A tip for how to care for self injuries
STEP 1: STOP THE BLEEDING
Use water. Running water will not only clean the wound, but help to stop the bleeding. Run cold water over the cut to constrict the blood vessels and stop the bleeding. (Doing the same with hot water will cauterize the cut, allowing the blood to clot) Dont use both hot and cold water - just one or the other should do the trick. You can use an ice cube instead of cold water to close off the arteries. Hold the ice to the cut for a few seconds until the wound closes up and stops bleeding. If you have multiple small cuts on your body, taking a hot shower will clean off all the blood and cauterize the multiple gashes concurrently.
Add Vaseline. As a result of the waxy texture of Vaseline, applying a small smear of it to minor cuts will block off the blood flow outside of the skin and give the wound time to clot. You can use regular Chap Stick if you dont have any plain Vaseline on hand.
Add a spoonful of sugar. Follow Mary Poppinss advice at pour a little sugar over the cut. The antiseptic qualities of the sugar will help to clean it, while simultaneously aiding the blood clotting process.
Go to this website to see more info on https://www.wikihow.com/Stop-Bleeding
For deeper cuts you can go in the shower and do the same for a small cut, but the water WILL BURN THE CUTS! So instead of letting the water run down on it take a rag and put on top of the cuts, it will still hurt, but it wont be excruciating.
STEP 3: CLEAN THE WOUND(s)
Cleaning the wound is important to minimize the risk of infection and scarring. First rinse the wound with clean water, removing any dirt, gravel or glass. Second, take a rag and put some antibacterial hand soap on it (make sure its unscented) or baby wash (or if you have face wash for sensitive skin you can use that as well) and gently rub it. It is OKAY if it starts to bleed, youre taking the dead skin cells and any leftover dirt off. Just make sure you get most of the bleeding to stop to wear its not running down your leg.
STEP 3: PREVENT INFECTION
The best way to prevent infection is to apply an antibacterial cream to the wound and cover it with a dressing. Studies show that applying an antibacterial cream can promote healing in eight days, as opposed to 13 days for wounds left untreated.
If you do not have antibacterial cream, you can put some organic honey on it as well. The honey has small traces of peroxide in it, so it will heal the wound without the harsh effect of peroxide in the bottle.
STEP 4: CLOSE THE WOUND
You can promote healing and minimize the potential for scarring by covering the wound. Scientific studies show that keeping an injured area moist:
Encourages new tissue to grow
Decreases the chance of infection
Reduces scarring
Lowers the chance of further injury to the cut or scrape
If the cut is small enough, simply cover the cut with a bandage or dressing after following steps Step 1 through Step 3
Options for closing wounds
there are many ways to close wounds, and the best option will depend on the type and severity of the wound itself.
Skinstrips are tape—like strips that hold the skin together. These are appropriate for small cuts.
Stitches (or sutures) are used for deeper cuts. The stitches are used to sew the edges of the cut together.
Steri-strips are used to close wounds on the face in those instances where stitches may leave a scar. Steri-strips or butterfly strips are thin and sticky, and usually fall off after a few days.
Skin glue is a special adhesive that sticks together the edges of the wound and seals the skin for protection. Skin glue is not as effective on areas where there is a significant amount of skin movement.
A liquid bandage forms a seal over the affected area. A significant advantage is that it can be used in areas that are difficult for an ordinary bandage to stay on. The seal is waterproof, promotes healing and helps protect against infection.
If you dont have any of these, you can use a CLEAN shirt, or cloth, and tie it around the area.
STEP 5: WHEN TO SEEK MEDICAL HELP
Call your doctor if:
If the wound is deep, the edges are torn, if fat protrudes from it, if the wound is over half an inch long, if its a puncture or if it is a gaping wound, you may need stitches
You are unable to remove dirt, debris, dead tissue, or stop the bleeding
The wound is on the face, eyelids, lips, or neck as you may need medical attention to help prevent scarring
A tetanus shot is require
@Dwilson11 This is quite informative. All I do is rinse my arm with water (if needed), and then apply pressure to my wounds. If I am at school, I will ball up some toilet paper and press it to my arm. At home, I rinse with water and apply a bandaid or leave it be. A bandaid is only used when the bleeding hasn't stopped by the time I need to leave for school. It also keeps the fuzzies from my jacket out of the wound.
Not once have I ever gotten an infection from this lack of treatment, but it certainly doesn't hurt for people to do what you've described.
