Wound Care Question - Multiple cut care question

[Swann]

Hi,
Not sure if you can help, but I've been cutting myself. The wounds are gaping, not bad enough to go to A&E with. Can I still close the wounds with steristrips, or would the time frame mean this is pointless? I did the last cuts this (Tuesday) evening, so they are still new.

[Epicene]

The time frame is not ideal to steri strip. The limit is normally six hours, anything after that becomes an infection risk.

Going over the same area deep enough for the wound to gape sounds like it might be worth getting professional help for (if not A&E then a Minor Injury Unit or your gp practice nurse). They can dress it however necessary.

Also please be aware (not meaning to state the obvious), cutting in the same place increases the chance of serious injury and often leads to blood clotting in a way that makes it harder to assess the damage.

[Swann]

Thank you for your advice. I'd not thought about the effects of blood clotting like that, so you weren't stating the obvious.

Stay well x