Play time is hear and clothing is limited, that means we are all going to be getting cuts and scraps, maybe even a little road. Most of these we can take care of at home successfully with a few simple steps. Things get a bit more complicated with limited supplies and/or when in the wilderness.
Note about scabs, as unsightly as they are scabs serve a very important role. 1) stop the bleeding 2) reduce infection 3) protect and aid in the development of new skin 4) reduce scaring. Scabs are good!
With any wound one of the greatest concerns is infection. Infections can be annoying or life threatening. Recently a friend of my got a very small scratch at work. Cleaned the wound with soap and water as soon as possible. Several weeks later that friend was diagnosed with MRSA. Point being you can never be to careful.
Tip#4 - Cleaning your wounds.
Water - In many cases water will do the trick. Mild soap can be added as long as the wound is not to deep/open. Running water over the wound for several minutes is beneficial. When you run water over water for several minutes what your doing is allowing the water to loosen up the foreign material in the wound. What is powerful.
Water is powerful. I know what some of you are thinking well yeah that was caused by a lot of water. CORRECT. Now you get it. You need a lot of water. Rinsing a wound for 10-15 seconds is better than nothing but rinsing for 2-5 minutes has more benefits. Clean water is limited in the wilderness there is a tool called a syringe splash guard. This splash guard is used with a syringe and allows you to direct a powerful stream of water and clean the wound with less water. When packing to head out for the wilderness do what you can to take some sterile water and a syringe with splash guard. Obviously this will require you to plan ahead.
Peroxide - The old bubbly stand by hydrogen peroxide... I'm going to pass this along for you to make your own informed decision. I'm not a physician one resource is Web MD-Peroxide. Interesting read. It basically states Peroxide can actually harm some of the good tissue and cell that are at the wound site and cause the wound to take longer to heal.
Antibiotic ointment - Applying a small amount of antibiotic ointment is good for infection control and keeping the bandage from sticking. I use triple antibiotic ointment. One thing to remember is that you need to ensure the wound is cleaned out well so that infections does not get trapped inside a wound that has closed on the top. An abscess can form. Which and be very painful and may end up need a doctor visit.
Bandaging - Bandaging is good for wounds it keeps additional contaminates out of the wound and it protects the wound from rubbing on clothing, tables or bumping against things. One key with bandaging is that it just needs to cover the wound and protect it. The bandaging should not be tight or thick just cover the wound. A bandage that is not tight will allow air to get to the wound. In the wilderness you have to ration your bandaging. Just enough to do the job. It is also helpful if each person carries a small first aid bundle of their own. My 6 year old daughter carries her own backpack in the woods and it has a first aid kit just for her.
Enjoy your summer! Have a good time and be safe!
Note about scabs, as unsightly as they are scabs serve a very important role. 1) stop the bleeding 2) reduce infection 3) protect and aid in the development of new skin 4) reduce scaring. Scabs are good!
With any wound one of the greatest concerns is infection. Infections can be annoying or life threatening. Recently a friend of my got a very small scratch at work. Cleaned the wound with soap and water as soon as possible. Several weeks later that friend was diagnosed with MRSA. Point being you can never be to careful.
Tip#4 - Cleaning your wounds.
Water - In many cases water will do the trick. Mild soap can be added as long as the wound is not to deep/open. Running water over the wound for several minutes is beneficial. When you run water over water for several minutes what your doing is allowing the water to loosen up the foreign material in the wound. What is powerful.
Water is powerful. I know what some of you are thinking well yeah that was caused by a lot of water. CORRECT. Now you get it. You need a lot of water. Rinsing a wound for 10-15 seconds is better than nothing but rinsing for 2-5 minutes has more benefits. Clean water is limited in the wilderness there is a tool called a syringe splash guard. This splash guard is used with a syringe and allows you to direct a powerful stream of water and clean the wound with less water. When packing to head out for the wilderness do what you can to take some sterile water and a syringe with splash guard. Obviously this will require you to plan ahead.
Peroxide - The old bubbly stand by hydrogen peroxide... I'm going to pass this along for you to make your own informed decision. I'm not a physician one resource is Web MD-Peroxide. Interesting read. It basically states Peroxide can actually harm some of the good tissue and cell that are at the wound site and cause the wound to take longer to heal.
Antibiotic ointment - Applying a small amount of antibiotic ointment is good for infection control and keeping the bandage from sticking. I use triple antibiotic ointment. One thing to remember is that you need to ensure the wound is cleaned out well so that infections does not get trapped inside a wound that has closed on the top. An abscess can form. Which and be very painful and may end up need a doctor visit.
Bandaging - Bandaging is good for wounds it keeps additional contaminates out of the wound and it protects the wound from rubbing on clothing, tables or bumping against things. One key with bandaging is that it just needs to cover the wound and protect it. The bandaging should not be tight or thick just cover the wound. A bandage that is not tight will allow air to get to the wound. In the wilderness you have to ration your bandaging. Just enough to do the job. It is also helpful if each person carries a small first aid bundle of their own. My 6 year old daughter carries her own backpack in the woods and it has a first aid kit just for her.
Enjoy your summer! Have a good time and be safe!
