Treating Skin Injuries
Climbing trees, playing sports and even doing homework can be tough on skin. Knee scrapes, bruises and paper cuts come with the territory for many kids. Still, as a parent, you need to help make sure your child’s cuts and scrapes heal fast and don’t become infected. Here are some ways you can help treat skin injuries:
Scrapes and Cuts
- Wash with mild soap and water.
- Put on antibiotic ointment.
- Cover with a bandage for a day or two.
- Change the bandage every day or more often if it gets wet or dirty.
- Take off the bandage once a scab forms.
- See a doctor if the cut or scrape gets red, looks infected or starts to hurt more. If the cut is deep or bleeds quite a bit, take your child to the doctor or emergency room. Deep cuts might require stitches. The doctor can give your child something so it doesn’t hurt when they get the stitches.
Bruises
A bruise means your child is bleeding on the inside. In most cases, that’s pretty normal. The best thing to do is to put an ice pack on it to keep the swelling down. If it’s a really bad bruise, elevate the area above your child’s heart for about 15 minutes. That should keep the bruising and swelling to a minimum.
A trip to the doctor is warranted for really bad bruises, those that get worse after a day or two, or if your child develops a fever.
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