Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List

| A | | B | | C | | D | | E | | F | | G | | H | | I | | J | | K | | L | | M |
| N | | O | | P | | Q | | R | | S | | T | | U | | V | | W | | X | | Y |

Treatment of Cuts and grazes

For minor cuts and grazes, washing them well and covering them with a plaster or dressing is usually all that is needed.

  • Wash and dry your hands thoroughly,
  • Clean the wound under running tap water– don’t use antiseptic because it may damage the tissue and slow down healing,
  • Pat the area dry with a clean towel, and
  • Apply a sterile, non-stick, adhesive dressing.

The wound should heal by itself in a few days. For further advice go to your nearest walk-in centre and see a nurse or call NHS Direct on 0845 4647.

For more serious cuts where there is a lot of bleeding such as on the palm of the hand or a joint crease:

  • Apply pressure to the area to stop the bleeding using a bandage or towel, and
  • Lie down and raise the injured area above the level of the heart so the bleeding slows down and stops.

If your injury is more serious, go to your local walk-in-centre or A&E (accident and emergency) department. Go straight to A&E if the cut is to an artery or if the bleeding will not stop.

If you’re unsure how serious your injury is, it’s best to get a doctor to check it to be on the safe side. They will need to examine deep cuts to find out how serious they are, and clean the wounds very thoroughly before stitching them up.

Get medical advice if:

  • The injury doesn’t stop bleeding;
  • The injury is very large or very deep;
  • The injury was caused by a bite (all bites need medical attention);
  • There is something embedded (stuck) in the cut or graze;
  • The injury is on a joint crease or to an artery;
  • It’s red, sore and painful or has pus coming out (it may be infected); or
  • The injury is an old wound that looks like it might be infected.

It is very important to check you are up to date with your tetanus jabs if your skin is broken in an injury or you are bitten.

With very severe grazes, so much skin may have been lost that you may need a skin graft. The surgeon will take some skin from another part of your body and put it over the wound. After a while it will heal and look normal.

If nerves and tendons have been cut you may have to have an operation to ‘join’ them. If an artery has been cut and won’t stop bleeding you may have to have an operation that ‘ties’ the artery (like putting a knot in it) to stop the blood flow.