Providing first aid for bruises, cuts and wounds. Algorithm of actions and first aid for cuts. What to do in case of serious cuts

Bruises, broken knees, abrasions and cuts, no one is immune from this, and such a nuisance can happen in the life of every person, and especially a child. In addition, there is a category of children who constantly strive to get into something, and of course, such troubles happen to them much more often. In principle, there is nothing wrong with a child breaking his knee or cutting his finger, and few people succeed in avoiding this. Therefore, every parent should know how first aid is provided for cuts, and it doesn’t matter at all whether this knowledge will be useful to you in life or not. At least this way you will be sure that, if necessary, you will not stand in confusion or run around in hysterics from not knowing what to do.

A cut is an incised wound, a violation of the integrity of the skin, vascular muscles, etc., and an abrasion is a place deprived, as a result of any mechanical damage, of only the epidermis (upper layer of skin).

Procedure for providing first aid for cuts:

If possible, you need to expose the wound to a stream of cold water. This way you will wash the wound, in addition, the cold will constrict the blood vessels and help stop the bleeding faster.
Press the edges of the wound with your fingers to stop the bleeding.
Treat the wound with hydrogen peroxide (3%), and the edges of the wound with iodine or brilliant green. You should not allow iodine and brilliant green to get into the wound itself, especially if the cut is deep.
Fold a piece of sterile bandage in several layers, place it on the cut site and wrap it tightly with a bandage. When applying a bandage, keep in mind that if the bleeding is arterial (scarlet blood), it is better to tie a knot above the cut site, and if it is venous (dark blood), then below the cut site. Naturally, it should be tight enough to compress the blood vessels and limit blood flow to the cut site.
If necessary, you can apply an ice pack over the bandage for 10-15 minutes. The cold will reduce pain, help stop bleeding, and prevent swelling.

If first aid for a cut does not give results, and within 10-12 minutes you were unable to stop the bleeding, be sure to call an ambulance. Heavy bleeding can be stopped, or at least reduced, by applying pressure to the wound and holding it there. But in most everyday cases, this is not required, and the actions described above are quite sufficient.

When providing first aid for cuts, do not place cotton wool on the wound. When the blood dries, it will be very difficult to remove it, and this will cause a lot of suffering to the child. Therefore, instead of cotton wool, it is better to use a tampon, which can be made by folding a piece of bandage into several layers, as we advised you above. The tampon, of course, will also stick to the wound, but removing it will be much easier.

Loss of consciousness.

If there is severe bleeding, or if there is a fear of blood (which happens quite often), the child may have dark vision, feel dizzy, and may lose consciousness. To prevent this from happening you need to:

If you are indoors, open the windows to allow fresh air.
Have your child take a few deep breaths.
Use your thumb and index finger to grab your earlobes and massage them.
Massage your upper lip, right under your nose.
Using vigorous movements of your palms, rub the baby’s cheeks.
If these steps do not help, lightly moisten a cotton swab in ammonia and let your child smell it.

Do I need to get stitches and see a doctor?

After half an hour, when a blood clot has formed at the cut site and the wound has dried, do not forget to slightly loosen the knot on the bandage. Now that the necessary first aid for cuts has been provided, you can calmly assess the situation, the size and depth of the wound, and decide whether you need to take the child to the doctor or whether everything is not so serious and you can do without it.

Sometimes, with severe cuts, the wound has to be stitched. But it is worth noting that stitches can be applied no later than 8 hours after the cut, and this should, of course, be done by a specialist. Therefore, if you think that your child has cut himself badly or deeply, be sure to take him to the doctor. Usually stitches are applied if:

The cut is deep, the depth exceeds 0.5 cm.
The length of the cut is more than 2 cm.
The wound has torn edges or they do not close.
Muscles, fat, and bones are visible at the cut site.

How to remove the bandage painlessly.

If the bandage is soaked in blood, then removing it can be quite problematic and very painful. In order not to cause pain to the child, you can wet the stuck bandage layer by layer with a tampon soaked in a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide. And carefully unwind the bandage, turn by turn. If your finger is cut, you can put your hand in a bowl of warm water, but you must understand that not only the bandage gets wet, but also the wound. And if the wound has not healed well, re-bleeding may occur.

CARE FOR A CUT AFTER FIRST AID.

Having provided your child with first aid for a cut, you are faced with the question of treating and caring for the wound. As a rule, a small wound resulting from a household cut takes 7-10 days to heal. But during this period it needs to be periodically processed and the dressings changed.

After removing the bandage, you need to very carefully treat the wound with hydrogen peroxide and apply a special ointment or cream. In such cases, the Curiosin solution helps very well. But it is better if you discuss the choice of medication with your doctor. After applying the drug, you need to let it and the wound dry, then cover it with a bandage and apply a bandage. It is better to use a special patch with a pad in the middle so as not to injure the cut site during the next treatment.

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A cut occurs when the skin or soft tissues are exposed to a sharp object, as a result the integrity of the skin is disrupted, the subcutaneous fat layer, muscle, nerve fibers, capillaries and large vessels are damaged. We often encounter cases such as a cut on a finger, for example, while preparing dinner, you can cut yourself while shaving, but there are also deep cuts and not only veins - you will learn what to do in this case, how to provide first aid in this article .

As a consequence of the cut, emergency conditions arise (loss of consciousness), which require first aid to the victim. Every person needs to know how to act in a critical situation if an injury occurs to loved ones or strangers in order to reduce the likelihood of possible complications.

How to provide first aid for cuts?

First aid for a cut before the victim is taken to a medical facility is to clean the area of damage from contamination, stop the bleeding, treat the wound with an antiseptic and apply a bandage.

Under no circumstances should you rinse the wound with cold water, as it will introduce infection into the wound, which will lead to inflammation and prolonged healing.

In some cases, it is permissible to use water after an injury, when there is significant contamination: for example, a child fell into the mud where there was broken glass and injured his knee. In this case, you need to wash the child, but so that water does not get into the wound. Other methods are used for antiseptic treatment.

Cut treatment

To reduce the number of microorganisms on the surface of the wound, antiseptics are used - they come in the form of a solution or spray. The edges of the wound and the circle around the injury are treated with alcohol-based preparations, and the entire surface is irrigated with water-based sprays (Miramistin, Chlorhexidine Bigluconate).

First aid for cuts includes the following:

Treat the cut with 3% hydrogen peroxide and dry the surface with a gauze pad;
Lubricate the edges of the damage with iodine, brilliant green, and alcohol;
Apply a bandage;
Apply cold over the bandage.

It is unacceptable to use ointment or cream for the initial treatment of a cut: they block air access to the area, complicating cellular respiration and creating favorable conditions for the proliferation of pathogenic microflora.

You cannot pour powder (for example, streptocide) into the wound or apply cotton wool to the damaged area, these actions lead to a purulent course.

Stop bleeding

With minor cuts and abrasions, the blood stops flowing on its own with normal coagulation; with deep cut wounds, the bleeding is profuse, which must be stopped immediately.

Rules for providing first aid for bleeding due to a cut:

it will stop if you press on the wound with your fingers, place a napkin and hold for 5-10 minutes;
To stop, apply a tight pressure bandage;
For temporary use, the method of bending the limb at the nearest joint, finger pressing of a large vessel, applying a tourniquet or twisting is used.

The final stop of bleeding from the arteries is carried out in a medical facility. It is necessary to put a sterile bandage and gauze on the treated wound, bandage it and take the victim to the hospital, providing the damaged area with an elevated position.

Loss of consciousness

With an extensive wound, a condition often arises when a person does not react to what is happening, does not answer questions, while the process of breathing and blood circulation may persist.

The victim loses consciousness not only from the sight of blood, there can be different reasons:

This condition does not occur unexpectedly: usually a person begins to experience dizziness, ringing in the ears, blurred vision, and numbness in the limbs. The victim turns pale, muscle tone disappears, the victim closes his eyes and falls. How to provide first aid if you lose consciousness as a result of a deep cut?

Do I need stitches or when to see a doctor?

People usually cope with minor cuts on their own. Deep complicated injuries require consultation with a traumatologist or surgeon, as sometimes the wound has to be sutured.

The need to go to the emergency room has its reasons:

The bleeding is severe and cannot be stopped;
There is a foreign object in the wound;
The cut is located on the neck, head;
The wound size is more than 20 mm, the depth is more than 5 mm;
The edges of the cut are uneven and do not meet together;
The wound is located in the joint area, on the bend.

Sutures are placed on the wound to close its edges, this speeds up healing and prevents inflammation. If the wound is on an open area of the body, this is important from a cosmetic point of view. After suturing, the edges of the wound are pulled together, resulting in a neater scar.

Additionally, if the cut is located on a fold or in an area that is constantly traumatized, the unsewn wound will constantly open, the edges will separate, healing will take longer, and the likelihood of infection will increase.

Caring for a cut after first aid

Primary care and suturing are the first part of tissue repair. This is followed by regular and thorough cleansing of the wound and changing the bandage.

Household, uncontaminated cuts heal within 7-12 days if treated daily.

The bandage often dries out on the wound, and it is not always possible to remove it without pain. You should not tear off the bandage by force, as this opens the wound and disrupts the regeneration process.

Algorithm for replacing or removing the bandage:

Most modern adhesive plasters are water-based, so soaking the bandage with these solutions will not be difficult.

Next, the wound is cleaned with a gauze swab, treated with an antiseptic spray and, if necessary, bandaged again. On days 3-4 after injury, you can use ointments and gels for regeneration; the attending physician prescribes medications.

Features of first aid for abrasions

An abrasion is a break in the skin without bleeding. Multiple scratches, slight redness, swelling appear, a clear or pinkish liquid is released from the wounds, or there is slight capillary bleeding when blood oozes from the wound like a sponge.

Abrasions are usually not bandaged. A wound dressing is necessary to dry the wound and protect it from bacterial infection.

These conditions are met only if the bandage is dry; as soon as the bandage gets wet through, access to the wound becomes unimpeded for microorganisms, so when the bandage gets wet, it is immediately replaced.

With abrasions, the wound stops weeping within a few seconds. After treatment with antiseptic solutions, a crust forms almost immediately, which protects the wound from germs, so abrasions cannot be bandaged.

Cuts are a violation of the integrity of the skin by sharp objects. If the cuts only affect the skin and fatty tissue, they will go away on their own. If muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves or blood vessels are damaged, consult a doctor. Such injuries are considered common occurrences in everyday life. They are received by adults and children. To avoid negative consequences from cuts from a knife, blade or glass, you need to know the basic rules of first aid.

What dangers do cuts cause?

Injuries with sharp objects: a knife, blade or glass are dangerous due to damage to arteries, nerves, and large vessels. If cuts on the hands are not treated immediately with a blade or other sharp object, dangerous microorganisms will enter the wound. Gangrene may begin or a trophic ulcer may form that cannot be healed. The infection can be life-threatening.

If the cut becomes inflamed, complications in the form of purulent leaks and phlegmon are possible. This is a condition when pus does not flow out, but remains inside and spreads into the surrounding tissues. If the temperature rises and general weakness, you should urgently call a doctor.

First aid for cuts

Anyone can be injured by a sharp object. You can also deal with a small cut yourself if you know how. What to do if you get a cut on your hand in the first minutes after getting injured? First of all, don't panic. If a person himself is afraid of the sight of blood, first aid should be provided by someone who is not afraid of it. It is as follows:

The cut is carefully examined to determine how serious the injury is.
After examination, the wound is washed well with running water. If this is not possible, you can use bottled water, which is sold at every kiosk.
To prevent the spread of infection in the wound, you should not touch it with your hands. If necessary, you can wash the cut with soap foam, which should be washed off immediately after treating the wound. Do not use laundry soap. Children's products are better suited for this purpose.

Everything described above is done very quickly, in a matter of seconds. The most important thing is to stop the bleeding, for which the arm, finger or leg is raised so that the cut is above the level of the body. The cut area should be compressed with your fingers wrapped in a bandage or a clean cloth. After a few minutes the bleeding should stop if the cut is shallow.
If an artery is damaged, which can be determined by a stream of bright scarlet blood, you need to apply a tourniquet above the wound. And if the bleeding is venous - lower. flows calmly, no stream, and has a dark color. When the blood circulation in the arm stops. Therefore, in order to prevent limb necrosis, you should immediately consult a doctor.
After all measures have been taken to stop the bleeding, the cut should be disinfected. To do this, treat it with an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide. But if the wound is deep, the solution should not get inside, since small vessels can become clogged with air. The area around the wound is treated with alcohol solutions. Iodine or brilliant green is suitable for this.
The last thing you need to do when providing first aid, if you get a cut on your hand with a knife or other sharp object, is to apply a sterile bandage or just a clean handkerchief to the wound, constantly wetting the bandage with disinfecting aqueous solutions. This is necessary so that the bandage always remains wet and does not stick to the wound.

If more than ten minutes have passed after first aid and there are no positive results, that is, the bleeding does not stop, you need to call an ambulance.

Glass injuries

Most often, a person can get cuts from glass at home or at enterprises associated with its production. Glass is a very fragile and brittle material that breaks frequently. The slightest carelessness leads to injury.

Cuts on the hands and other parts of the body caused by glass have their own characteristics. They are incised bleeding wounds. Their edges are smooth and even, so they do not soften or crush the fabric. This is more conducive to healing than lacerations.

Cuts occur most often on the arms and hands. As a rule, their back surface is damaged. The most dangerous injuries are caused by hot glass. It has the ability to quickly cool and disintegrate in the skin and muscle tissue into many small fragments that are not visible even on an x-ray. Such fragments are difficult to remove, and migrating in tissues, they cause pain, new damage and bleeding. Sometimes fragments remain in tissues for years. A hot glass injury can be aggravated by a thermal burn.

What should you do if you get cuts from glass?

Clean the wound, that is, wash it with a 70% alcohol solution or chlorhexidine.
Apply local anesthesia by applying primary sutures.
For shallow injuries, Michel brackets are used. The victim does not require surgical assistance. It is enough to apply an aseptic bandage to the wound after washing the wound.
If cuts on the hands are accompanied by burns, the wound does not need to be sutured. You should treat it and apply a bandage lubricated with ointment.
If you find glass fragments in the tissue that are visible to the eye, you need to remove them and consult a doctor for further treatment.

When cut, the man lost consciousness. What to do?

Sometimes even small cuts can cause a person to faint. To prevent this, you need to:

Provide fresh air if the victim is indoors. To do this, you need to open the windows and doors, but exclude drafts.
Take deep breaths several times.
Massage your earlobes and upper lip.
Rub your cheeks vigorously.
If this does not help, you should wet a cotton swab with ammonia and let the victim smell it.

Knife and blade cuts

Most often, a person gets a cut on his hand with a knife, since he uses this cutting object constantly: at work or at home. Carelessness leads to injury. There are cases where knife wounds are intentionally inflicted. This happens during a fight or robbery against a person. No less rare are cuts on the hands with a blade during shaving or creative work associated with its use. There are different cuts. It depends on what they were applied with.

Injuries inflicted by a sharp object - a knife, blade, glass - are characterized by cut wounds.
If the injury is caused by a blunt object, the cut will have jagged edges. Such wounds most often occur on the hands and fingers.
If you simultaneously apply a traumatic object to an arm, leg, or any other part of the body with blunt and sharp objects, the wound will be of a combined nature.
A sharp and thin object: an awl leaves a puncture wound.

for cuts

During an injury, a vein in the arm may be cut. This is easily determined even visually. The blood from the wound flows calmly, without pulsating, and is dark in color. In this case, the person loses a lot of blood. A particular danger is that air is sucked into the vessels and can enter the heart. If this happens, death occurs.

In order to stop bleeding from the vein, a pressure bandage is applied. The wound is covered with clean gauze and pressed on top with an unrolled bandage. If you don’t have it at hand, you can fold a handkerchief or a clean cloth several times. Then the applied products should be pressed onto the wound. The bleeding must stop. If there is nothing at hand, then the cut vein on the arm or leg is immediately pressed with the fingers, and the limbs are raised up.

In what cases should you see a doctor for cuts?

If the cut is deep and its length is more than two centimeters.
When it is impossible to quickly stop the bleeding.
If, when providing first aid, it was not possible to remove fragments of foreign objects from the wound.
When cuts on the hands or other parts of the body are caused by a contaminated object. This could be a shovel or a rake.
If the victim is a child or an elderly person.
When, on the second day after the injury, the skin around the cut acquires an atypical color, pus oozes from the wound and the injury site becomes numb.
If there is an increase in body temperature and general weakness.
When a week after the injury

The victim must tell the doctor what steps were taken to provide first aid and how the wound was treated. Then the specialist will decide how to treat the cut.

Consequences

Cuts on the hands (photo above) can result in irreversible consequences if they are inflicted on the wrist area. In this case, the nerves and tendons are damaged.
Often during an injury, the victim's hands are injured. What to do? Contact your doctor immediately. The fact is that treatment of deep wounds is carried out by applying sutures immediately after the injury. If this is not done eight hours after the cut, the wound cannot be sutured at all in the future, as bacteria will have time to get into it. When the wound is closed, they can cause suppuration.
If cuts on the hands are accompanied by heavy bleeding with bright scarlet blood, then the artery is damaged.
Remember, even a minor cut, especially on the face, leaves a scar.

If the foreign body fragments are not removed from the wound, it will become inflamed and pus may ooze from it.
To prevent a serious cut injury from causing complications, you should be vaccinated against tetanus.

Cuts are a common household problem. Which of them can you handle on your own and when should you go to the doctor?

Most minor bleeding wounds caused by abrasions and cuts can be treated at home. But in order to protect yourself from the risk of infection or blood loss, you need to know what sterility is and how care should be provided.

First aid for cuts should be provided immediately after injury. Even a small cut is accompanied by capillary bleeding, which must be stopped. First of all, inspect the damaged surface and make sure that the victim is not at risk of severe bleeding. After that:

Rinse the wound with water. (Run the wound under running water to remove dirt and assess how deep the wound is.)
Blot the wound area with clean gauze or bandage. If bandage and gauze are not at hand, a clean cloth will do.
Raise the injured arm or leg above body level; less blood will flow to the cut site and the bleeding will stop faster.
Treat the wound with an antiseptic solution, lubricate it with brilliant green, but only along the edge of the cut, do not fill the wound, otherwise you will have to treat the victim for a burn.
If necessary, apply a sterile napkin and secure it with a bandage or plaster.

If the bleeding is severe, try to stop it by applying pressure to the wound. To do this, make a pad from a bandage or other clean material and press it to the wound. When the bleeding stops (within a few minutes, no more than 15), without removing the pad, apply a bandage to the wound. If the pad gets wet and the bleeding does not stop, do not remove it from the wound site, but place another one on top.

Do not wrap the patch around your arm or leg. This can create problems for normal blood circulation. If the bandaged limb swells or darkens, it means you applied it too tightly and, in order to avoid unpleasant consequences, it needs to be loosened. Remember, bandages will stick better if they are long enough.

You should consult a doctor if:

When is it necessary to apply stitches?

Sutures are necessary if:

The edges of the wound do not close
The wound is deep (more than ½ cm), has ragged edges
Wound more than 2 cm long and deeper than ½ cm
Muscle, fat or bones visible

Read more about first aid in the special section

Every person at least once in his life has encountered the problem of a cut finger. At work, at home and even on vacation, sharp objects are constantly used, which can leave cuts of varying complexity if handled carelessly. Anyone can get hurt, even a child.

Most often the cut is made with a knife. Such an injury is generally considered a minor problem. However, if the wound is not properly treated in time and the bleeding is not stopped, unpleasant consequences may occur.

What is a cut?

A cut is a violation of the integrity of the skin, which is caused by a sharp object.

Causes of this type of damage:

Like any injury, a cut requires cleanliness and disinfection. In particularly difficult cases, an x-ray is necessary.

This kind of injury can be caused with a knife and most often the hands are affected. Therefore, you need to know how to properly treat finger cuts.

Depending on the type of injury, there are two types:

Shallow (affects the upper part of the skin, subcutaneous layer of fat, dermis);
Deep (the integrity of the skin, nerves, ligaments, muscles, blood vessels is damaged).

If a shallow wound does not pose any particular danger, then a deep one is accompanied by bleeding, pain, and can cause a number of unpleasant consequences.

First aid for a cut finger

The first thing to do is to quickly stop the bleeding. But it is important to know how to do this procedure correctly, where to start, so as not to cause harm.

To properly treat a cut wound, in the first minutes you need to act according to the following scheme:

Rinse the wound site. This will allow the wound to be cleared of contaminants. It is best to rinse with cold water. When exposed to cold, the blood vessels narrow, and this will stop the bleeding. But it is worth noting that if possible, you need to use digested or filtered water. Tap water may contain substances that can cause wound infections.
If the bleeding has not stopped, you can press the edges of the wound against each other. This method can be painful, especially if the wound is deep.
The next step is disinfection. To do this, you need to treat the damaged area with 3% hydrogen peroxide. This remedy quickly and painlessly disinfects a fresh wound. The edges of microtrauma can be treated with brilliant green or iodine.
Apply a bandage. To do this, you should use a sterile bandage or gauze. The bandage for microtrauma of the finger should not be too tight, but should hold tightly and slightly tighten the wound. The function of the bandage is to protect the fresh wound and stop bleeding.
Apply ice to the damaged area. This will stop the bleeding and reduce the possibility of swelling and redness of the skin. Ice should be applied on top of the bandage.
After 15 minutes, the bleeding, in most cases, stops. However, if this does not happen, you need to call an ambulance. Before specialists arrive, to reduce bleeding, you need to compress the wounded finger.

What should you not do?

Such a nuisance as a microtrauma of a finger happens so often that every person has already formed some ideas on how to help themselves.

However, do not forget that there are measures that are strictly prohibited:

Do not lick the injury site. Human saliva is a source of many bacteria. And when they get into a fresh wound, they actively multiply, and as a result, infection and an inflammatory process can begin.
Do not use iodine or brilliant green directly on the site of an open wound. This can burn exposed dermal tissue, often leading to irritation or an allergic reaction. The affected skin cells die and the healing process is delayed.
You should not apply antiseptic ointments to a fresh injury. They block the access of air, and therefore slow down the drying process.
Ethyl alcohol should not be used to treat the epidermis. This substance has too strong an effect on open, fresh lesions, so its use is accompanied by burning and pain, and can cause burns and tissue necrosis.
You should not apply cotton wool to the wound site. It may dry out and cause irritation when removed.

How to treat a deep cut?

With minor abrasions, the bleeding stops fairly quickly. But what to do if the ulcer on the epidermis of the finger is deep? In this case, not only capillary, but also venous bleeding is observed, which is much more difficult to stop.

For deep abrasions, you need to follow the following scheme:

This type of injury and the resulting bleeding may cause headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Therefore, after treating the ulcer site, it is better to lie quietly for several hours.

When should you see a doctor?

This kind of injury is considered a minor problem. However, their consequences can be the most unpredictable. Especially if the damage is very deep.

You should consult a doctor if:

It takes more than an hour to stop the bleeding;
Bleeding is accompanied by severe pain;
Pallor of the skin is observed around the site of the lesion;
A feeling of chills appears in the injured limb;
Active sweating is observed;
The dermis becomes unnaturally cold.

These factors signal negative processes that the body is struggling with due to the damage caused.

Healing ointments for the treatment of abrasions

Healing ointments can be used when the bleeding has stopped and the cut has begun to dry out. The best healing agent is considered "Dexpanthenol". In addition to active substances, it contains B vitamins; they restore damaged skin structure and accelerate its healing.

Ointment "Rescuer" also has a healing effect. In addition to this type of injury, it can cope with burns, lacerations and frostbite.

If a knife ulcer does not heal for a long time, you can use an ointment that contains an antibiotic. "Levomikol"– antibacterial ointment, promotes rapid healing and regeneration of the skin.

Treatment of a cut using traditional medicine methods

Folk remedies can be used in case of a shallow cut. They promote rapid healing of the finger.

An excellent remedy for treating this type of injury is aloe lotions. This plant has antibacterial properties. Gently soothes the skin and accelerates wound healing.

You can use aloe lotion after bleeding has stopped and the healing process has begun. Place a cut aloe leaf on the cut and wrap it with a bandage. Leave for 15 minutes, after which, remove the lotion and do not wash the damaged area for about two hours. This procedure can be carried out twice a day.

Folk ointment also helps effectively in healing. It is easy to prepare at home. To do this, you need to take 100 g of honey, 20 g of xeroform and 20 g of fish oil.

Mix everything thoroughly and apply to the wound. The ointment has anti-inflammatory and healing properties.

A cut on your finger is a minor wound, but you should follow the rules for treating it. It is very important to quickly stop the bleeding, disinfect and clean the wound site. In case of unpleasant painful symptoms, you should consult a doctor, because even a small cut can cause a serious infection.