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Cuts and grazes are part of growing up. Small wounds are usually easily treated at home with a little first aid and lots of TLC. Large, or severely bleeding wounds need immediate medical attention, as blood loss can lead to falling blood pressure and shock.
Take action:
Wash your hands before handling any wound, or wear sterile disposable gloves; for smaller cuts, hold the wound under cool, running water to remove dirt or bits of grass and to assess how deep it is; consider putting a bandage on the cut or graze, especially on the hands, legs and feet; stitches might be required if:
Take action:
Wash your hands before handling any wound, or wear sterile disposable gloves; for smaller cuts, hold the wound under cool, running water to remove dirt or bits of grass and to assess how deep it is; consider putting a bandage on the cut or graze, especially on the hands, legs and feet; stitches might be required if:
- the wound edges do not come together easily
- the wound is deep (more than ½ cm), gaping, or has a jagged edge
- the wound is longer than 2 cm and deeper than half a centimetre
- muscle, fat or bone is visible
- there are deep cuts on the face, scalp, hands or joints.
Read more here on first aid for cuts.
(Photo of child with scraped knee from Shutterstock)
