OUCH!) and it has yet to stop totally bleeding.
Question-when it stops, should I keep it bandaged or not?
According to my mother, keeping it bandaged won’t allow the air to get to it and heal it into a scab. Also, I suppose, bacteria could gather in a warm moist environment.
However, I’ve also read that letting a cut dry out can be just as bad for it-and I don’t want to allow dirt and things to get into an unhealed cut.
So, which is better-keep it bandaged and away from contamination, or let it air out?
Clean it well, put some first-aid ointment on it to discourage bacteria, and bandage it. Cuts do not need to dry out to form a scab. They need your blood cells to do that, and the less interference they get from dirt, rubbing by shoes, etc., the faster they tend do so.
To do justice to your mom, if you keep all air away from the cut, it indeed will not dry out, and you’ll have a moist scab for some time. This would be bad if you needed to expose your scab as quickly as possible for some reason and a hardened scab were preferable. But a shallow cut that’s kept protected and slightly moist seems to heal without a scar better, and the bandage takes the place of the hardened scab in protecting the site.
Air & sunlight are good for a cut, and will help it heal faster. So it’s better to leave a cut unbandaged.
Dust & dirt are bad for a cut, and can cause dangerous infections. So it’s better to keep a cut bandaged.
So, as is common in the real world, there’s something to be said for either option. You get to choose which applies the most for each situation.
Personally, for cuts in places that are likely to get dirty (like hands & feet), I usually bandage them. Or in places where they would be irritated by rubbing clothes, shoes, etc. But others I usually leave unbandaged.
Another idea - I had a mole removed from my face once. The dermatologist told me not to bandage it, but keep it covered with Vaseline (i.e. petroleum jelly). The theory being that it would keep out the dirt/germs, and leave the skin soft so it would heal without much scar. This worked well for me, so I try to do this whenever possible. Naturally, if the wound is in a spot that gets rubbed by clothing or something, it won’t work.
This summer, I had a mole removed–then the area cut out–and then I sliced my finger with a knife. All three times, they told me to keep it covered in first-aid ointment (and by extension, with a bandaid, to keep the ointment on) for ten days, to minimize scarring. After that, let it dry out.
Twice a day, remove the bandage, gently wash the area with water, blot dry with a tissue or cotton puff, apply ointment, and re-bandage.
Get some triple anti-biotic ointment. It prevents infections and promotes healing.
Wash the would carefully, blot dry, apply tab oitntment, bandage very loosely to keep out dust/dirt.
Be careful with the razor next time. (Don’t use a straight razor!).
Get some triple anti-biotic ointment. It prevents infections and promotes healing.
Wash the would carefully, blot dry, apply t.a.b. oitntment, bandage very loosely to keep out dust/dirt.
Be careful with the razor next time. (Don’t use a straight razor!).
Just to drive the point home, and show off some war wounds…
Two years ago, I dropped my motorcycle doing 50 on the freeway. Major road rash: a 3" x 6" area on my knee with several layers of skin taken off. I was always of the belief that cuts need to ‘dry out’ and scab over to heal right. The doctor insisted I keep it moist and covered. Went through over 6 tubes of Neosporin. Darn thing healed up right quick and looking good as new. It’s numb there, but you couldn’t tell just by looking. I keep all my cuts well greased now.