Scrapes and Abrasions- Home Suggestions

1. Wash the abrasion/scrape with warm water. Letting water run over the area is best. If discomfort prevents you from doing this, then soak the scraped area with warm wet cloths. You may need to scrub the area to remove dirt. You may repeat the washing as many times as necessary to clean the scraped area thoroughly. Clean water and soap are all you really need to do this.

2. If pain prevents cleaning all the material out of the abrasion/scrape, you should use a local anaesthetic like Bactine to make the process less painful.

3. Take acetaminophen (Tylenol and others), ASA (Aspirin and others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, and others) for pain. Do not give ASA to anyone under 20 years of age. See page 99 for details.

4. We suggest you apply an antibiotic ointment (Polysporin and others) 2 or 3 times daily and cover the abrasion/scrape with a bandage, gauze or non-stick Telfa. Use enough ointment to prevent the bandage from sticking to the injured skin. Covering the abrasion/scrape may speed healing and keep the area clean.

5. You should check that a tetanus booster immunization has been received within the last 10 years. If not you should see your nurse/doctor. The last regularly scheduled immunization is usually at age 14.

After using these home suggestions, please answer the following questions to continue.

Questions

Is there dirt you cannot remove?

or

Is there increased redness around the abrasion/scrape?

or

Is there red streaking up the limb?

or

Is there pus coming from the area?

or

Is there increasing pain?

or

Have you got a fever?