CHILDREN’S HEALTH: ABRASIONS
Symptom: A surface skin wound that is longer and wider than it is deep
Home care: Wash the wound with soap and water and look carefully for embedded dirt or any other foreign matter.
Stop bleeding by covering the wound with gauze and applying gentle pressure.
If there’s no dirt in the wound, apply a non-stinging antiseptic, cover the abrasion, and keep it covered until completely healed.
If necessary, scrub gently to remove embedded dirt. Liberally apply antibiotic ointment to help keep the scab flexible. Keep the area covered.
Precautions
- Do not treat at home any abrasion that involves the full thickness of the skin; take the child to the doctor.
- If dirt is left in an abrasion, it may cause infection or become sealed under the skin.
- An abrasion on an area such as a joint that is subject to constant movement should be swabbed periodically with ointment to prevent cracking.
- An abrasion that bleeds evenly over its entire surface requires medical attention.
- Keep your child’s tetanus immunization up to date.
An abrasion is a shallow break in the skin caused by an injury. Abrasions are distinguished from cuts and lacerations in that they are not as deep as they are long or wide. Abrasions are, certainly, the most common and least dangerous injuries sustained by children. Most abrasions do not involve the loss of full thickness of skin and heal with little or no scarring. However, any embedded dirt, sand or gravel may be permanently sealed under the skin if it’s not removed before the abrasion heals.
Signs and symptoms
Abrasions are easy to identify. As long as the full thickness of the skin has not been injured, the entire surface of the abrasion will bleed unevenly and some large and small areas will not bleed at all. When the surface of an abrasion does not bleed uniformly, it is classified as a first-or second-degree abrasion and can be treated at home. A third-degree abrasion bleeds uniformly over its entire surface and must be seen by a doctor because it could leave a scar.
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