It is extremely important to make sure that you are well aware of the important aspects of wound care in order to heal properly. You do not want to end up dealing with infections and the need for additional severe medical treatment because the wound was not properly cared for. To help make sure that you are able to properly care for a wound, whether it's your wound or the wound of a loved one, you will want to spend a little time checking out the following:
Always Wash Your Hands First
Too many people make the mistake of assuming that since they are at home, that they do not have to wash their hands before touching their own wounds. They might think that they only need to wash their hands after dealing with the wound. This is not correct though because bacteria can be introduced into the wound by using uncleaned hands to clean and bandage the wound. When it comes to wound care, you really can't wash your hands too much and you will also want to use sterile medical gloves for added protection.
Be Careful With How You Clean It
You do not want to use alcohol or regular soap to clean your wound in between dressings. Instead, you want to use distilled water. That will help get the wound itself and the skin around it nice and clean. Allow the area to dry some before you apply the fresh bandages. You don't want there to be a lot of moisture buildup under the bandage.
Keep Changing The Bandages
Too many people will try to get their medical supplies to stretch a little further by refraining from changing their bandages too much. This can actually cause a bigger issue than running out of supplies quicker than you'd like. You could end up with a seriously painful infection and it will take a lot longer for the wound to completely heal.
As you can see, there are some very serious things that you will want to keep in mind when it comes to proper wound care. If the wound is potentially too severe for you to handle on your own, for whatever reason, you will want to consider getting someone else to help you. It could be a loved one, a friend, or even a home nurse. Also, be sure to set up a follow-up appointment with your wound care or primary care doctor so they can monitor how well the healing is coming along.
Contact a local health care service to learn more about wound care.
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