When Should I Seek Medical Care For a Skin Laceration?

You can’t predict when an injury will happen. Broken bones and other traumas require immediate medical attention. However, you can often manage a simple cut or laceration at home. 

That said, it’s important to understand when you should seek medical care for a laceration. Mercy Medical Urgent Care in Lake City, Florida, can treat cuts and lacerations when you need more than a simple bandage. 

Basic first aid for skin lacerations

All lacerations require some first aid to examine the cut, control bleeding, and reduce the risk of infection. 

Basic first aid for a skin laceration includes:

• Applying pressure to the wound with a clean cloth
• Elevating the cut to control bleeding
• Adding layers of cloth if blood soaks through without moving the original layer
• When bleeding subsides, rinse the wound with soap and water
• Rinse any debris on or near the wound 
• When bleeding stops, wrap the area with a fresh dressing

Keeping the wound clean and covered promotes healing and protects against infection. 

Seeking medical care for a skin laceration

A laceration isn’t always a reason for concern, particularly small cuts and scrapes. However, some lacerations may be deceiving, so it’s important to understand the factors that call for professional treatment. 

If you’re in doubt, medical care for a laceration is always the right choice. Urgent care is necessary if your laceration includes any of the following:

• Spurting blood from the laceration
• Lacerations on or around your face and eyes
• Cuts on your genitals
• Lacerations involving a rusty object
• Bleeding accompanied by intense pain or localized numbness 
• Joint stiffness near the laceration

Bite-related lacerations can become infected easily, so prompt treatment is vital. Seek urgent medical care for a laceration caused by an animal or human bite.  

Deep or large lacerations likely require stitches to ensure that the cut heals properly without reopening, increasing the risk of infection. 

Signs of infection

It’s important to monitor the wound as it heals. Specifically, watch for signs of infection, including:

• Redness and warmth around the wound
• Swelling (inflammation) 
• Increasing pain or tenderness
• Red lines streaking from the wound
• Seeping wound drainage, including pus
• Fever

Left untreated, infected lacerations can lead to spreading infection, including a life-threatening condition called sepsis. 

Infected wounds typically require antibiotics. The original laceration and the severity of the infection determine the dosage and duration of treatment.

Contact Mercy Medical Urgent Care immediately when you have a laceration that’s causing concern. Call 386-758-2944 to confirm your visit.