Clean, Treat, Protect: First Aid for cuts and scrapes
How should one give first aid for a cut or scrape? Throw on a bandaid and move on? No - there's more to it than that.
Remember that 99% of cuts and scrapes come from the body contacting a foreign item... these things that break through your skin (which is, of course your body's protection against all outside matter) are covered in germs, bacteria, dirt, and possibly viruses. These nasty things have now entered your body - don't just seal them in to breed and infect!
CLEAN
Wash the wound thoroughly with warm water and antibacterial soap or a cleansing wipe. Better yet, both! Get all those contaminants out.
TREAT
Apply a first aid cream or antibiotic ointment to the wound to kill anything remaining and help the body begin repairing the damaged tissue.
PROTECT
Now that you've prepared the wound for healing, you can cover it up. Apply a clean sterile dressing or bandage and let the healing begin!
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Bandages & First Aid |
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