How to treat a skin tear?

When you’re sitting there trying to figure out how on earth you managed to get a skin tear in the first place, it’s easy to feel like giving up. But don’t worry – we’ve got your back! In this article, we’ll be telling you everything you need to know about treating skin tears effectively.

Introduction

Skin tears are something that happen more often than people would care to admit – but they can really hurt and make life difficult. Essentially what happens when a skin tear occurs is that the top layer of your skin (the epidermis) separates from the second layer (the dermis), resulting in injury.

What causes skin tears?

Skin tears can be caused by any number of things ranging from simply brushing against an object too hard all the way up through blunt force trauma or even being thrown at high speed into a wall. Basically, anything which puts pressure on your body has potential for causing some kind of tissue damage – so take care!

Treating Your Skin Tear

Now onto the fun stuff: treating that painful little nuisance known as a ‘skin tear’.

Clean it Properly

Before you start bandaging or doing anything else with your wound site, make sure that area is fully cleaned and disinfected. This will kill any germs lingering around waiting to infect your little boo-boo further down the line.

To clean it properly:

  1. Thoroughly wash both hands
  2. Cleanse wound using mild soap
  3. Make certain infected debris is removed
  4. Apply gentle pressure

After cleaning process ends just let water run over area after dried off.”

What if I’m Outdoors without Supplies?

If you find yourself out hiking/camping/doing other outdoor activities without access to typical first aid supplies such as antiseptic wipes/solutions then no fear my friend! According to experts, it is still useful to clean the wound with water as this can, in most cases, be used in place of antiseptic solutions.

Covering Your Skin Tear

When your skin tear is clean and ready for some love – cover that sucker up! Depending on the size of your injury site you may need varying bandage sizes but luckily they aren’t too hard to come by.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Sterile cotton balls
  • Adhesive bandage (or alternatively non-adhesive gauze followed by clear adhesive tape)
  • Medical wrap (in certain situations)

Can I Use My Own Materials Instead?

Whilst regular household options such as sticky tape are tempting try to resist urges to cover wound with any irritating materials which will only delay healing process – not gonna lie there’s something masochistic about infection inception.

Aftercare

As you continue along your day-to-day routine be sure to continually check on how area is progressing/any signs of symptoms developing:

These include:
1. Unexpected bleeding good report; nothing obvious popping out here
2. Inflammation/swelling
bad news bear if happening post treatment
3. Puss/discharge
4. Redness
5. Pain

Conclusion

Skin tears suck – no denying that! But now equipped with newfound knowledge You’re one step closer towards effective treatment so next time an pesky obstacle comes your way don’t fear – because you’ve got it covered.

Note: If a larger than normal portion of body has separated then consider going directly into emergency room since tourniquets/direct pressure might be required whilst awaiting medics.

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