Cuts and Scarring

Copyright, Laz Spashett, original location

Make sure your tetanus booster injections are up to date!

Remember to wash a fresh cut carefully (ideally using sterile cotton wool), a fresh piece for each wipe, washing away from the the cut. Dab dry with more sterile cotton wool, then use a fresh peice of cotton wool to apply antiseptic. Lotion or cream will do, but personally I find the creams don't hurt, and the lotions sting! Then you can proceed to use these steps for minimising scars.

Copied from a magazine (can't remember which one...)

A scar is caused by the body producing protein to knit the skin together and repair the wound; this is triggered by a gap in the skin or inflammation. To minimise scarring, you must minimise the extent of the injury.

• The closer together the sides of the cut are, the less chance there is of scarring - or at least the thinner the scar will be. So always use a sterile strip (or more, if necessary) to seal the eges of a deep cut together.
• Cover the wound loosely witha bandage or breathable dressing. Covering the cut completely will stop air getting to it, and so delay the healing process; too much air causes hard scabs to form, which can increase the risk of scarring.
• Always keep the wound clean: Any infection is sure to delay healing, which can also lead to scarring.
• Avoid the sun if possible, or at least apply sunscreen to new skin that forms around the cut (NB this is for after it's healed up), if this skin is exposed to UV light it can cause reddening.