How to know cut is infected?

Are you the type of person who constantly gets injured? Do your cuts just refuse to heal properly no matter how much time passes? Maybe it’s because they’re infected, and you just don’t know how to tell. Fear not, my clumsy friends! In this guide, we’ll give you some pointers on how to determine whether that gash on your knee needs immediate medical attention or can be treated with some good old-fashioned rubbing alcohol.

What is an Infected Wound?

Before diving into symptoms and treatments, let’s first define what exactly constitutes an infected wound. An infected wound is one where bacteria have entered the tissue surrounding the injury and multiplied. This usually occurs due to improper cleaning of the cut or failing to keep it covered while healing.

When left untreated, an infected wound can result in pain, fever, swelling at the site of injury as well as general fatigue/clamminess. But enough about that – let’s move on!

Pus

Let us start with everyone’s favourite topic- pus! You may notice a white-yellowish discharge from within/around/beneath your wounded area which should look like cottage cheese (attractive I know). If this sounds all too familiar to you then congratulations- Your cut just might be infected!

However folks do not confuse slight discolouration around newly formed scars for pus discharge- depending upon severity there will be varying degrees of leakage.

The important thing here is if your wound begins dumping out significant amounts of pus BINGO-bacteria has firmly established inside those deep tissues!

Problem Solution
Yellow-green Gunk Infection Thrives
Orange Tan fluid/shaky Texture Seek Immediate Care

Might sound like random trivia but trust me-the more curious/weird the discharge, the greater is your threshold to ignore it. Seek specialized care if above descriptions prove accurate.

Color Change

Another giveaway to an infected wound would be colour change (oh I am not describing a painting here) in that localized area around the cut which can vary from yellowish green-tint. Keep track of reddening skin and development of warmth surrounding it since bacteria thrive in moist/heated environments such as wounds.

Now let’s digress! We hope all this talk about pus did not make you too queasy after that tacobell run 10 minutes ago(you’re welcome), but trust us: identifying these scary symptoms now will save you time later!

Skin colour Infection severity
Normal Non-infected
Redness Moderate
Green/yellow Severe

Insert encouraging text here! Remember- Not every shade brighter than salmon pink is something which needs medical attention immediately so please do not go burning holes in your pockets at first sight of anything unusual.(Next paragraph.)

Swelling or Pain

When a wounded site suffers trauma, blood vessels below are instantly damaged. The body responds with its natural way- lets unleash some fluids(Plasma) into those damaged areas thereby causing swelling and localised pain associated with injury.
However if 4 days post-injury sees no signs of clot formation (you know,when tissues gradually come together to form like scabs?), seek care fellow hobos because things might have just taken a turn for worse:

Associated Symptoms-

1.Frequently occurring chills
2.Joint Stiffness
3.General Unwell feeling

If all three seem delightful friends accompanying your painful cut then pick up phone/make arrangements pronto .

Odor Smell

We promised weird ways to spot infections right? Another sure-shot surprise symptom for infected cuts involves odorous smell emanating from the wound. When bacteria such as Streptococcus combine with skin debris and oils, chemical reaction leads to formation of subtle-to-strongly unpleasant odours (As if lock down wasn’t enough already!) around wounded area.

Do not be fooled here people! Wounds can have thin layer of necrotic tissue(shedded skin) which doesn’t imply that an infection has taken over. A grey looking hue is common across many typical recoveries without any cause for concerns so save your expense bills!

Odor Level Of Concern
Smells Sweet Probably fine
Fishy or Foul Smell Infectious growth

AHA coming back to it- Next time you think doubtfully about where unexplainable bad smells are coming from,step checking under/around potential infected wounds

Fever

The last symptom, but by no means least important, to discuss would be fever resulting due to intensifying inflammatory response in body when dealing with infections. Now most of us know what a low-grade fever will feel like; less hassling than entirely going haywire we assure you.

However,take note: If after few days you notice high temperature readings accompanied by profuse sweating ,the budding inflammation might just call for prompt care assistance !

Mild Fever Categories

1.High end 37-38°C
2.Rarely exceeds beyond threshold(no need worry folks)

If your numbers exceed above values ? Well – this certainly marks a good time calling up those emergency helpline digits!

Prevention Tips

Of course prevention always trumps cure which perfectly fits in case of cuts/injuries- play reckless and encounter infections later or equip yourself smart now – Make sure injury prone areas remain clean/lubricated as far possible plus ensure new band aids applied properly replace old ones.
Some simple steps which could be taken include-

Cleaning

Avoid washing wounds excessively, but please do not skip this step you couch potatoes! Fresh cut?Expect upwards of twice daily clean ups at home with good old antiseptic solutions!

When To Change Dressing?

1.When wicks become saturated
2.Arrange doctor visits for ‘wound debridement’ as soon as it starts appearing thickened/yellow-white-scabbed

Avoid too much moisture & friction from shoes or other tight fitting apparel since excessive heat triggers a perfect ground for bacterial growth.

Conclusion

Yes readers –those are some top tips formulated to best help confirm suspicions if your wound is dealing with troublesome infection behind scenes.Sometimes when symptoms relapse over time they tend to grow more dense in nature and worse!Iron out that funky smell,quell the fever , get rid of infected tissue areas-MAYBE-and give credit towards rehabilitated injuries now thanks to informative reading .

Thanks Folks- Stay well !…

Note: Please follow recommended medical practice while treating unusual scenarios described above. Happy reading folks 🙂

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