If you cut yourself, scratched or just got an abrasion when you fell, that is, you have slight damage to the skin, you need to:
- Wash the wound with running water and liquid soap. It dries the skin less and if the wound is very painful, then it will not add additional pain from soaping with ordinary soap. Please note that if you are injured in nature, then you should not wash the damage with water from reservoirs. There are various microorganisms, and you can infect the wound. In this case, it is better to rinse it with a solution of chlorhexidine which should be in the first aid kit.
- Treat the wound with a water-based antiseptic. You cannot use solutions with alcohol (iodine,). They can only lubricate the areas around the damage, and then if nothing else is at hand. This is not recommended for diabetes.
- After treatment, the wound must be dried with a napkin and wound healing ointments, gels or spray (eplan, solcoseryl, etc.) are applied. Do not use bactericidal powders with a fresh wound. They prevent contraction of the wound edges.
- If the damage is small, then a dressing is not necessary. It will heal faster if left open. If the abrasion is large, then after it dries and becomes covered with a crust, it must be covered with a bandage. A sterile bandage should be applied to a deep wound.
What to do for purulent wounds
If an infection still gets into the wound, then the damage turns red and becomes edematous. Even a rise in temperature is possible. Be sure to see a doctor. Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics. At home, the treatment of purulent wounds in diabetics is slightly different:
- rinse and treat with an antiseptic;
- to dry the area on a sterile bandage, apply an antibiotic ointment, such as levomekol and bandage the wound;
- after stopping purulent discharge, apply a healing fatty ointment, such as solcoseryl.
The treatment is quite long and can take up to two months. Treatment of wounds in diabetes is highly recommended under medical supervision, especially if it is:
- non-healing purulent wound:
- a large area of pustular lesions.
They should not be treated on their own, because the chances of effective treatment are small, but this can trigger the development of complications.